Snakes, Rhinos and Flying Clocks!

I have been working on a page that illustrates the letters S & T.

When I was originally thinking up the various alphabetical ideas for Baby Goes Baaaa!, a snake seemed the obvious choice for 'S', but 'T' was more tricky. I first drew owls, thinking of Too-Wit Too-Woo!, but realised it's too complicated a sound for Baby to get it's mouth round.

As you can see, I was also toying with Tock Tock, a sound toddlers are used to, from singing Hickory Dickory Dock, but a clock is not an animal, so doesn't fit. I sketched animals wearing watches, but a watch is a very adult item.

So, in the end, I decided to give myself a little artistic licence. After all, in a baby's world, a clock with a face is not so different to a teddy. I gave it wings as well, then combined it with the snake to create one image, to keep things compact:

This is how the artwork looks (I seem to have a bit of a thing for red and yellow snakes):

The 'S & T' page sits opposite the letter 'U' (for Uh-Oh! - a sound I've noticed that babies love, for its intrinsic humour), and I have begun work on that page next, so I can keep an eye on how the two pages work visually together. I played with various ideas for minor accidents at the roughs stage, but plumped for a burst balloon, for its colour and drama, without any actual hurt: