LETTER: Local Authors, Photographers Seek Help with Children’s Picture Book About Watertown

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Dear Watertown residents past and present,

I am asking for your help with a picture book which will be titled “W is for Watertown: A Watertown, Massachusetts ABC Book.” This book will be modeled in the style of regional ABC books where each letter of the alphabet goes along with a local landmark(s).

For example, in the Boston ABC books “F is for Fenway Park.” These types of books are intended for young children (infants/toddlers through first grade) to learn more about their community; the goal with this book is to create a fun educational book for the youngest Watertown residents.

Usually, these books are illustrated, but for “W is for Watertown: A Watertown, Massachusetts ABC Book” my colleagues and I will be taking photographs of Watertown’s landmarks and locations. In this project, I will be working with photographer Eleni Demos and Vice President of Ideas and Innovations In Early Childhood Education Raseel Alahmed.

Some Watertown landmarks are obvious inclusions in a book like this such as “P is for Perkins School for the Blind” or “B is for Brigham House, Browne House, and Bemis Park.” However, even with research, there is a possibility we might miss some important locations and landmarks in Watertown. Therefore, we are asking for the help of current and past Watertown Residents. If you know of any landmarks or locations that you think would be good to include in this book, please email me at
tkokoros@gmail.com

I want to be upfront and say we can not pay you for any location tips. We are self-financing and self-publishing the book and do not intend to profit from it. The plan is to self-publish a few dozen copies of the books and donate them to The Watertown Library and every Elementary School In town. In addition, town residents will be able to buy them for the cost of production. That being said, we plan to include a thank you page at the end of the book for anyone who gives us tips for Watertown landmarks and locations we should include in the book. So if you send us a tip, we will thank you on that page.

The plan is to take the photos of Watertown during the different seasons over the course of the next 6 to 8 months and publish the book sometime in 2021.

Thank you in advance for any help,
Sincerely,
Teddy Kokoros

5 thoughts on “LETTER: Local Authors, Photographers Seek Help with Children’s Picture Book About Watertown

  1. This is fantastic. My kid did something similar in Western Mass on a farm. 4 seasons. It was lovely. S is for Watertown Strong! I have an image of reusable cups spelling that in the Victory Field fence. Good luck.

  2. Teddy and Friends, Nice idea. I tried to make a sort of abecedarius once at the woods above Victory Field. There was a huge fallen tree that looked like a Z if it is still there. But more to your interest in Watertown sites, don’t forget the three murals the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee organized that were painted by WHS students. They depict the history, arts, and commerce in Watertown in different ways. You can see them in our WPACK (https://watertownpublicartsandculture.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/wpack_single_pages_v7.pdf) and you will find other public arts locations in Watertown among those from around the world including the Braille Trail, Fowle House, Charles River Bridge on the Community Path, the Founder’s Monument, and more. I’m sure you know where to find cannons. Did you know Watertown even has a Time Capsule outside Town Hall and famous statues in the Library? We can’t wait to see what you come up with. Best of luck, Barbara Ruskin

  3. I would be happy to send along a few “town pictures” I have taken over the years. I have many going back to 2003. Pictures from all over town. I would be happy to share. Please let me know, you may contact me at the DPW 617-972-6420, my name is Mary Haley.

  4. What a cool idea for a book! You might want to mention “Boston” (the band) who were formed at 145-147 School Street.

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