Here’s a flashback to the archives—a collection of posts especially of interest to picture book writers:
Fractured Fairy Tale Picture Books
Keeping Up with Picture Books – new ones come out all the time
Magazine Story or Picture Book?
If there’s a picture book topic you’d like covered, please let me know.
Rhyming in picture books is great if the rhythm and rhymes are perfect. But forced rhymes or rhythm can spoil a story. Ann Whitford Paul says, “Rhyme without rhythm is like bread without butter.” Or maybe butter without bread! Many editors say they hate near rhyme: cat/path, box/blacks. Awkward sentence structure to force a rhyme makes for awkward reading. And the text has to make sense.
I like what editor Paula Morrow says, “Poetry is an art form requiring a lot of discipline in language. It’s two different ways of writing, and the successful rhyming story requires both: First the heat of inspiration, then the cool control of revising and refining.”
Since I don’t write rhyme, I thought I’d share some great resources.
Good Story Company founded by former literary agent Mary Kole has this post:
“How to Write a Rhyming Picture Book”
Picture book Author Josh Funk has a number of posts about writing picture books. Here are a few on this topic:
Picture book Author Laura Bontje has a number of helpful posts:
“5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Rhyming Picture Book”
“Taking the Stress Out of Metre and Stress”
“Do Rhyming Picture Books Work Like Songs?”
Author and Publisher Brooke Vitale has this interesting post:
“How To Write a Rhyming Children’s Book in Perfect Rhyme!”
Journey to Kidlit has this post:
“3 Musts When Writing Rhyming Picture Books”
“Poet and Author Joy Moore blogs” about poetical structure often using picture books for examples.
And finally, I thought I’d share some rhyming picture books that I’ve enjoyed:
What are some of your favorite rhyming texts?
Image by SarahCulture from Pixabay
Since I recently was the judge for a Fractured Fairy Tale Contest aimed at ages 8-10, I thought it might be interesting to look at some recent fractured fairy tale picture books. The descriptions below are from the publishers. (I’m hoping some of the contest winners and other contestants will revise their stories and submit either as short stories or picture book manuscripts, depending how the manuscripts are written.)
Goldie Fox and the Three Hares
Publisher: Clavis Publishing, 2022
Author: Bonnie Grubman
Illustrator: Katrien Benaets
“Goldie Fox would like a nice dinner of hare. With a clever plan, she tries to lure the Hare family into a trap. But Mama Hare soon realizes what Goldie is up to. Can the Hares outsmart her?”
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2022
Author/Illustrator: Rachel Himes
“Ma Sally cooks the best black-eyed peas in Charleston County, South Carolina. Her son, John, is a highly eligible bachelor, and three local women vie for his hand in marriage by attempting to cook as well as Ma.”
Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf: A Counting Story
Publisher: Tundra Books, 2022
Author: Davide Cali
Illustrator: Marianna Balducci
“In this clever counting book, the big bad wolf doesn’t want to tell a long story. He wants to get to the eating part. But the reader has other ideas. From a pig soccer team to a pig for every letter of the alphabet to 101 pigs in an animated movie, the stories get more and more fantastical . . .”
After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2017
Author/Illustrator: Dan Santat
“Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat’s poignant tale follows Humpty Dumpty, an avid bird watcher whose favorite place to be is high up on the city wall—that is, until after his famous fall. Now terrified of heights, Humpty can longer do many of the things he loves most. Will he summon the courage to face his fear?”
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2019
Author: Dan Richards
Illustrator: Eric Barclay
“A twisted fairy tale about a king and queen who wish for a child of their own . . . and end up with a baby goat.”
The Little Blue Bridge (Little Ruby’s Big Ideas)
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2021
Author: Brenda Maier
Illustrator: Sonia Sánchez
“Ruby’s mind is always full of ideas. One day, she spies some blueberries across the creek and invites her brothers to pick some. Unfortunately, the bridge is blocked by scary Santiago. “I’m the boss, and you can’t cross… unless you give me a snack,” he demands. One by one, the brothers scamper across, promising Santiago that the next sibling has a better snack. When at last it’s Ruby’s turn, she refuses to be bullied and creates her own way to cross the creek.”
The Poisoned Apple: A Fractured Fairy Tale
Publisher: Page Street Kids, 2020
Author/Illustrator: Anne Lambelet
“Sometimes bad decisions come back to bite you… The princess is too sweet, too kind―but the witch knows just how to handle a princess like that. One bite from a painstakingly made poisoned apple should do it! Once the apple is in the hands of the princess, the plan is in motion. But when the kindhearted princess gives the apple away, the witch watches as her plot spirals out of control. Can she get the apple back before it’s too late? Who will end up with a happily ever after?”
Why look at these recent books (and others)? To make sure yours will stand out. To see what stories are already out there. To look at publishers who publish these kinds of books. And, to read closely to see if these books can be mentor texts for your manuscript.
A mentor text is an already published book, preferably published in the last 5-6 years, that can guide you as your write. Mentor texts can help you with theme, point of view, text structure, voice, language, and more.
This research can also help you find comp or comparative titles for your query letters. “My manuscript has a similar tone to title 1 and invites readers to step into their imagination as title 2 does.”
I hope you enjoy reading these and other fractured fairy tales.
It could become a full-time job keeping up with all the new picture books coming out. And especially with libraries and many bookstores still being closed, it’s harder to do than ever. This is where I’m grateful for a number of blogs that help me stay in tune.
One site I’ve not shared before is Picture Book Builders. Formed by a group of well-published authors or author/illustrators, their goal is to explore“how one element of a picture book’s story or art manages to grab us or wow us or strike an emotional chord.” They take turns blogging about picture books. It may be an interview with a new author or illustrator about a book, or a recommendation of a new picture book, or maybe even a giveaway. The blog started in 2014, but I only discovered it last year. I subscribe—there are about 8 posts a month—so the info comes right into my inbox. A recent book from this site that I want to read is FIVE MINUTES (That’s a lot of time) (No, it’s not) (Yes, it is) (Putnam, 2019) written by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Olivier Tallec.
I think I’ve talked about Susannah Hill Leonard’s blog before. I’m interested in her “Tuesday debuts” and “Perfect Picture Book Friday” posts. For the latter, anyone can add picture books they are reviewing or recommending, too. Susannah’s shared books on Fridays aren’t always the newest books, so there’s a nice mix of old and new. One of her recent posts is a book I’d already discovered, but love so much I’M A HARE, SO THERE (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021) by Julie Rowan-Zoch. Susannah posts about 3 times a week. Again, I subscribe.
And if you’re familiar with Storystorm, you probably already know about Tara Lazar’s Writing for Kids (While Raising Them). It’s not just a January idea month blog. Posts are often written by other authors sharing their inspiration for a book, a cover reveal, success stories, etc. Here’s a book birthday post I recently enjoyed: BIRDS OF A FEATHER! (Philomel Books, 2021) by Sita Singh and illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. Except in January when posts are daily, posts vary but usually there are several per week. Again, I subscribe to get them in my inbox.
And the final blog I depend on is Kathy Temean’s Writing and Illustrating. Among her variety of posts there are always book giveaways—they aren’t always picture books, but I love the interviews and insights into these books. One that caught my attention recently was LITTLE EWE: The Story of One Lost Sheep (Beaming Books, 2021) by Laura Sassi illustrated by Tommy Doyle. Posts are daily! And, yes, I subscribe.
Do I look at these posts every day? No. Instead I take a few hours a few times a month and look at a batch of posts. Sometimes that means I miss out on giveaways from all of these sites, but since my main purpose is to get my eyes on picture books, that’s okay, too.
Do I like every book they share? Of course not. Books are very subjective. But I definitely find books I want to read. My library doesn’t always have them, but that doesn’t stop me from requesting they order the picture books!
I once heard an editor say she wanted the following in pictures books:
I doubt every picture book needs humor or a unique setting, although those are great of course, but I bet the ones that last are the ones where we remember the characters and our emotions are stirred.
In honor of the first annual Picture Book Month, here is a sampling of picture books where characters have pulled my emotional strings in one way or another:
These I first read to my daughters:
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
• Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban; illustrated by Lillian Hoban
• Crictor by Tomi Ungerer
• Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion; illustrated by Margaret Graham
• Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
• The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
• Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
One my youngest daughter loved, that I actually found a bit odd:
• Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch; illustrated by Sheila McGraw
These I first read to my grandsons:
• First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg; illustrated by Judith Dufour Love
• Library Lil by Suzanne Williams; illustrated by Stephen Kellogg
• The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman; illustrated by Marla Frazee
Others I love:
• Big Bad Wolves at School by Stephen Krensky; illustrated by Brad Sneed
• Coyote Steals the Blanket by Janet Stevens
• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
• Mrs. Biddlebox by Marla Frazee
• The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill; illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
• See You Later, Alligator! by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
• The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner; illustrated by Jonathan Lambert
After making this list, I’ve come to the conclusion I’m not reading enough recent picture books. Time to visit the bookstore!
Here are some Best Picture Book lists:
49 brilliant picture books from the past 5 years as chosen by award winning illustrators
Best Picture Books 2010: David Wiesner, Jon J. Muth, Louise Yates and Other Spectacular Illustrators Honored – 10 from the Huffington Post
The Best 25 Picture Books of 2010! – books4yourkids.com
From ‘Brothers Grimm’ to ‘Stuck,’ the 11 Best Picture Books of 2011 – The Atlantic
Best picture books of 2011 – Lindsay Weiss on babycenter.com
Are you sharing your favorite picture books? Or giving them as presents next month?
