Ask a Picture Book Editor

So, you’ve found your UNIVERSAL theme, but what can you do next to make your writing really stand out from the crowd? Our next three blogs will focus on how to hone and refine your craft.

So how do you make your story child-centred? 
Your text needs to appeal to the child reader. It needs to resonate, engage and encourage readers to empathise with the characters and their story. 

Your characters are one way to immediately captivate your child reader. 

1. Know your character!
- picture them
- name them
- think of their personality and the sorts of things they might say. 
- think about what they eat, what they like, and what motivates them! 

Is your character a child? 
If they’re not, are they the sort of character that will appeal to a child? 
For instance, are they a pirate, a monster, an animal or an alien? 

If your character is not a child are they child-like? 
Do they think, speak and act in a fashion that a child might empathise with? Are they experiencing moods, emotions, difficulties and problems that are relevant and immediate to a pre-schooler and their world? 

Here are some examples where the protagonist is not a child, but shares recognisable characteristics with one:

From left to right . . .

Mr Bear Babysits by Debi Gliori: little bears get up to no good with the babysitter 
Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer: Olivia is a little pig who tells tall tales about her holiday 
Dr Hoof by Diana Kempton and Garry Parsons: the doctor is a donkey and the patients are all animals with child-like concerns - e.g. a dog has a splinter, a bunny has hurt his ear 
I Really Want to Eat a Child by Sylviane Donnio and Dorothee De Monfreid: the little crocodile is a fussy eater 
A Baby Sister For Frances by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban: Frances the badger is learning how to be a good big sister 
Harry The Dirty Dog by Gene Zion: a dog doesn't want a bath 

What motivates your character?

What floats their boat/rocks their world? 
Here are some great examples of books where authors have really got to grips with the dreams and aspirations of their characters: 

From left to right . . .

Duck Says Don’t! by Alison Ritchie and Hannah George: When Goose goes on holiday, Duck really wants to be responsible. But Duck ends up taking things a little too far . . .
Abigail by Catherine Rayner: Abigail loves to count more than anything. But in a busy desert it’s just tricky to find something that will stand still for long enough to be counted! 
It’s a George Thing by David Bedford and Russell Julian: All his friends are good at something and so is George. He’s just desperate to find out what it is.

What does your character really, really want/need and what will happen if he doesn’t get it? 
Some well-observed examples are . . .

From left to right . . . 

Eat Your Peas by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt: Daisy does not want to eat her peas, no matter what Mum bribes her with. Instead, she turns the tables on Mum – she will eat her peas if Mum will eat her Brussels (but Mum doesn’t like Brussels!).
I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen: Bear’s hat is missing. He desperately wants it back so off he sets on a journey to find it. Nobody he meets seems to have seen his hat – or have they? One sneaky rabbit had better watch out! 
Rhinos Don’t Eat Pancakes by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie: Daisy just wants her parents to listen to her – but they’re always too busy. Too busy to notice the rhino that’s moved in, which is good, because he’s a fantastic listener! 

2. Make your characters’ voice believable: 
- listen to kids on the bus and in a playground 
- note down phrases and words you hear on kids’ TV programmes 
- watch out for interesting personality traits, mannerisms and quirks 

Some fantastic examples of writers capturing all of the above are: 

From left to right . . .

Mabel and Me by Mark Sperring and Sarah Warburton - wonderful child and child-like characters: “Mabel, you are my BESTEST, BESTEST friend because . . . you say the CRAZIEST things!” 
Then Mabel and Me laugh long and hard . . . the way that best friends always do. 
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Conner and Robin Preiss Glasser - perfectly observed personality and quirkiness:
“I love being fancy. My favourite colour is fuchsia. 
That’s a fancy way of saying purple.” 
Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake - very funny use (or overuse!) of a phrase:
Little Rabbit has learned a new word and he is going to use it over and over again!
“Poo bum!”
I Will Not Never Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child - an extremely good depiction of child voice which immediately resonates with the reader:
“I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny. Sometimes I have to keep an eye on her.” 

3. Think about setting:
Make it relevant, familiar or at least shades of familiar.
Does your story revolve around the home, nursery or school?
Is it an outdoor setting? Again, is it familiar like a garden, park, beach or wood?
Is it somewhere further afield like a museum, a palace – the important thing is to make it immediate and appropriate to the child. Pre-schoolers' worlds are really quite small, though the realms of the imagination (pirate ship, alien spaceship or undersea mermaid palace) are often limitless. There aren’t many picture books set in a mausoleum, a betting shop or a graveyard!

4. Focus on relationships with other characters:
Think about the relationships that are going to happen within your story and make the interactions believable.
Think about:
- how the characters talk to each other
- what they do together
- the level and ‘type’ of emotion that occurs between them.
Here are some examples of believable relationships between child and:

parents - Not Now, Bernard! by David McKee
pet - WANTED: The Perfect Pet by Fiona Roberton
siblings - Any Charlie and Lola! book by Lauren Child

grandparents - Mile-High Apple Pie by Laura Langston and Lindsey Gardiner
teacher  - Totally Wonderful Miss Plumberry Michael Rosen and Chinlun Lee
friends - That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton


So here are just a few pointers and tips on how to help make your writing child-friendly and child-centred. Happy crafting and see you next month!

---

Natascha Biebow is editor, mentor and coach at www.blueelephantstoryshaping.com

Ellie Farmer is Senior Editor at Little Tiger Press www.littletigerpress.com

Ask a Picture Book Editor

What makes a good picture book topic?

So last month we challenged you to tell us what you think makes a good picture book topic. I’m sad to say that nobody picked up the gauntlet – very possibly because it’s a tricky topic to tackle! But don’t worry! That’s what we’re here for!

So, what does make a good picture book topic? Well, the possibilities for this are limitless! It’s great to let your imagination run as wild and free as you like, but to help get your work noticed, it might be interesting to consider a topic that will strike a chord with as wide an audience as possible. So a good starting point is to think UNIVERSAL.

1 - Think of your age group and think of something that your reader can empathise with.

These are timeless classics that have been covered again and again in the genre. Why? Because they are universal – they appeal to children of all ages from all ages!

2 - Perhaps draw on an experience from your childhood, or that of your own children.

For instance: a lost toy or getting shut out of the house as in Shirley Hughes' classics, Alfie Gets In First and Dogger. 

We bet you’ve met many people to whom this has happened. That’s why these stories strike a chord!

  

Similarly, Stuck! by Oliver Jeffers has such a familiar idea at its core that it appeals to lots of people. It sparks a memory of when their kite/ball/cat/shoe got stuck up a tree too.

 



Or how about Zoe and Beans: Where is Binky Boo? by Mick and Chloe Inkpen. A much-loved pet and a much-loved toy are never going to be a good combination, but certainly one which will resonate with households all across the country and make for a funny and familiar read.

The key with these stories is that whilst they may be specific to the author, they also fall into that category of a universal childhood experience. It either happened to you, your sibling, your neighbour or your friend.

3 - Don’t feel like you have to shy away from difficult subject matter.

The trick is to handle tricky themes with a suitable degree of:

light-heartedness
emotional warmth
sympathetic tone
humour

Below are some wonderful examples where the author handles their topic with a lightness of touch that prevents potentially ‘worthy’ topics from being dense, didactic or preachy!  

The books also open a dialogue between parent/guardian and children about tricky subject matter. Again, each of these topics is universal – they are everyday human experiences that transcend age and are applicable to everyone.  

4 - GO FUNNY, SURREAL AND BONKERS!

Nothing is more universal than laughter, so sometimes the best topic can be something that makes you smile. There are so many wonderful examples:

From the downright gross

The Disgusting Sandwich by Edwards/Shaw

to the simply sublime wordplay in

Oi Frog!, Kes Grey and Jim Field

or the rollicking rhyming fun of

Dragon Stew, Steve Smallman and Lee Wildish

or the perfectly nutty character and concept in

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Mo Willems

5 – Try tapping into the familiar then flipping it on its head!

What about a retelling of a classic tale? Taking a much-loved fairy tale and flipping it on its head is a fantastic way of tapping into something which lots of people will find familiar whilst giving it that fresh and innovative twist to make your story stand out from the crowd. Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson is a really clever and funny example of this.

6 – Think about your age group

Most of the topics mentioned above appeal to that core picture book age group of 2- to 6-year olds. But what about early concept topics for very young children?

First concept books are targeted at 0- to 2-year olds and topics can be as basic as first words, colours, objects, numbers, opposites, animals, daily routines, nursery rhymes, but usually there will be a story arc and a universal theme. Also, the books are predominantly centered around the child’s world, which starts at home.

Here are some great examples:

So these are just a few examples of what might make a good picture book topic! Hopefully they will act as a springboard for your own stories and ideas. The most important thing to bear in mind is whether your story will appeal to as wide an audience as possible. If you want your book to be read by millions, then there must be something universal and resonant at its core that will strike a chord with your readers and get noticed by an editor. 

Having waited over 8 months to hear back from a major publisher, I'm now considering multiple submissions with my PB, but I want to follow the etiquette and not jeopardise my chances. What are your thoughts on multiple submissions? - Hot Frog

NB/EF: It is absolutely fine to send texts out on multiple submission and editors wouldn't think badly of you for doing so. It's polite to let them know you're doing this by email and they will, more often than not, take your kind note as a prompt to give you the constructive feedback you require!

What do you see as the key differences between writing for 0-3 and 3-6 age groups? - Helen

NB/EF: The key differences in writing for the two age groups are content, vocabulary and also topic. Books for the pre-school age group tend to focus on concept books and very simple stories, centred around the child's world and daily routine. Perhaps think of early concept books as helping to lay the building blocks for the experiences and emotions that come with more complex narratives as the child develops.

Natascha Biebow is editor, mentor and coach at www.blueelephantstoryshaping.com

Ellie Farmeris Senior Editor
at Little Tiger Press www.littletiger.co.uk