In a vintage Horn Book piece, Karla writes something quite lovely, something we can all aspire to when we're writing picture books:Like poetry, a picture book has to be written in two ways. It must work when read aloud, and also when read silently to oneself. Every syllable counts. Most important, the well-chosen words need... Continue Reading →
Mock Caldecott blog
Here's a great way to keep on top of all the new and excellent picture books coming out: the Mock Caldecott blog posted by the children's department of an Indiana library.It's not quite the same as sitting on the floor of a bookstore surrounded by a stack of books, but it sure is easier (especially... Continue Reading →
Good news for Robin Cruise
Robin, who's recently moved here, has a new book out this month:Bartleby Speaks! marks the first-time collaboration between acclaimed Kirkland-based children’s book author Robin Cruise and award-winning illustrator Kevin Hawkes. The new picture book (August 2009) from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers celebrates the unique nature of every child—and highlights the quiet... Continue Reading →
New Barbara Jean Hicks book
Barbara Jean Hicks has a new book out on August 11: She's getting nice reviews, and here's a link to a podcast on Just One More Book.
New Yorker blog post on worst children's books debate
The debate got nasty, so I didn't link to this. But the New Yorker pulled out an interesting comment from LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow host (and Star Trek: The Next Generation fave).He doesn't like The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, and he has an interesting reason why. Click here to read it.
Interview with Bonny Becker
Bonny is author of the bestseller A VISITOR FOR BEAR. She also won a Golden Kite Award. She's interviewed on AuthorMagazine.org. You'll need speakers, as it's a podcast. Check it out (and note the useful articles on craft, too).
Shakespeare: a picture book author’s best friend?
Here's a classic Darcy Pattison post that can be really useful for picture book structuring: Sonnets and Picture BooksI think you can compare picture book structure to the structure of poetry. For example, sonnets have 14 lines, picture books can have 14 double-page spreads. So, taking a sonnet as an example of structure, you can... Continue Reading →
We’re Rich! We’re Rich!
Oh, wait. The average picture book advance was $4,000. We never have been good at counting those zeroes.Get more detail about average and mean advances on Barbara Kanninen's site ("mean" here is a mathematical term, not a synonym for stingy, though you would be forgiven for thinking this).
How to Write a Picture Book That Shines
The people at Children's Book Insider have created this helpful video.The Children's Book Insider publishes the Children's Book Insider newsletter, and they manage a popular online community.
Committing Crimes in the Name of Rhymes?
How do you tell if you've written bad verse?When you read it aloud are you tempted to curse?Actually, forget that.Just read Cynthea Liu's blog. She's posted an article from Kelly Fineman on the topic of critiquing your rhyming children's books. In a nutshell: read it to yourself, read it aloud, and count the feet accurately.