How to Write a Children's Picture Book Volume II: Word, Sentence, Scene, Story

Book excerpt: Recommended by writing instructors and award-winning authors. Whereas Volume I of this series investigates the overall structure of children's picture storybooks at the macro level, this volume, Volume II, investigates the very building blocks of picture storybooks at the micro level: the word, the sentence, the scene and the story. We look at the importance of word choice for giving the story meaning and cohesion. We look at ways to change sentence structure to emphasize the information that is important, and to ensure that sentences flow easily from one to another. We look at the scene: how to begin it, how to end it, and how to create the Beats of action-reaction that make up the scene. And finally we look at the story: what types of problems must a character solve? When does a story introduce a problem? And once a problem is introduced, how do picture storybooks move from problem to solution? What types of solutions do characters find? Is there any part of a story that occurs after the solution is found? To answer these and other questions is to describe storytelling strategies. We look at enduringly popular children's picture storybooks to see what storytelling strategies they employ.