Everyone has a story to tell--and now you can learn how to tell it in your own picture book, using this helpful, humor-filled guide from an award-winning creator. Have you ever wanted to create your own story--and capture it for posterity? Elys Dolan brings her comic touch to the process by portraying her narrator-self as a friendly worm (it's quicker to draw than a person!). How do you come up with something to write about? Build and flesh out your story? Use color and space effectively? From combining two favorite things to form a story idea to "interviewing" your characters to physically putting a book together, the author walks readers through some surprisingly comprehensive beginners' techniques that may have something to offer even seasoned storytellers. This witty, fun, conversational, step-by-step guide--part picture book, part activity book--is packed with prompts, exercises, tips, and jokes. So find your inspiration, grab your pens and pencils, and get making!

This book provides comprehensive advice on what to write about for children, how to write it, and how to present the work professionally for publication. It includes an easy-to-use picture book layout plan and tried and tested examples of title sheets and covering letters. It also includes everything a writer needs to know about the international picture book market and how to sell to agents and publishers. This new edition contains advice on enhancing your text for the ebook market.

Everything you want to know about picture books can be found in this simple and straightforward guide. After defining the picture book and describing its history and technological evolution, the author helps you better understand and appreciate picture books by describing how they're made-their anatomy, types of illustration, layouts, design elements, and typography-various types of picture books (genres, formats, styles), how picture books work (the art of the story), and how they relate to child development and literacy. Picture book reviews, building a collection, using picture books with various age groups, and issues such as multicultural literature, classics, and controversial titles are some of the other topics covered.

WRITING FOR CHILDREN **UPDATED New Chapter: How to write a metafiction picture book** Kids and books—they just go together. Children’s picture books are an addictive passion! You love reading to kids and wish that you could read one of your own. Now, you can make that dream a reality. Writing illustrated picture books for children can seem deceptively simple. You must tell a complete story in less than 1000 words, and less than 350 words is best. Characters grow and change and keep the reader emotionally invested, while also giving the illustrator great possibilities for the art. It’s a balancing act all the way around. Writing teacher and author of over a dozen children’s books Darcy Pattison explains the craft of writing children’s picture books. You’ll learn why format matters, how to appeal to kids and parents, how to write a read-aloud friendly book, and much more. Pattison provides tips on writing, editing, and marketing your manuscript to publishers. If you like detailed writing guides, plenty of contemporary examples, and practical worksheets, then you’ll love Darcy Pattison’s guidance on creating your own masterpiece that will fascinate generations of young readers.

Why use picture books with children? -- Extending picture books through art -- Extending picture books through drama -- Extending picture books through music -- Extending picture books through math -- Extending picture books through science.

Presents lessons designed to show teachers how to use picture books to teach writing skills to students in grades four through eight, and includes recommended reading lists.