These are my go-to first impressions when I read the last page of a picture book:
“Sweet!” (or better yet: A big smile and “Aww…”)
“Funny!” (or better yet: “OMG! This is HILARIOUS!”)
“Ooh…” (meaning: Wow, how did they do that?)
“Meh” (meaning: “Hmmm… what’s the big deal?”)
“Nope” (meaning: does not resonate)
A picture book with heart can prompt any one of these responses. I mean, how could a publisher invest in a picture book if it were missing a heart? And surely, heart be found in the silly and the serious, in the classic and the concept, in fiction and non-fiction.
But what is it about a picture book that elicits the: inhale-hold-my-breath-oh-my-this-is perfect- response?
I wish I could say that it’s the book that I run off and purchase – but neither my picture book budget nor my down-sized home has enough room for every picture book that I fall in love with.
True confessions: I am a picture book craft JUNKIE. (My critique group loves me anyway!) What I’ve gleaned over the last 18 months– in courses, webinars, blogs, books, conferences, and interviews and from authors, agents, editors, cohorts, critiques, and forums –is to look for the heart of picture books in:
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the big question being asked:
What is the internal (as opposed to the external) theme? What is the heart-line (as opposed to the through-line) of the story?
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what the reader will be thinking/feeling when they finish:
Do you find yourself considering elements of your own life or experience when you finish? Does it remain with you or compel you to share it, re-read it, even purchase it?
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the emotional core of the story or the character:
Does this story or this character strike a chord, evoke a memory, remind you of someone or something? Do you find yourself rooting for the character?
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the so-what factor:
Why is this story important? Why does the world need this story?
In kidlit, we hear and read repeatedly: Picture books are performance. They should make us feel something intensely. So, we must read and read and read –hundreds of them — if only to be able to explore a full range of responses.
One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning is to study mentor texts. I pull my big bag of library books to the couch, grab my coffee, and read. I separate the books in piles for Sweet, Funny, Ooh, Meh, and Nope. And then I go through each one and consider those four elements above.
For me, the elusive element comes down to what makes MY heart sing. What touches me may or may not have an emotional echo for someone else. But often, there is a universal resonance.
picture books should make us feel something intensely
When I close a picture book, I will know.
When I inhale, quietly gasp, hold my breath, whisper “Oh my!” or just bust out laughing…
When I am filled with a longing to have, hold, re-read a picture book…
I know then, its heart is beating within these pages.
What are the picture books that make your heart SING? Here are my latest:
Patricia Franz is a kidlit writer and published poet. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 