How to read a picture book

New books are released every week — on Tuesdays if they’re traditionally published. And, while I try to stay on top of what’s coming out, there are SO MANY BOOKS. And, lately, I’ve felt like I’m falling behind.

So, last week, I reacquainted myself with the library loan program and requested a bunch of picture books I wanted to know more about. (Shout-out to the fine folks at the Sun Prairie Public Library!)

I haven’t received all the books yet. Several of my choices had other folks ahead of me on the wait list, and one wasn’t carried by any libraries in our system, so I put in a purchase request. (Fingers crossed that TIC-TAC-TOE CHICKEN by Kimberly Tso and Louie Chin gets added to the library inventory soon.)

But, within a few days, I got a good stack and proceeded to remind myself how much fun it is to sit down and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of picture books.

This is similar to what I did when I first realized I wanted to write for kids. I made a list of authors whose work I admired. Then, I checked out every book they’d written. I sat on the floor of my living room surrounded by stacks of books that were taller than my head — reading, admiring and learning.

Whenever I read picture books — then and now — I come at them several ways.

Here’s how I read a picture book:

1. First, I read them for discovery and enjoyment. Because, let’s face it. Picture books are fun. I usually do this silently.
   
2. Then, I read them again to decode exactly how the author worked their magic.
   • How much information did the first two pages provide?
   • Which parts made me laugh or feel something?
   • Which structure did they choose?
   • How did they handle repeated elements?
   • How did they set up page turns?
   • About how many words are on a page?
   • What wasn’t included in the text, but is in the art?
   • How did the conclusion tie back to the beginning?
   • Which parts surprised me or did something I haven’t seen before?
   • What did I especially like or not like?
     
3. If I like the book, I’ll usually read it out loud and listen to the flow and rhythm.
   
4. Then, when I’m done, I focus on how the books made me feel afterward. Which parts stayed with me? What am I still thinking about hours or days later?

All this helps me be a better and happier person and writer. So, I’d enourage you to make your own list, procure the books from your library, and do your own reading. In case you’re interested, here are the books in my first library loan stack:

• HOPE IN A JAR by Deborah Marcero
• MY THOUGHTS HAVE WINGS by Maggie Smith and Leanne Hatch
• CASSINI’S MISSION by Katie Venit and Julia Blattman
• ALFRED BLOOMS by Carrie Kruk and Carmen Mok
• YOU ARE NOT ALONE by Ingrid Law and Xin Li

Now, a funny reel

There’s a trend you might have seen on Instagram and Tik Tok. There are a bunch of reels using the hashtags #benice and #betterbenice where someneone will address the camera with a lot of attitude saying something like:

“My grandma wants to show you the quilt she made. She worked really hard on it, so you’d BETTER BE NICE.”

Then, the grandma shares what she made and the original person comes back on and tells viewers they’d better leave a nice comment.

Author V.E. Schwab made her own version of this reel talking about her new fantasy novel BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL, and I was inspired. V.E. Schwab is super-cool.

I enlisted the help of opera singer, thespian and educator Riley Wells and we had a lot of fun making the video below.

If Riley has successfully convinced you to get a copy of ONE CAN BE, here are the ordering options on the Beaming Books page.

Or, you could request it using interlibrary loan!