Genre Analysis

Components of a children’s picture book:

• Title: A good title is engaging and clever to capture the attention of a potential reader before they even open the book. The title should represent what the book is about by matching the tone and theme of the story, but should not be too long.

• Theme: The theme of a picture book is what insight the author provides on a larger topic, often on life lessons that a child will eventually learn. It is simple enough to be understood by a young audience while also being important to apply to some aspect of a reader’s life. Although the reader should understand what the theme is, it should not be explicitly mentioned or preached. Keep themes positive.

• Character: The main character in a story is usually relatable to the audience. Often this means making them the same age as the intended audience. It is also important to humanize the character by describing them or giving them some unique characteristic.

• Plot: A plot is the main events in a story organized in a sequence. Most books are known for a plot that includes a conflict, increases tension, a solution and a release of tension, and a full resolution. Often the resolution conveys a theme. The plot is moved forward with events and actions.

• Setting: In picture books, it is important to set a story in a familiar location. For a young audience, the setting should not deviate much so as to keep the story understandable. More mature audiences crave setting switches to keep their interest.

• Audience/voice: When creating a picture book, one must remember the audience that the book is directed towards when stylizing their voice. Usually, this means considering the rhythm and pacing of the story so that it can be read aloud, as well as remembering to write in short sentences and paragraphs. Dialogue is often used for young audiences.

• Pictures: Pictures are often used in children’s books and always in picture books. The pictures should accompany the words and add to the story without being distracting. Pictures are vital for young audiences because following the pictures is often how they ‘read’ the story. The pictures should be bright and clear.

Models-

• I plan to base the tone of acceptance in my children’s book off of the successful kids’ book All My Stripes by Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer. The book is written specifically for children with autism so that they can begin to accept themselves, even when the world might not. It tells the story of a zebra with autism that struggles with some of the facets of the impairment. After seeing his challenges at school, the reader comes to appreciate his mother, who explains to him that his ‘autism stripe’ is not his defining stripe. He also has an ‘honesty stripe,’ a ‘curiosity stripe,’ and many others that make him special, and she loves every one of them. The character leaves feeling empowered and appreciative of who he is. The book does a great job using positive language throughout the entirety of the book, and also creating a story that helps kids with autism know that they are unique and that they are not alone. It also includes a parent/caregiver guide in the end that gives tips and explains how each of the challenges Zane experiences are related to his autism. The tone of acceptance and love that the characters in the book demonstrate and the authors have cultivated is an inspiring one. Because this book is directed toward kids with autism, I intend to create a similar tone by using the same respectful, purposeful, gentle language. This is vital in a book with an intended audience of children with autism because the kids are still learning about and figuring out who they are, so showing positivity is necessary to create a stable foundation.

  • I will also put together a similar caregiver’s guide in the end of the book so as to better explain the links to autism in the children’s book that may seem like they are simply part of the plot and to give advice on how to work through struggles and challenges. I like that the authors included this because children’s books aren’t just read by children; including a parent guide is unique and useful. Instead of being about autism in general, my guide will focus on sensory eating disorders. I will use All My Stripes’s bulleted list style guide as a basis for mine.

• Because my experiment is directed towards 3 year olds on the spectrum, it needs to be fairly simple, while still attention-grabbing. I’ll model the basic structure/plot of my children’s book off of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury and Michael Rosen. This book uses repetitive language and a simple mountain shaped plot to create an exciting story. What’s more, it utilizes rhythm, which makes kids more engaged, as our brains naturally follow a rhythm/melody to hear it resolve. I will follow this structure when creating my project, as it is the most effective way to keep students’ attention and interest in a simple story. I will not, however, use this book’s first person point of view, as it can be confusing for young readers.

• I hope to model my illustrations off of the ones seen in the book Orange Pear Apple Bear written and illustrated by Emily Gravett. I like the style of watercolor because it is simple and effective for a short vocabulary based story. Pictures are a key element of children’s books as they often carry the story for kids that can’t read. Using watercolor lined by thin pen will create a pleasing aesthetic for the reader, will be consistent with the simple language, and will allow children to understand the basics of the storyline without needing the words.