from the inquiring mind of
children's book author and educator
Barbara Jean Hicks,
Guest Columnist
What makes a picture book great? I heard illustrator and art director Laurent Linn (Simon and Schuster) speak on this topic at an SCBWI conference several years ago. He answered the question by listing his all-time favorite picture books and what it is that makes them great.
As a writer of texts for picture books, it was good for me to think about great picture books from the point of view of an illustrator who also manages the text and illustrations in picture books. Writing picture books is hard work, I think especially for non-illustrators. Since picture books are as dependent on the illustrations as they are on the text, it helps us to think like illustrators as we write. Even though, in general, we have little control over the choice of illustrator or the direction the illustrations will take, thinking like an illustrator will make our texts accessible to the illustrator and art director. That can only be a good thing!
What do you think of Linn's list? Are you familiar with all his choices? Is there a book he's left out that belongs on this list? (For me, it's Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, a wonderfully illustrated book steeped in the psychology of children, a book that in my opinion changed the course of children's publishing...)
10. The Napping House, Don and Audrey Wood. Every page is the same setting but explores it from different perspectives and in a different color palette.
9. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Bill Martin and Eric Carle. A book that draws children in and engages the senses with spare language, lots of white space and an accessible medium (collage).
8. Madeline, Ludwig Bemalmans. Energetic art, rendered from the child's perspective, that makes an emotional connection.
7. The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats. Sophisticated but very child-like and accessible artwork (again, collage) depicting a day in the life of a child.
6. Corduroy, Don Freeman. Creates a sense of safety for a child discovering the world in a story that culminates in friendship/love.
5. Alexander and the No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz. Told in the perfect child voice, yet philosophical (without being preachy!). The sketchy, energetic art balances the darkness of the mood.
4. The Three Pigs, David Wiesner. Depicts a full journey as the pigs leave home, change their world, and come back home again. The text tells the traditional story while the illustrations turn the story on its head as the pigs take charge of their lives by pushing the panels of art around, creating three-dimensional space in two dimensions.
3. The Monster at the End of This Book, Jon Stone. The child controls the destiny of the character as they simultaneously turn the pages. Energy and humor of the illustrations suits the text.
2. Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson. With very spare text, the illustrations, for the most part, tell the story. The child and the character together create things that both frighten and comfort them. Again, a full-journey story in which the character leaves home, changes his world, and comes back home again.
1. The Possum That Didn't, Frank Tashlin. Published in 1950, this was Linn's favorite book as a child. A story children connect with, and even then, Linn loved the different visual perspectives.
What do you think? What favorite picture book needs to be added to Linn's list, and why?
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