It's Time to Stop! Look! Listen with Miranda Paul PLUS A Give*Away!

Stop! Look! Listen!

Three tips for writing interactive picture books

By Miranda Paul

Teachers are always instructing students to stop, look, and listen — to stay safe, to gather information, to be in tune with their senses. These three actions are also sound advice to children’s writers.

Some of my favorite picture books are successful because they invite engagement and interaction. Parents and teachers love these books. Why? The author has done the hard work for them, so they can easily hold the attention of youngsters. In essence, you’ve made your audience the star of the show.

Engagement was high priority for me while working on WHOSE HANDS ARE THESE?, my new guessing game book about community helpers. The result? Teachers and students are interacting with the text and having fun.

If you’re working on a picture book, I encourage you to “Stop, look, and listen!” These three tips will help you write more engaging, interactive picture books.

1.      STOP – Is there a place (or places) in your manuscript where the text stops, pauses, or slows down so that a reader might anticipate what’s coming next? Punctuation, cliffhangers, and clever page turns can all work together to engage your reader.

2.      LOOK – Have you left room for visual clues? A lot of newer writers tend to overwrite. Instead, let illustrations tell half of the story in a picture book. And once the book comes out, don’t be surprised if children notice things in the illustrations before grown-ups. (Super kudos to illustrator Luciana Navarro Powell for sneaking in narrative subplots into the pictures!)

1.       

(Caption: In this image, Luciana has linked four other community occupations to the mechanic shop. Can you find the connections to the rest of the book?)

2.      LISTEN – Does your story have playful or rhythmic language that’s easy to memorize or fun to repeat? Picture books certainly don’t have to rhyme, but as you’re writing, it’s important to read your work aloud again and again, and have others read it to you.

Stop, look, and listen for yourself – here’s the lively book trailer for WHOSE HANDS ARETHESE?

Miranda Paul is the award-winning children's author of Water is Water, One PlasticBag, and Whose Hands Are These? Her books have been named to several "Best of" lists and are being translated into multiple languages. Miranda is a frequent presenter at schools and libraries. One of her bravest moments involved reciting poetry inside a crocodile pit. (Yikes!) Miranda's forthcoming 2016 titles include Trainbots and 10 Little Ninjas. Learn more at www.mirandapaul.com.

A NOTE FROM LYNNE MARIE: Miranda is one of the fabulous, talented critique group friends I have made on my path to publication. I am excited and pleased to be able to see her achieving the success she has always deserved. 

Here's something that's exciting for YOU. To celebrate her February 1st Book Birthday, Miranda will be giving a free copy of Whose Hands Are These? to one of the lucky readers who comments here. A name will be drawn on Monday, February 29, 2016. Good Luck!