The End by Paeony Lewis

It was a cute kitten video clip (just 28 seconds) that got me thinking about the endings in picture books. I watched it and thought, hey, that’s a perfect picture book ending . And I challenge you not to squeal, ‘Ahhh…’! Click here for the YouTube link.

Long ago, I remember an editor asking me to add more of an ‘Ahhh…’ ending to a picture book (using that exact phrase – and I think it’s a good one). I suspect we all know picture books that make us go ‘Ahhh…’ When my children were small, as a mum I’d choke up when I read the last line of Martin Waddell’s Owl Babies: “I love my mummy,” said Bill. I've heard it took the author a long time to come up with that line, but it was worth it (in the context of the story). An ‘Ahhh…’ emotion resonates with the adult reader.

Excerpt from final page,
Big Bear, Little Bear by David Bedford,
 illus by Jane Chapman (Little Tiger Press)

For the child who listens to the picture book, perhaps it’s  not so much an ‘Ahhh…’ as a comforting reassurance that all is right with the world. Most young children need that before they go to sleep. Here’s a perfect goodnight “Ahhh…”  image from the end of  Big Bear, Little Bear (and it reminds me of the kitten video).

Of course, no ending will save a below-average book. However, a good story won’t work if the ending isn't right. Sometimes an author will know the ending before anything else has been written. Sadly, sometimes we haven’t a clue how it will end and we scratch our heads for days, weeks and months (and no, it’s not because we have nits!).

Paeony Lewis, practising
scratching at a young age (no nits)

A picture book is read many times, so the ending is heard many times. This means it has to satisfy again and again, even though the adult and child know the story. So a trick, clever ending that relies solely on being a surprise won’t be enough, unless it’s a satisfying surprise that can be enjoyed night after night.

When I first wrote Hurry Up, Birthday, I thought the ending should be the birthday. After all, the entire story had been building up to this. A couple of editors suggested adding something extra to the end, but at first I wasn't convinced. Off and on, I thought about this for months and then out of the blue it came to me.

The story was about an excited bunny who bounced extra fast in an attempt to hurry time and make his birthday arrive quicker. So, when his birthday finally arrived, why not turn things around? Therefore, on the final page I had the bunny bouncing slowly because he didn't want to hurry his birthday. That might sound obvious and simple (as so much does in picture books), but it took me a long time to come up with that ending. Far too long!

Adding a little twist to an ending is popular in picture books. It makes the story fun and is less predictable (especially when it’s obvious that everything will turn out fine). Twists make us smile at the surprise or encourage a discussion about the story. At the end of my No More Yawning, the little girl finally falls asleep (after too much yawning), but then she’s woken by Mum’s loud yawn. That’s a little twist, and it also makes gentle fun of the naughty mum (children grin when they come out on top – not adults!).

Occasionally the twist is just a question, encouraging parent and child to interact.
Who Do You Love? by Mandy Stanley is a good example. All the way through the book we discover who the animals love, and then on the last page the question is directed at the reader.

Excerpt from final page,
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
 by  Mo Williems (Walker Books)

Picture book endings aren't only about clever ideas and twists. We have to think about the emotional needs of the child who’ll be listening to the story. Most picture books are read at bedtime, so almost all are reassuring and end happily with a satisfying resolution (remember the cute kitten video). In Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, although the pigeon is thwarted and isn't allowed to drive the bus (phew!), his disappointment is tempered with hope. He spots a truck and on the last page we see him imagining a pigeon driving a truck. Hope is a powerful and positive emotion. Plus the story comes full circle and once more the pigeon dreams of driving a vehicle.

Driving buses is one of the many things a child can’t do and it frustrates them. Adults are always taking control. Therefore in picture books it should be the child character that solves the ‘problem’ in the story (sometimes with a little help). Adults shouldn't just take over and solve the problem for the child. As in real life, a child will have to learn to overcome difficulties. Plus it’s more satisfying for the child to see another child work things out (or even get one up over the adults). In The Gruffalo, the mouse (the child?) foils all the big threatening animals (the adults?) and finally gets to eats his nuts, rather than let himself be the snack.

Even if the child solves the problem, that doesn't mean the adult reader is ignored. An ending can be on more than one level, so it’s enjoyed by the child whilst including something extra for the adult. All parents will relate to the ending of Jill Murphy’s classic, Five Minutes’ Peace, whilst a child will just see it as funny. Mummy elephant finally gets some peace: “And off she went downstairs, where she had three minutes and forty-five seconds of peace before they all came to join her.”

Jane Clarke’s Gilbert the Great is another story that may be read on several levels. To a child, the book is about a friend leaving and a new friendship. To an adult it’s about death and new beginnings. Plus at the very end is a lovely little joke that an adult can explain, or simply enjoy. Illustrated by Charles Fuge,  it’s the perfect image to end this blog.
The End.

_______________________________________
Paeony Lewis is a children's author and writing tutor. www.paeonylewis.com