So much effort for something so small • Paeony Lewis

Picture book authors accept (begrudgingly!) that only a percentage of their stories will see publication. It varies, but even A-list authors might only get one in eight manuscripts published. What happens to all those unpublished stories? This is the tale of one of those stories.


Back at the turn of the century (literally) I sent a story to a publisher. It was called Blue Thingy and in 470 words it told the story of two kangaroos in the Australian outback who are given an umbrella and haven’t a clue what to do with it.

The editor felt there was potential, although she said kangaroos were a problem, especially as the Australian setting wouldn’t be acceptable in the American market and I’d need to use more universally familiar animals. Also, the ending was flat and a bit pointless.

So I rewrote the story and Blue Thingy with kangaroos was transformed into Red Thingy with rabbits (450 words). Again, the editor thought it had potential, but was too episodic, lacked a real climax and was similar to another picture book they’d done which hadn’t been successful. She felt it needed a stronger storyline with the two rabbits setting out on a journey.

Once again I rewrote the story and Red Thingy became Big Carrot (530 words). There was a new underlying theme and it became an adventure story about young rabbits searching for a big carrot (obviously an orange and green umbrella looks very like a carrot!). Unfortunately, the editor had now gone a bit cold on the umbrella idea and felt the story was too contrived. Therefore I filed it away and wrote new stories. That's life. 

Then, a year later, I had a lovely surprise. A new editor at a different publisher asked me if I’d like to send her my unpublished story about rabbits and an umbrella. She’d remembered reading it in her previous job and had liked it despite the fact it had been rejected by the other editor.

Unfortunately, Big Carrot still didn’t make it into publication. Instead, all my umbrella stories languished in a file for over fifteen years until I received an email from another publisher about a new series of reading scheme books.

Unlike many stories, I’d never forgotten my original story about kangaroos and an umbrella. So when I was thinking about stories that would be fun, simple, and have a strong visual element, the mysterious umbrella seemed to have potential. However, a reading scheme book isn’t the same as a picture book.

Now I had to write a story that children would read for themselves (unlike picture books that are written to be read by adults to children and  can use richer, more complex language). Reading scheme books might appear ludicrously simple to write, but they’re not. Absolutely not! Plus the story has to engage and inspire children to persevere with their fledgling reading skills and also give opportunities for discussion. 

From Hans in Luck, an OUP reading scheme book

 I had a word count of just 125 words. Yikes! Plus the publisher had meticulous lists of phonic sounds appropriate to specific reading levels, and apart from a few key words, there could be no deviation from the lists. Thankfully this wasn’t new to me as in the past I’d enjoyed playing with words until they fit both the story and the restrictive list of permitted phonic sounds. It’s like doing a word puzzle. For example, I could use the decodable word ‘lightning’ but not ‘so’ or ‘said’. I could use ‘hot’ but not ‘cold’. ‘Lizard’ but not ‘mouse’. It makes sense when you know the progression of the phonic sounds, though it can be hard to ensure the story sounds natural.

I rewrote the story and changed the kangaroos to goats (a permitted word). Perhaps fortunately, the publisher already had a story in the series about goats so I had to think of a new animal that would live in an African desert (this time the publisher was keen to introduce an environment that wouldn’t be overly familiar to the reader). 

Phew, I was permitted to pick an animal that didn’t have to fit the phonic sound restrictions. Therefore I researched fennec foxes, sand cats and meerkats. The first two were cute but nocturnal, which would have been tricky for the illustrations. The editor liked meerkats, so I stopped worrying that we’re more familiar with meerkats in the UK because of a certain advertisement. Now the story was about meerkats discovering a mysterious thing in the Namibian desert (the reader knows it’s an umbrella, but not the meerkats).

Series editors and educational consultants then discussed my story and eventually we all agreed on the final text. Now it was time for the illustrations and testing by children.

The publisher commissioned Jonny Lambert for the illustrations and I like his style of digital collage and the delightful little extras he slips into the images. I suspect I’d be staggered if I knew everything that was done behind the scenes at the illustration stage.

FINALLY, seventeen years later, Thing is published. You won’t find it basking on the shelves of Waterstones, though you should find it in many schools around the world. Thing is only 125 words and looks small and flimsy. On the surface it might appear insignificant. However, now you know how deceptive appearances can be. Rather like mysterious umbrellas! 

Paeony Lewis www.paeonylewis.com

Thing by Paeony Lewis and Jonny Lambert is published by Oxford University Press.
Oxford Reading Tree Level 3, Story Sparks, for 4-6 years. ISBN 9780198 414971