How to Read a Picture Book?
Am I asking the obvious question? Of course, I’m going to read the picture book from the beginning to the end. What else is there?
If you want to become a picture book writer, then there is another way to read a picture book!
Let me introduce you to my way of reading a picture book.
1. Explore the title – find the word play. Can you guess what the story might be? Is the character popping off the cover and the title of the story? Can you sense a series simmering underneath?
2. Explore the covers – front to back, outer to inner. See what’s featured on the front cover. Have they given away the surprise? Are they trailing crumbs in the back cover too?
3. Read the enticing blurb at the back. Does it tell you what kind of story you’re going to be reading? Does it reflect the humour or sadness or drama you’re about to encounter?
4. Examine the end-papers – this is where the illustrator usually hides some gems. See how this adds to the story. Does the end-paper set the scene, give the reader more details, create a welcoming presence in the beginning and a fun exit on the other side? As a writer, you don't have control over this. But if your text has opportunities for the illustrator to play, they will definitely try to fill this with fun. Sometimes you can even suggest it.
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| From You're Snug with Me, written by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Poonam Mistry. |
5. Read the copyright page – first note when the picture book was published. How old is it will tell you a lot more about the conventions and trends of the time. Older picture books tend to be longer. They all also seemed to cover different age-groups. UK picture books are often servicing the preschool age – 3 to 5 years old just until children are starting to read on their own. Note down the name of the publisher, the illustrator and the writer. Are they one and the same person? What does the cataloguing data tell you about the book? How many reprints have this book gone through?
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| From Pattan's Pumpkin, written by Chitra Soundar and Illustrated by Frané Lessac. |
7. Now let’s read the story, one spread at a time. Here are what you must study and discover from at least 2-3 readings of this book.
a. First, how many spreads does this book have? How many scenes is this story told in?
b. In each spread, spend time on what’s told in words vs what’s on the page. See if the illustrations are adding more than the text. Is there a sub-text? Does the illustration contradict the text?
c. Look for the story arc – where does it become worse? Which spread? Was the art in this spread, across two pages? How did that work for the story?
d. Look for page-turns. Where does the author/ illustrator/designer/editor decide where the break before the page-turn was? Is there a pattern? Do they add to the element of surprise when you stop at a page-turn? Are they treating each page-turn to be a cliff-hanger?
e. Is there a repetition or refrain that’s running through the book? If so how is it structured? How often does it repeat? Is it the same words or does it change per repetition?
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| From You're Safe with Me, written by Chitra Soundar and Illustrated by Poonam Mistry. |
f. Which spread does the story end in? Is there a tag? Ie, after the story has resolved, do you turn a page to find a joke, a gag or an aaaah moment? Does the refrain repeat either at the end of the story or in the tag?
Now go back and read the story again. This time, read it aloud like a child would want you to read it. With voices and noises. Make all the sounds. Does the text guide you and inform you of when you must raise your voice and when you should whisper? Do you feel the cadence of the text? Does the refrain or repetition help?
