Can AI Write a Good Picture Book? Lynne Garner

In my role as a teacher, I’m being encouraged to embrace AI. As my boss say’s “it’s not going away.” So, I recently decided to explore AI and use it as a research tool for a small collection of how-to books I’m working on. The main issue I’ve had with the research the AI has produced is it makes up random URLs to support the information it’s found. This has meant I’ve had to find supporting information to ensure what it has created is correct. So, it’s not saved me any time. But I wondered how good or bad it would be at writing a picture book. So, I opened my usual AI platform and as July is ‘the’ month for being Wild About Wildlife (and I am wild about wildlife) I asked it to:

 

“Write a 1,000-word picture book story over 12 double page spreads based on the national celebration of wild about wildlife month.”

The results were not quite what I’d expected. This is what it generated.

 

Spread 1-2: Introduction

"Every July, a special celebration begins—Wild About Wildlife Month! All around the world, people come together to learn about, protect, and celebrate the amazing creatures that share our planet."

Illustration: A lush forest filled with animals, birds flying, deer grazing, and a river flowing through. 

 

Spread 3-4: The Forest

"In the forest, creatures big and small play important roles. Foxes dash through the trees, rabbits nibble on fresh green leaves, and birds sing beautiful songs from their treetop homes."

Illustration: A close-up of the forest, highlighting different animals like foxes, rabbits, and birds in their natural habitats.

 

Spread 5-6: The Ocean 

"Beneath the waves, the ocean teems with life. Fish of every colour swim gracefully, dolphins leap and play, and sea turtles glide through the deep blue sea. Each one is a treasure of the ocean."

Illustration: A vibrant underwater scene with colourful fish, a playful dolphin, and a majestic sea turtle. 

 

Spread 7-8: The Savanna 

"On the open savanna, mighty elephants roam, lions rest under the shade, zebras gallop across the plains, and giraffes stretch their necks to munch on tall trees. This is their wild kingdom."

Illustration: A vast savanna with elephants, lions, zebras, and giraffes under the bright sun.

 

Spread 9-10: The Mountains 

"High in the mountains, bears forage for berries, eagles soar high in the sky, and mountain goats leap from rock to rock. Life here is rugged and beautiful."

Illustration: Snow-capped mountains with a family of bears, a soaring eagle, and a shy mountain goat. 

 

Spread 11-12: The Desert

"In the desert, where the sun blazes hot, camels trek across sandy dunes, a fennec fox peeks out from its burrow, and cacti bloom with brilliant flowers, showing life thrives even in the driest places."

Illustration: A desert scene with camels, a fennec fox, and blooming cacti under a starry night sky.

 

Spread 13-14: The Rainforest 

"Deep in the rainforest, vibrant parrots chatter, monkeys swing from tree to tree, and sloths move slowly along the branches. This green world is full of wonder."

Illustration: A dense rainforest with colourful parrots, curious monkeys, and a slow-moving sloth. 

 

Spread 15-16: Protecting Wildlife 

"Wild About Wildlife Month reminds us that we can all help protect our wild friends. Planting trees, keeping rivers clean, and respecting animal homes make a big difference."

Illustration: Children planting trees, picking up trash, and observing animals respectfully. 

 

Spread 17-18: Learning and Exploring 

"Learning about wildlife is fun! Reading books, watching videos, and exploring nature helps us understand how important these creatures are to our world."

Illustration: A classroom with children looking at books, a computer showing wildlife videos, and a teacher holding a globe. 

 

Spread 19-20: Families Celebrating 

"Families celebrate together by having picnics in the park, watching birds through binoculars, and even joining wildlife parades. It's a month full of joy and discovery."

Illustration: Families having a picnic in a park, watching birds, and participating in a wildlife-themed parade. 

 

Spread 21-22: Our Wild Planet 

"Our planet is home to so many amazing animals. From the tiniest insects to the largest whales, every creature plays a part in the web of life. Let's celebrate and protect them all!"

Illustration: A globe showing different habitats with animals from each habitat around it. 

 

Spread 23-24: Conclusion 

"As Wild About Wildlife Month comes to an end, remember to carry its spirit in your heart all year long. Let's be kind to animals and the earth, and always stay wild about wildlife!"

Illustration: A beautiful sunset over a landscape filled with diverse wildlife, a rainbow in the sky. 

 

Back Cover:

"Join the adventure! Celebrate the beauty and importance of wildlife with this colourful journey through different habitats. Let's protect and cherish our wild friends every day!"

Illustration: A montage of various animals from the book with the words "Wild About Wildlife" prominently displayed. 

 

As you can see it’s not a story. There’s no character having to resolve a problem. No story arc. No use of the magic number three. No nice surprise plot twist or resolution and some of the text feels a bit preachy.

 

But what it has produced is the possibility of a non-fiction picture book. Perhaps the text from the first page could become part of my book blub:

 

Every July, a special celebration begins—Wild About Wildlife Month!

All around the world, people come together to learn about, protect,

and celebrate the amazing creatures that share our planet."

 

Perhaps I’d use this or something based on this from pages 21/22 as my opening double page spread:

 

Illustration: A globe showing different habitats with animals from each habitat around it.

 

“Our planet is home to so many amazing animals. From the tiniest insects to the largest whales, every creature plays a part in the web of life.”

 

I’d then explore some of the habitats already highlighted. But I’d expand it and explore all of the habitat’s found on this wondrous planet. Perhaps I’d work on the idea of the web of life for each of the habitats, which is mentioned in spread 21/22.

 

Or…

 

Perhaps I could create a character who is wild about wildlife and travels the world and explores each habitat in a stand-alone book. Oh, I’ve just created a series. Perhaps they solve a wildlife issue. Maybe like this wonderful man who provides new homes for hermit crabs who have been forced to make homes from our rubbish. Check him out below: 

So although what was generated wasn’t what I wanted or expected it has generated something I could work with.

 

My conclusion from this experiment is I’m not too worried about AI at the moment. But as it progresses, I may change my mind and worry writers will become the endangered species.

 

However, I wonder if will it ever be able to make the leaps I’ve made whilst writing this post? I wanted a stand-alone picture book story but I've ended up with an entire non-fiction series. 

 

If there’s an editor out there looking for a new non-fiction series, please feel free to contact me. 😁

Last but not least how do you feel about AI and picture books?

What parents think of picture books - A small survey. Moira Butterfield

I decided to ask some current picture book users a few questions, so I set up a small survey using Survey Monkey, put it on Facebook and asked friends with young children their views. Now I don’t have a massive number of followers so this was a teeny-tiny survey of acquaintances and not remotely a scientific cross-section of the population. But the answers were interesting nevertheless, and made me think. I hope you find them thought-provoking, too. 

1. “What price do you think is about right for a paperback picture book?”

The answer was overwhelmingly £3 to £4.50. Picture books were seen by everybody as low-cost items, which could be seen as depressing from the creator’s end. But given that all the respondents said they read a picture book every single day to their child, this makes picture books incredible value for money! The best buy a parent can make, surely?  

2. “What is your child’s current favourite picture book?”

Various Julia Donaldson titles won hands-down, by a mile.  These are adults answering the question, of course. The answer could be their favourite book because they find it easy to read the clear rhyme and clear story of a Julia Donaldson book (see question 6). Children will work out that they are going to get a happy one-to-one sharing experience if they ask for a book their parent likes.

This is one to think about. Should would-be picture book authors actually be copying this format for commercial success? Rhymes, super-clear rhythm that you can’t go wrong reading out + a very clear story? Is any kind of experimentation that deviates from that a marketing mistake? Discussion welcomed!

3. “Where do you buy picture books?”

The answer was split pretty much 50/50 between ‘online and ‘supermarkets’, with ‘bookshop’ a distant third. Supermarkets heavily feature well-known books and online sellers direct people along the same lines, so that’d go some way to explaining the overwhelming dominance of Julia Donaldson in the UK, I think. To be honest, it’s hard to see how a new author or illustrator could make a dent if those stats hold in the wider community (I can't say that they do, of course). is that being too defeatist? 

4. “Roughly how often do you read a picture book with your child?”

The answer was mainly “every day” with a couple of complete book heroes who said “Four stories a night” and Multiple times a day”. Everybody salute these incredible parents! About half the respondents stipulated that they read every night before bedtime. Something to think about there when it comes to books with overtly scary pictures and texts. They could be limiting their market.

5. “What would make you buy a picture book?”

I gave multiple answers to choose from here. The overwhelming winner was “You like the look of the art” followed by “It’s a book you remember from your childhood” and then – a little way back - “It’s by an author you like” - followed by “It features a TV or film character your child knows.”

So there is hope for authors but it’s the look that counts in the main, along with buying the tried and tested, with this small group.

Pleasingly not one respondent chose the answer “Because it was written by a celebrity”. 

Those that commented further on the style of art they liked said they preferred lots to spot in the pictures. 

6. “Is there anything about picture books that irritates you?”

Two-thirds of the respondents didn’t add an answer, which shows, I guess, that they were happy about the picture books they read and gave them a big thumbs-up.

The answers I did get were very interesting.

“Scary pictures” was one. Now that feeds into my own view that children’s picture book award short lists can tend to favour unbelievably scary-looking visuals, without thought for the end users. I'm pleased that this year's Kate Greenaway shortlist looks much better than last year's in that respect. 

“Books that start to rhyme and don’t continue to rhyme” was another comment, along with “When it doesn’t flow.” Yup, bad rhyme and bad rhythm is the pits! But there’s another point here for authors, I think. It’s hard for people to read rhythm that isn’t absolutely clear. So while you may think your text rhythm flows (because you know how it should be read) will a reader do so? Are there places where they could trip up? Is the rhythm cast-iron enough for them to not go wrong? Testing the text out on friends, asking them to read it out loud with no guidance at all from you, could help here.

Rhyme is important, according to the person who wrote “Rhyming books are so much easier to read after a long day with the kids.” Interesting point! When you’re tired and haven’t much acting energy left, it’s easy rhymes that you want. Julia Donaldson-style - or Dr. Seuss maybe.

“Lack of actual story” was another comment. I can see that, too. Given that most respondents said they read a book at night, and I’m guessing (as above) they’re weary, they could be wanting something straightforward that doesn't require them to do lots of explaining, perhaps.

I hope you’re not depressed by the above and it gives you food for thought. It’s just the comments of a tiny selection of parents, but they're being helpfully honest about their own experience. They’re not remotely connected to the publishing industry. They're the end-users of picture books and I think their views matter. Getting work accepted by publishers relies on it being market-friendly, so it is worth thinking about the experience someone would have reading your story – perhaps in a slightly weary voice by the bedside!

All reactions gratefully received below. 

Moira Butterfield

@moiraworld

www.moirabutterfield.com

Latest picture book work:

“Everybody Feels…” series by QED

Do The Words Just Come? - Lynne Garner

Uncle Albert during his national service

A few days ago I was on the phone to my Uncle Albert  - all my close friends have heard of Uncle Albert. He's an ace with wood (he was a cabinet maker in a former life and the queen has apparently made him a cup of tea - although in truth I think she got someone else to make it), has a great sense of humour and sometimes asks some very probing questions. Anyway we were discussing the weather, what the dog was up to and how my writing was going. Then he came out with "do the words just come?" I asked him what he meant. "Well do the words just come as you write or do you plan everything first?"

After a few moments of thinking (I only do that thinking stuff in short bursts. I don't want to burn myself out with too much of it) I realised it depends on what words he was asking about. By that I mean dialogue or action. I never used to be a planner but a few years ago I attended a couple of weekend writing retreats organised by the Scattered Authors Society and from that time forward I started to plan (although very loosely).

However after looking at my current work in progress and the plan for my last published picture book (Bad Manners Benjie!) I discovered I plan the action. I know what's going to happen and when but the conversation I leave to the characters to write.

For example for my latest work in progress (a collection of shorts stories rather than a picture book) I have the following scribbled in a book (I do my writing directly onto my laptop but my ideas and planning are done in one of my many note books. I've a growing collection of them with some of the really lovely ones still empty, as I just haven't had the heart to write in them yet). Sorry I digress. These are the notes for one of my short stories:

• Character A is out for an evening stroll when he overhears a conversation between characters B, C and D
• They are planning revenge for a trick he'd played on them the day before.
• Characters B, C and D agree to meet in a few days once they've had time to come up with some ideas. At this time they'll agree which is the best idea and start to plan their revenge. 
• Character A decides to break into homes of characters B, C and D to see if he can discover what their ideas are.
• etc. etc. etc.   

As you can see I know what is going to happen but I haven't a clue what the characters are going to say. This includes the internal conversations my characters might have. You see by the time I get to the writing stage I know my characters (I've live with them in my head and often have conversations with them), so when it comes to writing what they say they can do the work for me. 

Therefore my answer to Uncle Albert was a bit of both, which seemed to satisfy him as we moved onto another subject. 

So my question to the writers reading this is  the one I was asked, "do the words just come?"

Regards

Lynne

I also write for Authors Electric - a collection of writers who have self-published some or all of their work. 

The Right Words by Paeony Lewis

I adore words, although I appreciate ‘less is more’ with picture book stories and some texts need pruning or stubble burning. However, it’s not just about cutting a text to 200-500 words (or zero words). I think that sometimes it’s all right to stick in a seemingly unnecessary word or two, if it adds a lot to the story experience. It’s about finding the right words, and not just the right word count. Of course, concentrating on what a story is really about, and chucking out extraneous waffle also helps.

You might shrug at what appears to be an obvious observation about finding the 'right words'. It is obvious, although it took me over a year of writing and learning about poetry for this obvious statement to burrow deeper into my brain. Perhaps it was a case of knowing something without truly appreciating it?

After immersing myself in contemporary poetry, I've realised my picture-book writing has morphed. I now search harder for the right words and for different ways of seeing everyday words. This makes it tougher for me to look at my old texts and revise, because the old texts feel a little alien. Weird. Maybe I’ll grow out of it? 

For me, the right words might be extra words, or they might be words that allow other words to be cut. They might be simple words or lush words. Picture books are written to be read aloud by an adult to a child and this can allow a richer palette of words than in an early reading book. For example, in the delightfully surreal Egg Drop by Mini Grey, there's a tongue-twisting sentence that intrigues children:

It didn't know much about flying
(and it didn't know anything
 about aerodynamics
 or Bernoulli's Principle).

In contrast to this, Jon Klassen uses simple language with style. I adore This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. He uses unassuming words and pedestrian sentences, and then combines them with deceptively simple illustrations to create a thoughtful story that leaves room for the reader to ponder.

 from This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Here's an excerpt from a longer section. At first glance it might appear a little repetitive, but it's not. I think you can hear the child's voice and the glorious self justification. 

I know it's wrong to steal a hat.

I know it does not belong to me.

But I am going to keep it.

It was too small for him anyway.

It fits me just right. 

from Owl Babies, illus by Patrick Benson

Sometimes the right words may add to the lyrical sing-song quality of a text. In this example from Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (a steadfast favourite), the penultimate and is a 'right word', even if it appears to be an excess word. In isolation, I think the sentence below would be a little menacing  without the penultimate and, yet with it, the sentence is softened and flows.

Soft and silent, she swooped

 through the trees to Sarah and Percy
 and Bill.

Oliver Jeffers also gives respect to the reader in This is Not My Moose. It's another of my favourites. We're told stuff, but we also smile because we understand what's also being said between the lines.

Sometimes the moose wasn't a very good pet.
He generally ignored Rule 7: Going
whichever way Wilfred wants to go.

I've just noticed that three of my examples are from author/illustrators. I suspect that's just a coincidence, although  I've always thought that a large proportion of the best and worst books come from people who illustrate and write. But that's only my opinion and it might be time for me to scurry away!

If anybody has examples of picture book sentences that seem to use the 'right words', I'd love to read them in the comments' section. And if you disagree with my opinions, just say!

Paeony Lewis
www.paeonylewis.com

No plot? So what? (Why the ‘best picture book ever’ was nearly never) by Moira Butterfield

News flash: There’s more than one way to write a picture book! 

Really? You mean there isn’t a magic formula that everyone has to follow all the time?

NO! Read any selection of our Picture Book Den blogs and you’ll swiftly discover this to be the case, but I want to highlight it this week. In fact ideally I’d like to stand in the middle of Bologna Children’s Book Fair (where all the publishers gather) and shout it through a megaphone.

“YOU DON’T ALWAYS NEED THE SAME THING!”

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the importance of playing. Playing is being in the moment – allowing yourself to use your imagination freely and to experience it without judgement. It’s a marvellous and powerful feeling that engenders happiness, and picture books provide it for children. They also provide a glorious and rare opportunity for grown-ups to play as they read along.

To give readers this wonderful play opportunity you don’t necessarily need a plot. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean.

Picture Book Den blogger, Pippa Goodhart, recently won York Libraries' Best Picture Book Ever award for the fantastic You Choose, illustrated by Nick Sharratt. It got turned down by a lot of publishers before finding a home, because according to them "it doesn't have a story". And yet it is enjoyed over and over again by many children and the adults reading it with them, because it engages the imagination of everyone. Readers join in the fun and effectively make their own story, which is new every time they use the book. As you read, you play, and it’s very enjoyable. Those publishers who said no weren’t giving this feature any consideration. They need my megaphone treatment!

(By the way, Pippa’s new follow-up, shown below, has a strapline that says it all!)

Someone who has sometimes used a similar ‘no plot’ approach is Australian writer and illustrator Alison Lester, who I am delighted to discover is now Australia’s first Children’s Laureate. She’s created a series of books that follow the same diverse group of children. Titles include Clive Eats Alligators, Rosie Sips Spiders, When Frank was Four and Tessa Snaps Snakes. They all went down a treat in our house. In each book the reader discovers lots of details about each child’s life – from what they eat to where they sleep and what they want to be when they grow up (all beautifully illustrated). There’s no particular story. The books are more of an invitation to be interested in people, and to join in a conversation about lives. Like Pippa’s book, they’re fun for grown-ups as well as children because they encourage talking together.

I recently went to an exhibition of Edward Lear’s work. A lot of his time was taken up doing landscape pictures for his patrons, but whenever he could he played – gloriously – and the sheer joy of doing it comes through in his quickfire pen sketches and silly scribbled words. Why not? Nobody was telling him ‘there’s no plot’ or ‘that idea doesn’t make sense’. He was doing it for children he knew and for himself too. He evidently suffered from depression all his life and needed to play to lift his spirits. What power play has! Not plot. Play!

I’ve become rather passionate about the playing aspect of picture books, as you may have gathered by now. I’ve even started a blog about it elsewhere, offering parents and carers play ideas that lead on from the books that children are reading, hopefully helping them to explore the effect of a book on their own imagination.  I’ve also started planning some rather off-the-wall picture book ideas for 2013, all to encourage play. I expect to take the ebook route with them because I don’t want to compromise and fit them into a mould. They won't have a plot, and I want some freedom to muck about!

 “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.”

That’s philosopher and superbrain Carl Jung talking. Surely it applies both to picture book authors and to picture book readers? 

Now where’s that megaphone….

Setting a Challenge

I teach a distance learning course How to Write A Picture Book for Women On Writing (do take a look it's a great site and eZine) and they sent me a link for Picture Book Ideas Month.

The concept is to come up with 30 ideas for picture books over a 30 day period. Thankfully those who take part don't have to complete 30 manuscripts in 30 days or even write a potential best-seller. You simply have to come up with an idea that can be used in a picture book. Perhaps a title, a character, an idea based on something you overheard or a fact. The idea was devised by children's author Tara Lazar and is meant to 'exercise' your writing muscle and create a pot of ideas you can plunder when you need to.       

I must admit having to coming up with 30 new ideas over a 30 day period scared me and excited me. I debated for a week or so if I should take part but finally took the plunge. I'm now 14 days into the exercise and have surprised myself by coming up with a new idea each day. So far I have ideas that involve something to do with:

• A young hare (inspired by a book written by Dennis Hamley called 'Hares Choice' - well worth a read)
• An apprentice fairy who loses her powers (inspired by a news piece about apprenticeships)    
• An old dog being taught new tricks by a younger dog (inspired by my dogs new best friend, who is six years younger than her)

I'm hopeful by the end of the exercise I'll have 30 ideas scribbled down. I realise some will never become a manuscript and those that do may never be published. However I'm enjoying the process and if I get just one published title based on one of the ideas generated I'll be a very happy author.

Lynne Garner

I'm also part of the blogging team on:

Do Authors Dream of Electric Books?

An Awfully Big Blogging Adventure