Picture Books That Sing: You Don’t Have to be a Poet to Write a Picture Book in Verse
If you’re a picture book writer or a parent with small children, you’ve likely read at least one picture book in verse. And, if you’re human, you fell in love. Books in verse hold a special place in my heart. I have been known to describe them to friends and family as “poetry without all the rules.” But, I am a rule follower at heart. Also, (shhhhhh!) there are actually some rules to writing books in verse.
So, if you’ve always wanted to write a picture book in verse, let me give you a little push to put some poetic words on a page. And, if you never even dreamed of it because you just don’t feel qualified, let me try to change your mind.
Readers can play with the volume, pitch, and inflection of their voices to give the verses maximum effect.
Writing a picture book is not as easy as jotting down 600 words full of cutesy language and calling it a day. Today’s picture books are much more than moral stories – and with such a short word count, you can’t waste a single syllable! If you want to be competitive in this red-hot kidlit market, look no further than our newest writing publication, Writing Irresistible Picture Books.
But First, Why Verse?
I love picture books. Love them. I’ve been a mom for a little over sixteen years and I have been reading picture books to my kids for at least that long (I may have read books to my eldest in utero). My youngest is now nine. Thankfully, she still lets me read picture books to her and she is gracious enough to pretend to love the way I change the tone, volume, and inflection of my voice, along with the rhythm of the words as I interpret their meaning.
What I love about picture books is the way they marry language with art to create a story that sits on your heart and doesn’t ever get up. Remnants are left forever. If I feel that way, I can only image the effect of the kids they are intended for, their hearts so much more pliable.
I love that picture book authors and illustrators use both language and art equally in a way that introduces a cast of characters or a concept, and then tells an entire story in about thirty-two pages. It’s miraculous!
Picture books in verse create Magic 2.0. You can close your eyes, never see the illustrations, and still be melted and stirred. Books in verse have the ability to pack the same lyrical punch in a new way, with mesmerizing turn of phrase, striking imagery, rhythm, and sometimes rhyme. They offer the same cast of characters (sometimes with multiple voices), dialogue, rich narratives, descriptions that stimulate all five senses, and action that rivets.
I would like to add the side note that books in verse generally appeal to reluctant readers. Much like graphic novels, books in verse offer kids who wouldn’t choose to read pages that are visually less dense, which means they are less intimidating. This includes kids who are just sharpening their teeth on picture books. Reading doesn’t come easy to every kid. But every kid deserves to have books that feel accessible. Books that are less dense do not sacrifice vivid imagery, poignant voice, or powerful rhythm.
Now, How?
Writing in verse is not as simple as taking a prose narrative and shortening the sentences. Verse writing is intentional. It’s not necessarily harder, but the expectations are different.
Books in verse are more fun to read aloud. This does not mean they have to rhyme, but they can. Please note that the market is flooded with rhyming picture books, so agents and editors are especially particular to choose only those that break the mold, do something outstandingly fresh, and have authentic, can’t-put-it-down appeal. Whether your book rhymes or doesn’t, the words do have to possess musicality.
Most people don’t know that one editing tip is reading your book aloud, from start to finish. It’s easier to catch mistakes this way, especially because your own work has become so familiar to you. But for pictures books in verse, reading aloud is essential. It forces you to experience your words the way your reader will, offering you the opportunity to strengthen them for maximum effect and to lengthen or shorten lines for rhythmic flow and continuity.
In verse, every word matters. Your pacing is determined by where your lines end, and how they begin. These beginnings and ending also intentionally evoke readers’ senses and emotions, like a one-two punch. End lines with nouns for extra knock-out effect, or break lines in the middle of their meaning for extended release. Play around with your lines and your words. Have fun with it!
Above all else, remember that your picture book in verse must contain a full narrative, complete with a discernable plot, a well-developed character (or characters), a strong narrative voice, and a setting.
A Few of My Favorite Picture Books In Verse (today)
If I’ve convinced you to try your hand at writing a picture book in verse, I have one last piece of advice. It’s the same advice I give in every single one of my blog posts, so if you’re read others, sorry in advance. Actually, I’m not really sorry. It will likely be in my next blog post, and the next …
Visit your local library or bookstore and ask your librarian or store associate for recommendations for their favorite picture books in verse. Or, search the internet for the most popular (and successful) titles and visit the library or book store armed with your list. And then, read them. All of them. At least twenty of them. Over and over again.
Love by Matt de la Peña
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis
Before She Was Harriet and Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
We Are Water Protectors by Carol Lindstrom
Read those. And more. And then, go write.
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