89 Examples of Craft in Picture Books

PB 14:14 in 2014: THE LIST (and a few winners)

We made it!!! So here are the winners...

Week 1 - PB critique by Kristy Dempsey ... Jackie Wellington 

Week 1 - PB (Dinosailors) by Deb Lund ... Kimberly Callard

Week 2 - PB critique by Alayne Kay Christian ... Damon Dean

Week 2 - PB (April Fool, Phyllis!) by Susanna Leonard Hill ... Lauri Fortino

 *** GRAND PRIZE ***

PB critique by Lori Degman
Writer's First Aid and More Writer's First Aid by Kristi Holl
2013 Book Markets for Children's Writers from me (Christie Wild)
and 30-minute phone consult with Julie Hedlund

 *** WINNER: CECELIA CLARK ***

CONGRATULATIONS, everybody. I'll e-mail the winners tonight to verify your choices. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you to all the followers of the event for visiting our blogs and leaving comments. Hope to see you next year!

And here is THE LIST of the Top 10 Story Elements for Picture Books with all the books we have featured during the last 2 weeks. All books on this list have been published within the last 10 years, from 2004 to 2014. Only one book was reviewed twice and both times it was for character, so that's why it's listed twice (two separate links). Enjoy and visit often!

#1: CHARACTER

• The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
• Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter
• Riley and the Grumpy Wombat: A journey around Melbourne by Tania McCartney
• I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black (#1)
• I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black (#2)
• Maya Was Grumpy by Courtney Pippin-Mathur 
• Lightship by Brian Floca
• THANK YOU BEAR by Greg Foley
• Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
• Too Many Turkeys by Linda White
• Insect Detective by Steve Voake
• Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters by Barak Obama
• Joone by Emily Kate Moon
• Sophie and the Sea Monster by Don Gillmor

#2: CONFLICT

• Bears On Chairs by Shirley Parenteau
• Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter
• The Taxing Case of the Cows by Rynbach by Iris Van Rynback & Pegi Deitz Shea
• Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems 
• I Hate Picture Books by Timothy Young
• The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton
• Rosa by Nikki Giovanni

#3: PLOT

• Precious and the Boo Hag by Patricia C. McKissack and Onawumi Jean Moss
• Love Monster by Rachel Bright
• Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
• NOT IN ROOM 204 by Shannon Riggs (also THEME)
• The Legend of the Golden Snail by Graeme Base 

#4: DIALOGUE

• Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco
• THANK YOU BEAR by Greg Foley
• Oh! What a Surprise! by Suzanne Bloom
• An Aussie Year by Tania McCartney
• The Pocket Mommy by Rachel Eugster
• Faucet Fish by Fay Robinson
• SATCHEL PAIGE, Don't Look Back by David A. Adler 
• Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
• Puffling by Margaret Wild
• ABE'S HONEST WORDS by Doreen Rappaport 

#5: THEME

• Penduli by Janell Cannon
• The City by Armin Greder
• Being Frank by Donna W. Earnhardt
• The Way I Love You by David Bedford and Ann James 
• Kangaroo and Crocodile: My Big Book of Australian Animals by Bronwyn Bancroft
• Look, A Book! by Libby Gleeson
• Fox & Squirrel by Ruth Ohi
• The Island by Armin Greder
• Cub's Big World by Sarah Thomson
• Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheau Nelson
• The Goblin and the Empty Chair by Mem Fox

#6: PACING

• Prairie Storms by Darcy Pattison
• Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
• Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guion
• Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin 
• Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley

#7: WORD PLAY

• MOSES: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford
• Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root
• Stars Beneath Your Bed by April Pulley Sayre
• Cock-A-Doodle Dance! by Christine Tricarico
• Moonlight by Helen Griffith
• Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey

#8: PATTERNS

• The Monstore by Tara Lazar
• Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
• My Very Own Alphabet Book by Wendy Coyle
• I Wanna New Room by Karen Kaufman Orloff
• The House That George Built by Suzanne Slade
• Down the Drain! by Robert Munsch
• Martina The Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy
• Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis
• Wombat Went 'A Walking by Lachlan Creagh
• The Wolves are Back by Jean C. George 
• I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems
• The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst

#9: RHYME

• The Butt Book by Artie Bennett
• I and You and Don't Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? by Brian P. Cleary
• Iron Horses by Verla Kay
• Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus
• Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows
• Rough, Tough Charley by Verla Kay
• All Aboard the Dinotrain by Deb Lund
• Cock-A-Doodle Dance! by Christine Tricarico
• Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey
• Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
• Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen
• Ode to Underwear by Helaine Becker

#10: BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

• Spinifex Mouse by Norma McDonald
• Small, Medium & Large by Jane Monroe Donovan
• ABE LINCOLN: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters
• Desert Baths by Darcy Pattison
• The Sandcastle Contest by Robert Munsch
• Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley
• Wolf Camp by Katie McKy

And that's the monster list of mentor texts we all came up with together for studying the top 10 story elements of picture books for 2014. Enjoy! And continue to share the love. I'll be doing a Top 10 Element each month on the 14th from here on out.

Keep on keepin' on...

PB 14:14 Day 14: BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS with "Wolf Camp"

We made it to Day 14! And we're still alive! You guys are amazing!

I bought this book for my son for Christmas because he loves wolves. And he's 9 and a half. And yes, he loves it, though I wouldn't call it his favorite. That would likely be Pokemon. This is such a fun little book.

Today's focus is Story Element #10, BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS. Isn't it fitting that today is the last day of the blog hop and I'm talking about endings? Yes, I did plan it that way. And sorry, but there will be a spoiler, or else how could we learn about beginnings and endings.

All picture books must have good beginnings and endings, but this one is a great example. Actually many of the books I've featured also have great beginning and endings, such as The Monstore, Too Many Turkeys, Shark vs. Train, Cock-a-Doodle Dance!, and Faucet Fish. So if you're struggling with a beginning or an ending, I would advise checking out those other seven books I just listed.

Title: Wolf Camp
Author: Katie McKy
Illustrator: Bonnie Leick
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing, Inc.
Year: 2009
Words: 472

The Beginning
Spread 1:

Maddie showed her mother the flyer.
"Wolf Camp," it said. "Put your child in the wilds."
Maddie was gone for two weeks.

PB 14:14 Day 13: CHARACTER with "Too Many Turkeys"

Source

I know, I know, I did CHARACTER several days back. It's all good, though. This book is just as awesome. I actually had a hard time deciding on which element to feature. Character? Conflict? Plot? Dialogue? Theme? They're all in here! But character took the prize because of the turkeys! There are just too many turkeys, and I hope you don't think that 14 days of blogging about picture books is too many days. Only one day left.

Title: Too Many Turkeys
Author: Linda Arms White
Illustrator: Megan Lloyd
Publisher: Holiday House
Year: 2010
Words: 1000?

I find that I buy more of someone's books if I have met the author. I actually met Linda Arms White and Laura Backes when they teamed up and did a Bootcamp course in Charlotte, NC in 2010. Side note: want to sell more books? SPEAK!!! Anywhere for any purpose - as long as it's related to writing and literacy.

So, who's the main character in this fun little tale? The turkeys, of course! No, really. Okay, it's either Fred or his wife, Belle, or their uninvited pet turkey, Buford. If you go by who leaves more of a lasting impression, it's definitely not Belle. She's absent for most of the story. Some people might argue that her garden could possibly be another character. It does seem to take on a life of its own throughout the story.

Summary: Belle has the best garden and the best yard in the neighborhood. When it's time for her to go away to her annual birdhouse convention, Fred is left behind to tend the garden.

But one day,