Picture Book University: Week 5

Week 5 Day 1: Snapshot Picture Books

A snapshot book is a fairly easy type of picture book to write. A snapshot book is a book that consists of a theme and variations.

It’s like someone has taken a number of photos of their vacation to the beach.  The theme is: here we are on the beach. See the beach? See us?  The variations are: here we are playing in the waves, here we are building a sandcastle, here we are making sand angels, here we are looking for seashells.

Common snapshot books include alphabet books (theme: the alphabet; variations: this is A, this is B, this is C) counting books, shape books, other concept books. It could also include a series of events.  For example, a baby’s day (theme: the things baby does; variations: baby wakes up, baby eats breakfast, baby plays, baby takes a nap).

Assignment 5:1

Llook through your picture book library, or go to your nearest public library, and find at least a dozen snapshot books.  (If you’re not sure if the book is a snapshot book, select it anyway.  The next few assignments will help you figure out what it is.)

Week 5 Day 2: No Boring Allowed

But snapshot books can be tricky.  It’s easy for the variations to become tedious, boring.  So, the first thing you must do is make sure that there are variations.  Each “snapshot” should be a unique scene, a unique presentation.  But they can’t vary too much, because the theme has to still be present.

Assignment 5:2

Look at your collection of snapshot picture books.  What words, phrases, structures, themes,are found in each snapshot?  How does each snapshot vary from the others?

Week 5 Day 3: Frame It

Another way to make your snapshot picture book more interesting is to give it a frame.  A snapshot book usually has an introduction and an extra ending, a framework that holds the snapshots together,  something that says, “Here we are beginning our journey through these snapshots. Here’s what you can expect, ready, go.” And then an ending that says, “We’re all through. Wasn’t that fun? Thank you for coming.”

Assignment 5:3

Look at your collection of snapshot picture books.  Is there a frame in each book?  How does the author lead into the variations, and how does the author wrap it up?

Week 5 Day 4: Give It a Direction

One more thing that a snapshot book needs is a direction, a motion. Most stories have this naturally with the sequence of events, the rising action, the climax, things that carry the reader through and help give the pages structure. They aren’t just random scenes.  A snapshot book needs to have the same thing. It could be something as simple as the progression through the alphabet, or the logical progression through a series of numbers. It might be the journey through a day. Or a real journey from one point to another. It could be a series of snapshots that actually tell a story in a logical sequence, cause and effect.  There are many ways of creating a structure, a direction, a motion. And making sure your snapshot book has that direction, that motion, will make it more appealing.

Assignment 5:4

Yes, you guessed it.  Look through your snapshot picture books and try to identify how the author moves the text forward.

Week 5 Day 5: Make It Fresh

One problem with snapshot books is that because they are so seemingly easy, a lot of people write them. To make yours stand out it needs to be fresh. There are a lot of cliché ideas for snapshot books, particularly concept books. The stereotypical alphabet book, for example, is A is for Apple or Alligator; B is for Bunny; C is for Cat; D is for Dog. That would be just fine. You could have your family alphabet book: A is for Aunt Adeline; B is for Barry the Butcher; C is for Cousin Claire. The best way to find variations on  alphabet books is to simply read a lot of alphabet books and note what they do.

But once you’ve done that, consider not just following a model that somebody else has established. Get creative. See if you can think of an approach that has never been done before.  Something new, something fresh. Maybe combine two concepts. The invisible alphabet book, an alphabet book of invisible things. This would be an easy book to illustrate, wouldn’t it?! Or, well I could give you more ideas, but if they’re good ideas, I’m going to want to do them myself. So come up with your own ideas. The point: look beyond the cliché; see if you can find a new way of doing what has been done before.

Assignment 5:5

One more time through the picture books.  What is it that makes each one unique?

Next week — I take you step-by-step through writing your own snapshot book.