Fabulous Picture Books!

My friends Jennie and Jacki and I were discussing picture books at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend, and I mentioned to them that I really love a specific type of humor in my picture books; the kind of post-modern, quirky, bizarre humor that Jon Scieszka and Mo Willems so perfectly write. In my quest to find more books like theirs, I have read a LOT of picture books – some which actually have this kind of humor, and some which are just awesome on their own.

As I was talking, Jennie said, "You should blog about that."

So I am.

Here are four fantastic picture books that I've read since January. It's safe to say that, even though I'm not including any Jon Scieszka or Mo Willems on this list, since they are my inspiration for it, I think pretty much everything they write is awesome. (Especially that Scieszka dude. He's pretty much flawless. Also, his last name rhymes with FRESCA. You're welcome.) These books are more in the metafiction/weird humor categories; I've read some traditional ones I've loved, as well. Feel free to ask if you want to know about those.

Book 1: Nothing by Jon Agee

I love this book! This was the first Agee book I read, and it caused me to go on an Agee streak. Though I loved a few others, as well (particularly the alphabet book Z Goes Home, which almost made it onto this list instead), no other book has captured my heart as much as Nothing. 

The concept of this book is so fun and simple. Shop owner Otis has sold the last antique in his shop, and therefore has nothing for sale. But then the richest woman in town comes in, insisting she must have this "nothing." Otis, not wanting to let her down, sells it to her and loads it into her car. Soon, shops all around the town are selling nothing, and the townsfolk throw away all their stuff to make room for more nothing. It's a fantastic satire on mob mentality and consumer culture, but not something that would go over a kid's head. In fact, it's the perfect book to use to bring up that type of discussion, if it's something you're interested in talking to your children about. Otherwise, it's just plain funny.

Book 2: The Book that Eats People by John Perry, Illustrated by Mark Fearing

This picture book is metafiction at its best! It's The Monster at the End of this Book for the 21st century! So, naturally, I love it.

The book is literally about a book that eats people — and that book is the book that readers are holding in their hands. It's a little bit scary, yes, but the concept is so ridiculous and the illustrations so outlandish that I don't think a child could actually be frightened by this book. Especially if they read it with their parent, and the parent got interactive, making the book chomp on their little toes while reading! (I don't know if that makes me a horrible person or an awesome person. Probably both.)

Also, can we talk about that author's last name? Mark FEARING? Yeah. Loves it.

Book 3: Let's Do Nothing! by Tony Fucile

This is a great example of a book where the author/illustrator combo definitely comes in handy. I don't think one person could have written this and then passed it off to another to illustrate, because the text and the illustrations lose themselves in one another.

Let's Do Nothing! is about two kids who try to, well, do nothing for an afternoon. They sort of make it into a contest, but that little dude there on the right (the one with the glasses. Of course.) keeps messing everything up with his big imagination. It's a simple concept, but it stuck with me months after I read it.

Maybe that's because I'm lazy and like to do nothing.

 Book 4: The Pencil by Alan Ahlberg, Illustrated by Bruce Ingman
 

Oh, how I love this tale of "a pencil, a lonely little pencil" and all the things he draws to keep himself company: a boy, a dog, a kitty, a paintbrush, an entire village, and eventually a sadistic eraser who destroys everything! There is something so simple and beautiful about it, and just a little bit sad, too, but also sweet and fun. The illustrations are just gorgeous, but the story is fantastic, too.

I mean, really, I could go on and on (and on and on and on) about all the fantastic picture books in the world. When one really strikes me, I'll post it for a Book-Crush Wednesday. But this is a good starting place if you're new to picture books.

OK, so you might be asking yourself (or me): "Self/Heather, Why would I want to read picture books? I don't have kids. I don't write picture books. This seems like a giant waste of my time!"

On the contrary, dear reader. Picture books can teach you about rhythm and word choice and language and comedic timing and using the space on a page and a whole host of things that books for older readers are harder to study. Writing a picture book, just one picture book, will give you immense appreciation for how hard the craft is, and will show you the power of choosing your words carefully, which is definitely something that can be carried into novel writing. Plus, if you've never written and revised a piece from start to finish...well, there is definitely something gratifying in doing that exercise and starting small.

Book-Crush Wednesday (1)

I'm starting a new feature on my blog! I know, I know, you're dying with excitement.

I think one of the most important things a writer can do to become better is read. Read any and everything they can get their hands on. They should especially read good books. That's where this feature comes in.

Often, I read a great book, but I don't have a space to talk about it. I might mention it on Twitter, or casually say I read a great book in my Sunday Funday post. Or, once in awhile, I might find something the book is a great example of, and highlight the book by talking about that aspect of writing - I did that after I read Hex Hall and discussed the importance of using an authentic teen voice.

But sometimes I just want to talk about a great book. And from now on, that's what I'll use Wednesdays for. I know Wednesdays are "Waiting on Wednesday" in the book blogging world, but I will only be highlighting books I've read and loved, and want to share with you. Because books are amazing, and the truly great ones make me want to be a better writer.

I'll be focusing on kidlit books - everything from chapter books right up through MG and YA - but it's possible that the occasional adult book might pop in. I can't be sure. It might happen. I'm not making any promises.

OK, down to business...or the fun stuff :)

My first book-crush is on a picture book! I started reading picture books in preparation for my master's program in creative writing, and let me tell you, they are awesome. While I was looking through the PB section in Borders the other day, a particular book cover caught my eye. The book wasn't on my list of 100 picture books, but something about the book spoke to me, so I pulled it off the shelf to read anyway. And I am so, so glad I did.

The book was The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems, and from the very first page I was totally sucked in. I couldn't take the smile off my face. The book is about a pigeon who wants a puppy, has dreamt of having one his whole life. He tries to convince you that it's the best thing for him, but what happens when he gets his wish? Hilarity.

I loved the book so much that I went back to the display and saw that there was a whole series of pigeon books - including a Caldecott for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! There's The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog and Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late! and The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! I enjoyed each book as much as I enjoyed the first, and in those few minutes spent reading the picture books, I became an instant Mo Willems fan. (And I knew what I would be getting for my brother, who is expecting his first son in a few months.)

The pigeon is sassy and fun and temperamental, but in the end he always does the right thing. He dreams big and is funny and tries to get his way. I love him.

And the artwork! It's deceptively simple. Don't let the thick black lines and clean background fool you - the emotion Willems puts into the drawings is incredible. Even if you took the words out of the books, I think it would still be perfectly clear exactly what the pigeon was trying to say. Take a look at this artwork from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and you'll see exactly what I mean:

That conspiratorial whisper in the second panel, the pouting eyes in panel 5, the pleading look in the seventh picture - it's so simple and yet so effective. It communicates clearly to children and yet fills people like me, a 25-year-old childless woman, with joy.

So if you know any children, or even if you don't, I definitely suggest looking into the pigeon books. And the best part of all? The Pigeon is on Twitter. I mean, come on. All the cool kids are on Twitter, so the pigeon must be cool.

Why I Love Picture Books

After I got accepted into VCFA, the assistant director of the writing for children and YAs program sent me a few lists of suggested reading. One of those lists was The New York Public Library's 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know. (The other was the School Library Journal's 100 Books that Shaped the Century, which also has a lot of picture books on it, along with some chapter books, MGs, and a few YAs.)

I'll admit that, up to this point, I never gave picture books much thought. I don't have kids, and I haven't babysat someone who was PB-age appropriate for about nine years, so the need just wasn't there. And I don't write picture books, I write YA, so I didn't think I would need to look at that section of the bookstore for at least 3-10 years, when hubs and I start having kids (you can see the jury is still out on when that will actually occur). So when I was at the library last week, I figured I would pick up a few of the picture books, just for fun, and bring them home.

And, wow.

Picture books are amazing. They are funny, heart-warming, and even bring tears to my eyes. They have beautiful lessons about morality, friendship, courage, being true to yourself, humility, and all of those things that kids (and most adults) need to learn - but always presented in a fun, easy-to-access way.

There is no way that writing picture books is easy. (Not that I need to tell any of you that.) I read one book about riots in L.A. (Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz). It talked about riots, obviously, but also about race relations, and used cats and children to demonstrate the point that tragedy will often bring together people who have had major differences in the past, even if they're very different from each other. There's this kind of amazing moment in the book where the child narrator says a line of dialogue, and he says all the adults get very quiet - it's exactly how the moment would have happened in real life, because the moment was poignant and pure. I never knew picture books could be so powerful, but they are.

I also loved Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett. This one is meant for a slightly younger audience than Smoky Night, and it had me laughing out loud. I even made my husband read it, I thought it was so great. Then I read Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann, which was just wonderful. It's about friendship and loyalty, and shows how teamwork is the key to success. Plus the illustrations on the inside covers are so funny, I appreciated them even more after I finished the book.

I guess the point of this post is that there is definitely a subtle art to writing picture books. You need to appeal to the right age group, get the right lessons across without being too preachy, and adding a touch of humor is always nice, too. And revisiting picture books as an adult, especially as an adult writer (whether you plan to write picture books or not) is a great exercise in studying the basics of powerful storytelling. Because these books elicit strong emotions, and stick with their readers for years to come. (Remember how you feel thinking about your favorite book as a kid? I remember I used to make my dad read The Monster at the End of This Book almost every night to me, even after I was old enough to read it myself. I think once I even told him I could read it, but really I'd just memorized the words from multiple tellings.)

I don't think I'll try picture book writing anytime soon. But maybe someday, after reading and studying enough of the outstanding books out there, I'll give it a try. I have a feeling there's no way I'll measure up.

Now, you tell me: What's your favorite picture book?