Children's illustrations are not drawn by children, but by professional illustrators. As the name implies, it is aimed at children. It is often used in children's magazines or books, such as the cover and inside pages of fairy tale books, with bright colors and vivid and interesting pictures. The modeling is simple, cute, or weird, and the scene will be more cute, through more than words to tell the story of children, some good children's illustrations are also very popular with adults.
Children's book illustration
The arc of children’s literature and illustration begins in the late-18th century with George Cruikshank’s illustrations for German Popular Stories, the first time that a popular author deigned to create artwork for a children’s publication.
George Cruikshank
Children’s book illustrators often collaborate with writers or write the stories
themselves. In recent years digital illustrations have became popular as the turn around
rate has gotten quicker. A lot of children’s book have full illustrated spreads with text as
a secondary elements. Older children’s books can often mix with graphic novels.
Story and Language
Is the story simple enough to be told in 500-1000 words? Is it powerful enough to capture a child's imagination? Even for children, stories should be logical, though that doesn't rule out introducing elements of nonsense (think Dr. Seuss). While children's books offer a great opportunity for word play, the language should be simple enough for young readers to understand.
structure
Do you tell your story in prose or rhyme? If it's told in prose, make sure it makes sense and that point A flows to point B. The same would be true if it were a rhyming book, but the rhythm must be effective. Test it by reading it aloud, or better yet, having someone unfamiliar with it read it to make sure the rhythm works so it's easy to follow. Remove complex phrases and extra syllables - keep the beat.
illustrations
For picture books, illustrations set the tone. Some writers do both, but many need to work with artists. Find illustrators online, at the Art Institute or through the Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators. Consider how illustrations complement and enhance the text and tone of the story. You may want to browse the wonderful podcast collection by illustrator Nick Barton (Sam and the Seven Pound Bass).
The script
The storyboard will explain how you figure out how text and illustrations interact in the book, and how many illustrations you need. Determine which text will be included on each page and which illustrations will accompany it. Work with your illustrator to determine if the text will exceed the illustration (in which case they need to leave some space for the illustration), or if the text is on one side with the illustration on the other. We recommend POD (print-on-demand) picture books total 48 pages in order to have spine text. Having said that, they can be shorter or longer.
Click twice to download a simple plot summary.
The theme
Are your stories meant to inspire? Funny? Notice? Some books tell a funny or moving story, but if your book has a message, don't preach or judge. Think about what you want to say and how to say it in a clear, simple voice. Match the illustrations to the tone and theme of the story.
The target audience
Generally, picture books are aimed at children from one year to preschool, but they can also achieve higher grades. I always remembered that older children might be able to read aloud to younger children, as my children did when they grew up.
Once your writing is done and your illustrations are done, you need a designer to put them together. The designer lays out the text with the appropriate fonts, creates the front and back covers, and creates a file from which you can print the book.
For more information, visit our page on publishing children's books.
Do you have a children's book you'd like to publish? Schedule a phone call to get a free 30-minute consultation on your project or to create an estimate for your book.
The components of children's books