The Society of Children's Books & Illustration lovers volume 2 Sept 13 | Page 9

9 The Society of Children’s Books & Illustration Lovers – Newsletter # 2 – September 2013 First consider this: As much as you'd like to write the next Velveteen Rabbit or perhaps tell the true life story of Ella Fitzgerald, remember that a longer text means an older audience. Who do you want to be reading third grade? There are picture books for the older audience, but from my bookseller experience, most kids who are 7 and up are reading chapter books and novels––the next Junie B. Jones or for the more advanced, delving into the next Harry Potter. Shoppers are generally looking to buy picture books for the younger group. Most three year olds cannot sit through a picture book that consists of 3,000 plus words! So try to keep your story under 1,000 words and edit, edit, edit! Before you illustrate Now you have the perfect text and it's just right for your target audience. Now what? Well, you're an illustrator, right? So I'm sure you want to get illustrating! But wait just a minute. Are you sure you know HOW to illustrate a picture book? Do you know how many pages to make it? Do you know where to place the text? You're not th [??[???[\??][??H??H????[??[????Y??H[?H?X?Z] \?H[?O??\??[????\?? ????\?X\??H???[?\???[X??\?K????][H??????]?]?\?[?\?^YO??]?\??????H??????K??] ???\?^O??]\??????H??[??H[YK??YH?]?????\?H?XY ??]Y?H?Y?\?H\?[?[???\?H^H^Z[??][?[???]??????^H?\???\?????H[?I?H\???\?Y??YH?[?\??]??]\?Z?H[H?YK???][K????YH[HH??X?\?Y?]???X[?HY?\??H?????]?O???X[?H???????[X^?????H[??XY??YHX?\?H?????]?Y]???]]?HH?]?Y]?\???ZYX??]\?H??????[?H?]X?\?\??[?][??^HZ?O??]\?H?^Z[??X?X??ZYX??][O? ??Y\\?[?Z[?]] ???\?H??[?H????]?\???][?H?]X?\?K???^H[?H???????[??]H??X]?[H??][?H[????Y[?H??[?^HX??][?\??X][?]?X?K??]]?]?\?\????YH?] ???[??] ???? ????XZ?H??Z[???Z[????[?I?H??[??????][?HZ?x?$??$??????]?\?[X?H[?\???S?[?H????]X?\?[????\[?H\?X?\?Y?] ?H?\??[????\????]H^[?]???X[?HY?\??[???H?????]?O?X[?H?????\?H ?Y?\???YH\?H ????\?[?[?I??YHH Y?H??????H] ??]?[? MHY?\???B????????YY]\ ???K?KT???Y]K[?P?[?[??X?????X[? Z[\??][?[?\????