Writing for Children: The Picture Book

BOB THE BOOGEYMAN
easy reader - Grades 1-3
850 words (c) 2005

p.5
Bob the Boogeyman lives in the Haunted Hotel on the outskirts of town.
He likes living there because he never has to leave home to go to work.
(art; night time, spooky hotel on top of a hill.)

p.6-7
Every night at midnight when Bob's alarm clock goes off, he get up and starts his day. He brushes his fangs, and he brushes his fur. He puts on h is "boo" tie.
(art; Bob is short, hairy and ape-like. brushes teeth.)
Then he goes down to the lobby to see who's coming to stay at the hotel.
Some of the guests are Bob's friends and relatives, and some of them are travelers just passing through.
(art; old fashioned lobby with cobwebs and ghost and vampires chechin in.)

p.8-9
Bob works hard to make his guest feel comfortable.

He rattles the windows and creaks the doors.
He throws pots and pans and roller skates down the stairs.
He makes clocks chime and kettles whistle.
He loves his job so much, that sometimes he just howls.

All of his spooky guests enjoy their stay.
"Come again," invites Bob.
And they do.
(art; bob making a ruckus, guests sleeping peacefully in their rooms.)

p.10-11
one night Bob decided that he had been working very hard at the Haunted Hotel. He needed a night off.

He phoned his ghoul-frined, Goola May, and asked her if she wanted to go to the all-night monster movie marathon at the Moonlight Theater.
(art; Bob on phone, Goola on phone. goola is very tall, thin, blue sking, red hair. She lives in a crypt, cemetery seen in background.)

"Sure," she said. "Cousin Marvin is visiting from the Black Lagoon. I'll bring him, too."

p.12-13
Bob met Goola may and Cousin Marvin at the bus stop.
(art; marvin is a tall hairy monster resembing Chewbaca)
All of the passengers on the bus moved back, way, way back, leaving plenty of room for Bob and his friends.

"Th-th-three dollars," stammered the driver, shaking hard.

"Bus rides sure are fun," said Goola may.
(art; bob, goola, marvin at front of bus, passengers quaking in a bunch at the rear.)

p. 14-15
They arrived at the Moonlight theater and asked for tickets.
The cashier lady ran away. Bob pushed the money throught the little window and took three tickets.

They found good seats in the theater. All the people left in a hurry.

"This movie is silly. No wonder the people walked out," said Goola May. She pointed at the screen. "Real monsters don't look like that."

"Real monsters don't talk like that," agreed Cousin Marvin.

Bob snapped his fingers. "I know! These must be actors dressed up like monsters. Ha, ha, they're funny. This must be a comedy."

The friends settled back. They enjoyed the monster comedies very much.
(art; empty theater)

p.16-17
After the movies, they walked passed an all-night diner.
(sidewalk scene, noses pressed to window)

"I'm so hungry," sighed Goola May. "I could eat a bug."

"Well, I'm so hu;ngry," said Bob, "I could eat a whole vat of black beetles and cucarachas!"

"And I'm so hungry I could eat a whole warehouse full of vats of black beetles and cucarachas and centipedes," said Marvin.

"That settles it," said Bob. "Let's go inside."

continued...

p.18-19
The waiter's teeth chattered as he passed out the menus.
(art; cute cafe, checkered tablecloths, other patrons under tables)
Bob said, "We want to order something delicious like mud-shakes and sea-slime burgers."

The waiter looked pale. He gulped. "We don't serve anything like THAT in this restaurant."

Bob and Goola and Marvin studied the menu.

"He's right," sighed Goola May. "I guess I'll just have the soup d'jour, whatever that it. I hope it's made of snips and snails and guppie-fish tails."

"I guess I'll try that pizza stuff," grumbled Marvin.

"I will too," said Bob. "But I won't LIKE it."

p.20-21
Bob the Boogeyman was wrong.
He liked the pizza very much.
In fact he ordered five more extra large pizzas with anchovies.
He and Marvin and Goola devoured them all.

Marvin also ate the silverware, the platter and the salt and pepper shakers.

"Let's come here again sometime," said Bob, patting his tummy.

p,22-23
The night was lovely, dark and damp.
The friends decided to walk home through the swamp.
They took off their shoes and let the mud ooze through their toes.

It was the end of a perfect night.
(art; night scene, swamp, hazy moon, bare trees, barefoot friends)

p.24-25
Suddenly, Goola May saw a pink glow in the sky.

"Hurry, hurry!" she cried. "I have to get home before sunrise or else...YOU KNOW WHAT!"
(art; swamp scene, pink horizon, goola upset)

p.24-25
Marvin (the very large) Monster scooped a friend under each arm and rushed with them out of the swamp. He carried them over the fields and under the overpass, and around the dump to the cemetery where Goola May lived.
(art; overview of fields, overpass, dump, cemetery)

p. 26-27
"Whew! We made it just in time," cried Goola May. "Thanks for a lovely time, Bob." She slipped into her crypt. Marvin went off to sleep in a stagnant pool.

Bob ran up the hill to his home just as fast as his short legs would carry him.
(art; Bob running up hill, goola in crypt waving in the distance)

p 28-29
Bob the Boogeyman had enjoyed his night out. He brushed his fangs and put on his striped pajamas.

He set his alarm clock for midnight, and yawned.
"Good night," he called to his guests. "Sleep tight."
(art; cute pic of bob in jammies)


p. 30
They answered, "The same to you. Bob."
And they all settled down for a good day's sleep.
(art; reprise of hotel on hill, except day time. Lots of zzzz's coming out of the windows.)

the end

Browsers -

Don't actually know how many of you are interested in writing picture books for children. But keep this site in mind if you are looking for the most acceptable format for a new writer to submit a ms to a publisher.

It is a much more difficult discipline than one might think, and the steps I've listed are in line with the publishing standard.

I plan to put up a second Forum Topic for those who want to write Chapter for children and/or Young Adults (13-20). The familiar Chapter Book format includes everything from Babysitter Club Series (for pre-teen girls) to Harry Potter.

Chow,
carlotta

Reading with interest!

I'm actually writing a children's book right now, close collaboration with the artist. I have lots of children's book ideas myself -- I keep a notebook full of them -- and am finding it a little hard to post. The good ones are good enough (IMO) that I don't want to run the risk of having someone else run with them. The bad ones are, well, bad. :-)

But definitely reading with interest, and please continue.

A question for you -- both of us (me and the artist) are new at the children's book thing. He asked around and found out about the 32-page standard -- but said that sometimes 40 pages are OK. That's what we're doing. Can you confirm that 40 pages are acceptable? (He has an absolute killer concept and built-in audience, I think it will be an easy sell, so if it's sometimes but not always OK, that should be fine.)

Thanks!

sozobe -

Oh, absolutely! There are a number of 40 and 48 page picture books. All books are printed in multiples of 8. This has to do with the way the pages are printed on an off-set printer, and it is the most economical way for a publisher to print a book.

Now, about the 40 (or 48) page picture book. Your concept will have to be KILLER for an unpublished writer to get a publisher to invest the extra $$$ it takes to print those extra pages. But it can, and has, been done.
Go for it!

I suggest that you prepare a dummy* book for yourself and the artist.
If 40 pages - don't forget that the title page and copyright page are included. Make sure that there is a great piece of art on every page (this is a picute book, right?) and tailor your text to keep the story moving.

Let the artwork tell some of the story. Try not to over-write. Make sure that the story reads as well aloud as it does on paper. A picture book is a bit like a poem.

Why not post one of your lesser quality stories for others to critique. You might learn something that will help on your other project. And I don't blame you for not wanting to post something where your idea could be lifted. I thought of that myself, but posted one of my own lesser pieces
(although my illustrations for BOB The BOOGETMAN are s w e e t.)

Good luck ( and remember we make our own luck)

carlotta

*a dummy book is a draft of your story in boolet form, one page for each page in the book. Decent sketches of the art must be included if you want your art to be used in the finished product. The artist must also send a few good quality color photocopies of the art. Most publishers will look at electonic art submissions as well, but ask first.

Thanks for the info! Very useful.

I have another question here, would love to get your input.

bookmarking with lots of interest for my Mrs.