All posts by kathymacmillan

15 Picture Books That Demonstrate “Show, Don’t Tell”

On Writing, picture books

In my workshop, “The Secrets of Showing,” we explore revision tools to help writers spotlight the important themes and developments in their stories using dialogue, action beats, strong word choices, and more. Though writers often think of longer works as the domain of “show, don’t tell”, showing in picture books is even more crucial. Picture book authors get fewer words to work with, so each one must draw the reader into the story and help them connect with the characters. Here are 15 mentor picture books texts that use strong details, dialogue, and more to exemplify a balance of showing and telling.

For each book, think about:

  • What does the protagonist want? What goal do they pursue? (external plot)
  • What does the protagonist need? What lesson do they learn in the course of the story? (internal plot)
  • What techniques do the author and illustrator use take the reader along on the protagonists’ journey and spotlight the wants and needs?

   

Pug Meets Pig by Joyce Wan, illustrated by Sue Lowell Gallion

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig

Yoko by Rosemary Wells

     

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

     

Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She was Extinct by Mo Willems

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright

The Printer by Myron Uhlberg, illustrated by Henri Sorenson

 

Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez, illustrated Felicita Sala

My Heart Glow by Emily Arnold McCully

For more resources on creating compelling picture books, check out this fantastic 3-part blog post by Natascha Biebow at the Words & Pictures blog:

Part 1: Writing Action  |  Part 2: Pacing  |  Part 3: Show, Don’t Tell 

More resources for writers from Kathy MacMillan

Missed “Show, Don’t Tell: An Online Workshop for Writers”? Contact me to purchase recording access!

 

Coming this Fall: THE RUNAWAY SHIRT!

American Sign Language, board books, picture books, The Runaway Shirt

I’m so excited to announce that I have another picture book coming out this Fall from Familius Press. The Runaway Shirt is a silly story of mother-child bonding that was inspired by two things: 

  1. The delighted giggles of my own toddler (now 15!) climbing into the laundry basket and pretending to be a shirt for me to fold.
  2. One of my favorite picture books of all time, Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig.

Now it’s coming to life with gorgeous illustrations by Julia Castaño and I’m as tickled as…well, as a runaway shirt!

The Runaway Shirt comes out September 1 from Familius Press, and is distributed by Workman. AND you can preorder it now – along with Nita’s Day’s: More Signs For Babies and Parents – from Workman for 20% off when you use the coupon code BOOKS!

Preorder Nita’s Day’s: More Signs For Babies and Parents

Preorder The Runaway Shirt

 

Read This!: THE BEAUTY MYTH by Naomi Wolf

Read This, Recommended Reading

The Beauty MythThe Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
Summary: The bestselling classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity. In today’s world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women’s movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It’s the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society’s impossible definition of “the flawless beauty.”

My heart, mind, and soul are full of this book right now. The beauty and power with which Naomi Wolf identifies and analyzes so many truths of life as a woman has gone right to my core. I’ve been reading this book as part of my immersion into my current YA fantasy novel project, which is a fairy tale retelling that is an intersection of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White. And Wolf’s work has given me so much to ponder, especially in its insightful analysis of the ways in which women participate in our own oppression when we believe that “beauty” is an objective standard, and in the ways the beauty myth drives women apart, individually and generationally. An absolute must read.

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