How to Write & Illustrate Childrens Books and Get Them Published

Rating:
Summary: Helpful to illustrators
Review: As a published children's book author and illustrator, I found this book to be one of the more helpful guides for those interested in children's illustration. Most books in the "How to Write Children's Books" genre focus on the writer's perspective and neglect the illustrator. This book, with contributions by an Art Director, also addresses portfolio presentation, picture book layout, style, dummies, tearsheets and roughs. True, the book is somewhat dated and there are more comprehensive books on children's book publishing. However, I would highly recommend this book to fellow illustrators.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful to illustrators
Review: As a published children's book author and illustrator, I found this book to be one of the more helpful guides for those interested in children's illustration. Most books in the "How to Write Children's Books" genre focus on the writer's perspective and neglect the illustrator. This book, with contributions by an Art Director, also addresses portfolio presentation, picture book layout, style, dummies, tearsheets and roughs. True, the book is somewhat dated and there are more comprehensive books on children's book publishing. However, I would highly recommend this book to fellow illustrators.

Rating:
Summary: Very useful information
Review: I found this book to be very useful as a source for writing better children's books. It includes specific style and writing techniques with examples to teach us to make a more powerful manuscript. I wish there were more books like this with even more ideas!

Rating:
Summary: Very useful information
Review: I found this book to be very useful as a source for writing better children's books. It includes specific style and writing techniques with examples to teach us to make a more powerful manuscript. I wish there were more books like this with even more ideas!

Rating:
Summary: Good Start for Illustrators
Review: Treld Pelkey Bicknell's 'How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books' is really more for illustrators of children's books then the writer's aspect of the book. It's a good source for that particular purpose. If you want a more indepth instruction on the children's book writing process I suggest Barbara Seuling's 'How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published.' Bicknell's book is valuable for it's comprehensive topics and illustrations. The first part include topics of constructing a story from beginning to end (planning and plotting, story structure, dialogue). There's a section on getting to know your reader and choosing the right words. Plus other informative information like looking into the world of children and the influence of new writing. The second part is devoted to illustration and discusses getting to know your audience, the types of picture books (board, pop-ups, zig-zag, flap, half-flap, holes, pictorial consequences, long text, minimal text, wordless, picture strips). It combines pictures with interpeting a text and using your imagination. Building the porfolio follows in the creation process. The last part is devoted to getting published. Starting from making the book, preparing the roughs, the right style for the right job. The author tops it off with factual writing and researching, Fad & Novelty books and finding the right publisher. To find what's in the market I also suggest the 'Children's Book Writer and Illustrator's Market Book' as a directory in that field to find the right genre of which publisher to contact. This book is a handy source like the other two I mentioned.