What Makes a Book a Picture Book?
they invite readers to decode the pictures for themselves.”
The term “picture book” gets used often, but it has a more specific meaning in children’s publishing than people sometimes expect. At its core, a picture book tells a story through both images and text. The illustrations are not simply there to decorate the page, they carry part of the story themselves, adding information, emotion, and context that the words alone do not always explain.
Shared Reading Time
Picture books are also designed to be read aloud. The pacing, sentence structure, and overall flow are shaped by how the story sounds when spoken. This shared reading experience is a big part of what makes picture books feel engaging for both the child and the adult reading with them. These are often the books that are read during circle time at school or at the libraries.
Length of Picture Books
They are typically short and focused, often meant to be read in one sitting and are often between 24-48 pages long. Within that shorter format, each page or spread has a clear role in moving the story forward. Page turns become part of the storytelling, creating small moments of anticipation as the story unfolds.
Images and Illustrations
Another important aspect is that picture books are created with the child in mind, including children who are not yet reading. There should be something to follow, notice, or explore on every page, even without relying on the text.
When I design my own books, I try to make sure the illustrations can stand on their own. If the words were removed, the story would still come through in some way through the images. In that sense, the text becomes an added layer rather than the only way to understand what is happening.
A Monarch on Every Page
I also like to include small details that children can come back to each time they read the book. In my books, that includes monarch butterflies "hidden" throughout the pages. Don't worry they are not that hard to find - can you see the one in this post's image?
It gives young readers something familiar to look for and helps make each rereading feel a little different. It also helps tie the different books in both the Little Goodbyes Series as well as the Monarch Tales Series together. I shared more about that idea in a previous post, Monarchs on Every Page. The feedback from readers has been fantastic like we started seeing the butterflies, then realized they were on every page so had to go back and read the story again and see if other people could find them too.
A picture book is not just a short story with images. It is a special place where the words and illustrations work together to create a complete experience that can be enjoyed over and over.
You can explore all of our current titles on our Books Page.
If you'd like to help share our works, visit our Libraries Page for circulation details and ISBNs.
Our books are available through major retailers including Chapters, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, and Waterstones.
