Writing a Child Book e-Course

Types of Picture Books

Your picture book may fall into more than one category or even be a category unto itself. It’s useful, however, to think in terms of categories so you can decide what kind of book you want to write.

Here are some potential categories:

  • Storybooks: this is the most popular category of picture books. They are usually fairly simple; they focus on a single theme. The main character is typically confronted with a problem or challenge that builds through a series of events. Ultimately, the main character successfully resolves the problem and the story ends happily. The story may be set in a contemporary, historical, biblical or future time, and the main character can be human, animal, plant, alien or even an inanimate object.
  • Novelty books: these books use a clever gimmick to embellish the story. A good example is the Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. This book uses flaps to tell the story in an entertaining and memorable way.
  • Informational books: these are usually non-fiction books; they focus on a single topic (e.g. the Aztecs) and communicate information about the topic in an entertaining, age-appropriate way.
  • Concept books: ABC and counting books are the best-known examples of this category. Other examples are books that teach opposites (bumpy/smooth, in/out, big/small, etc.) and books that help children adjust to a new situation (e.g. going to school, parents divorce, etc.). These books help children make sense of their world.



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