While I was away…

Posted on By csoundar

I have been working on middle-grade stuff and chapter books for the last few months. I have been tweaking and revising my picture books. But all the new ideas are still waiting for PiBoIdMo 2012 and I haven’t started a new project yet.

I have been reading a lot of chapter books too. Because I need to find out more about what’s out there, but also because I am on a course with Andy Stanton.

While I was away, look what has happened to the picture book world. Some delicious, funny, magical picture books are out just in time for half-term. What a treat! Hmm, they are not available on kindle. Do I dare buy more hardback Picture Books and find some space in my bookshelves?

I wish I was a little girl again and my father wins the lottery and buys every picture book I asked for. I wish I was the librarian in a fully funded council where every new picture book is welcomed with author visits, readings and celebrations. I wish I had a mansion with the biggest room dedicated for picture books.

But I am not all that. I am a writer and I wish I could write like this.

Here are some gems I found today

Jack and Nancy by Quentin Blake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and a fun book filled with poems that will inspire days out in the countryside, and a scrapbook at the same time.

Where The Wellies Take Me from the Morpugos

 

This Week’s Picture Book – Iris and Isaac by Catherine Rayner

Posted on By csoundar

This is my  second book written by Catherine Rayner. It is beautifully illustrated and tells a wonderful story in a few words.

As a writer, who cannot draw, I look at this book enviously. This is a book that can be written only by a illustrator-writer. It is a concept fully developed and executed with simplicity.

The book talks about how friends can fight and break up – but they miss each other. We have a lot of polar bear stories – this one is definitely one of my favourite ones.

For one, I love the names of the characters.
Then the simple illustrations, that draw us to the two bears.
A simple plot for young children.

It is also a harder concept to teach very young children. The younger ones might just read this or listen to this for the pleasure of the illustrations. It would strike a cord with  kids with siblings.

A universal theme, familiar animals, brilliant illustrations – a joy to read.

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Find Chitra Soundar’s Books at www.chitrasoundar.com

www.chitrasoundar.com

This Week’s Picture Book: Ernest by Catherine Rayner

Posted on By csoundar

I always enjoy reading book about books. It kind of breaks the myth – treats the book out of its original role. It makes the book participate in the reading of the story.

Usually stories are written in books. The book itself is just a vehicle. But when you start reading about books, about that specific book in the book, then it is as if the author is using the book as a character. The child can no longer ignore the book itself. The child then wants to turn the pages, look at the cover, touch the title, look for hidden clues. The experience becomes more tactile.

Echoing David Fickling’s words in a recent talk I attended – books are to be touched. Yes, I have the kindle software on my tablet and yes I buy books on Kindle – but somehow it doesn’t give me the satisfaction of flipping the pages,  folding a page in to mark my position, finishing it and reading about the author.

Kindle is like fast-food to me. Convenient, easy to carry around. Easy to store. But what is more sexy – having a book-case full of interesting books or a drab-looking grey coloured plastic thing that presumably has 200 books in it. You cannot find out about a person from their kindle. Well, perhaps yet another way of society hiding behind technology.

I digress. I have meandered on to a different topic reserved for another day.

Coming back to Ernest- he is a moose.

So what?

He is different – there are so many books about bears, monkeys and pigs in the UK. Perhaps more Moose stories in the United States. I am not sure. But for the average UK child, Moose is a new animal.
Did you know it is big?

Read Ernest and you will find out.

Does he have a friend?

Of course he does. But his friend is different from him.

In this case, the friend solves the problem – not sure how that sits with regular rule of “let the protagonist solve the problem.” But then Catherine Rayner is a big name and surely some rules are allowed to be broken.

Then of course, together they solve Ernest’s problem. How does it relate to a book? Well, you have to read and find out.

But it is a fun picture book with  novelty added – like some paper art. The illustrations are gorgeous. And the Moose is happy in the end.

Very few words, showcasing the illustrations more. The story is fully in the pictures.

Kids would love to do some paper craft work,  after they read this book.

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Visit www.chitrasoundar.com for Chitra Soundar’s Books

www.chitrasoundar.com

This week’s Picture Book – The Growing Story

Posted on By csoundar
Published in 2007, The Growing Story has a timeless quality to it. It tells the story of every boy who wants to grow up. Fast.
The story in simple words doesn’t even name the character. He is just a boy. The boy who reads the book with his parents at night. Or the boy who runs around the school yard or the boy who wishes to grow taller every night, at least a little bit.
The seasons change imperceptibly and the story moves without the boy noticing. Has he grown? Of course he has. How does he find out?
How else does every boy find out he has grown a bit more – his clothes have become shorter. Or perhaps, maybe perhaps, he has grown a bit taller.
The words and the pictures are absolutely great and it was a book that perhaps reads so effortlessly, that I know as a writer, must have taken mountains of work. 
For every boy who is in a hurry to grow up.  

Find out about Chitra Soundar at www.chitrasoundar.com

www.chitrasoundar.com

This Week’s Picture Book – Sir Charlie

Posted on By csoundar


Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Tale of the Terrible Secret


Sir Charlie features in a series of picture books produced by Egmont. It was a recommended read by the editor who worked on  it as an example of character-based picture books. One of the reasons this book was suggested to me was to explain the trend of commercial picture book markets from many angles.


a) In this case, it is created by an author-illustrator. I do come across 2 out of 10 publishers preferring this route.


b) The character is quirky, funny and has certain traits that can be carried into multiple books.


c) If a child enjoys a character, you have enough to provide more books in that series.


d) Commercially, it is more viable to spend money on a picture book series – for marketing, publicity and brand value. It is harder to promote single picture books.


I did like Sir Charlie and I think his other adventures would go down very well too.


So what did I learn then for my own writing? Nothing new, but the teachings from various workshops re-affirmed.


a) Always start with a good character and put them in difficult situations


b) Humour is important for picture books


c) Likeable character, something we want to root for


d) The character should be well-rounded and flawed so we can create more problems for him (or her).


I have 5 completed picture books in my virtual drawer. I have 3 published. 1 to be published. And I realise I have not followed those rules for all except 1. Focussing on the character and creating more stories around them is harder than you think.


Whether it is young picture book series based on well-known famous characters like Spot or slightly older ones with loads of text like Sir Charlie, I think there is a market out there for good characters our children can relate to.


What do you think? Do you have views on series characters for picture books? Share your thoughts with me.


www.chitrasoundar.com
www.chitrasoundar.com