MO Day #27 Danna Smith Discusses Board Books

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BOARD BOOKS, BABY! Little Books with Big Potential

by Danna Smith

I lived and breathed only picture books for most of my writing career, but that changed when my publisher, Clarion Books, released a Spanish/English board book edition of my picture book, Two at the Zoo/Dos en el Zoologico. With its release, I learned that board books are little books with big selling potential, but more importantly, they are the first "baby steps" into the world of reading. These chunky, colorful gems introduce kids to books and help create future readers and book lovers. And to me, that's priceless!

Let's identify techniques and approaches used by authors and illustrators in the successful board books below. All board books have two main elements in common, brevity and concept.

Brevity: When writing a board book, it's important to keep length in mind. Most original board books (not a board book edition of a picture book—these tend to be longer) have seven to eight double-page spreads (for a total of 14 to 16 pages).

Concept: Since board books are first books, they touch upon the most basic concepts for babies to three years old such as animals, playtime, opposites, shapes, vehicles, dressing, colors, counting, and more.

RHYMING BOARD BOOKS:

I can't say "board book" without saying Sandra Boynton's name. She is the master, in my book, of board books. Her silly, loveable animals in The Going to Bed Book do a jig, get ready for bed, snuggle, learn about emotions, and yep, even explore belly buttons!

Concept: Getting ready for bed and hygiene. Although many bedtime books are on the market, I have found they are still a hit with children and publishers alike.

Illustration style: Sandra uses silly anthropomorphic characters that all kids can relate to. She uses the same style for all her books, which gives them a unique, recognizable "brand."

Writing style: Simple rhyming couplets for most Boynton books. The author also uses playful songs and dance in many of her books, making them irresistible to littles everywhere!

Length: 14 pages

Age: 2-5

NOVELTY BOARD BOOKS:

Novelty Board Books have an interactive element of some kind, often making them a book and toy combination. The books can be shaped like the subject or have moving parts such as lift the flaps, turning wheels, sound buttons, handles, and in the example here, fun sliders to push or pull.

Benji Davies has created the interactive Bizzy Bear series of books where kids can drive an ambulance, visit a castle, take a trip under the sea, go to space, and other exciting adventures.

Concept: Adventure with moveable parts to push and pull.

Illustration style: Cheerful, detailed illustrations give little readers lots of things to spot on their adventures.

Writing style: A great concept is only the beginning. The story must be engaging to hook a publisher, even if the text is minimal. The addition of simple rhyming text (rather than prose) adds to the playfulness and read-out-loud ability.

Length: 10 pages (shorter than most board books, the sliding flaps add to the book's thickness).

Age: 2-5. It's essential to keep the concept in line with your reader's age range. If the concept is super simple for a very young reader, then a pull tab would not be the best novelty for the story since kids would not be able to play along or could damage the book.

SMART BABY BOARD BOOKS:

Parents love to introduce their little ones to advance concepts (Baby Einstein Books) and classic literature and poetry (BabyLit books). Baby Signs, by Joy Allen, is another excellent example of this kind of board book. The author/illustrator gives parents and kids an alternate way to communicate through sign language with 13 simple signs.

Concept: Language and communication.

Illustration style: Soft, sweet illustrations, colorful text blocks, and one character throughout.

Writing style: This book is more of a concept than a story. Simple words and easy-to-follow hand signal steps are featured through both text and pictures. The layout is key here for ease of learning. Your book designer will handle the layout, but you may want to tell your editor your concept idea, so it is understood. A simple illustration note will suffice (i.e., hand signals are shown in a few easy steps). If the concept is super complex and needs more explanation, you might want to create a sample book to explain (a dummy book made with folded paper).

Length: 16 pages

Age: 6 mo – 3 yrs

I hope these mentor texts will help you develop your skills. It's essential to study best-selling, classic, and current board books to gain insight into what's working and understand what subjects or techniques have or have not been explored. Wherever your board book journey takes you, your creations will be sure to elicit grabbing, chewing, giggling, and hugging from the tiniest book lovers!

Danna Smith is a poet and award-winning children's book author of over twenty titles. Her board books include Spanish/English bilingual Two at the Zoo/Does en el Zoological, Swallow the Leader (lap board book), Wake Up, Freight Train (Shaped board book, March 2022), The Thank You Book (Fall 2022), and Peek-a-Boo Haiku (Lift the Flap, Spring 2023). You can learn more about Danna's books and visit her poetry blog at https://linktr.ee/dannasmithbooks