Writing Dailey

Children’s books fill an entire row of my living room bookshelf.

This shelf is jam-packed with my childhood books, resale shop finds, and new books I’ve purchased because they were too cute not to own. I tell myself I buy these books because I’m a weird and considerate aunt, but in reality, I buy these books for myself. Of course, I intend to share them with the children in my life and any future crawling critters, but for now, their delightful illustrations and smile-inducing words warm my heart from their spot on the shelf.  

I love all kinds of books—novels, coffee table tomes, manga and graphic novels, instructional books, self-help books, and antique books—but I think most of all, I love children’s picture books. Perhaps it’s because my divided heart struggled to choose between studying creative writing or illustration, and picture books combine these two passions—telling a story with words and visually bringing a story to life.

Library Days

As you may recall, I worked at my local public library for over a year, concluding that job experience last December, not long before Christmas.

While at the library, I was part of the children’s area staff, surrounded by a fantastic collection of picture books with entertaining, sweet, moving, smart tales and gorgeous and unique illustrations. I got to redo the spine labels on the entire Fables & Fairytales section and assist with creating a themes collection. During both projects, I discovered and rediscovered amazing children’s books—talk about a serotonin boost.

In this wing of the library, new picture books are added to the shelves several times a month. I relished looking through the recent acquisitions—in part, for research as an aunt who will not rest until she’s certain all nieces and nephews and children within her sphere are readers, but also because I enjoy adding to my collection and have authorly ambitions of one day creating my own children’s book or books.

Even though I keep up-to-date on new releases through online research and local bookstore perusing, I miss being at the library and seeing all the latest children’s books that come in regularly.

Authorly Ambitions

Prior to my library position, in 2021, I purchased an iPad and iPen and downloaded Procreate to practice making my own illustrations. This kind of motivation and preparation is a solid step in the right direction for achieving goals. However, the rub is that most, if not all, publishers won’t consider manuscripts accompanied by illustrations, preferring to match up authors and illustrators at their discretion.

I learned this helpful yet disappointing tidbit from author Julia Donaldson, who led an online course about crafting children’s picture books from inspiration to post-publication. That roadblock aside, I still dream of being a double threat in the picture-book world, bringing stories and creatures to life through words and sketches.

Two of the characters floating around in my head are Batticus Battdwarf, a small scholarly bat who educates readers on a variety of topics, and Arthur the Art Hanger, who is an unexpected source of artistic creativity in a community arts center (definitely inspired by my years at Crooked Tree Arts Center).

Bonne, Bene, Bueno is my idea for a three-part linguistic and educational series for toddlers that introduces readers to the French, Italian, and Spanish languages with appropriately selected animal guides leading the way. And I’d love to pen and illustrate an enemies-to-friends story about my niece and her dog titled Sonny and Shay.

Then there’s The Mones, a book for girls about lovely hormones, which would probably take shape as more of a graphic novel due to the subject matter and coinciding age range. I cannot take credit for this idea, though, as it was my boyfriend who thought it up and coined the potential title.

The End

All in all, I love children’s books and hope to someday author (and maybe illustrate) my own that will find their place on shelves. Beyond these rough ideas, I don’t know how each project will take shape or if they will even come to fruition by leaving the safety of my imagination and entering a world of paper, text, digital illustrations, possible rejection, and story hour or bedtime routines. If only my nieces experience them, that’ll be a win in my book.

But for now, before I get too far ahead of myself, dreaming up pretty pictures and witty words, I must focus on my novel. This fourth draft is going to be a doozie—time to get clacking on these keys.

Coming up next:

May – What I’ve Stolen as a Writer