A picture book is something we all know and love. As children, we all read the enchanting stories about Peter Rabbit, the Cat in the Hat and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and as adults, we love to read those same stories to our children. There is nothing quite like seeing a child’s reaction to the beautiful illustrations that we are lucky enough to find in picture books, both new and old.
But what is a picture book exactly?
To describe it in the simplest way, a picture book is usually a short story aimed at children, using vivid and imaginative illustrations to capture a child’s attention and intrigue. These picture books are often remembered well after childhood, which goes to show just how effective books can be to an impressionable child.
Sarah’s Children’s Books
Sarah has been drawing children’s picture books for the last 15 years. She has developed a wide range of distinct and varied styles, which allow her to create many different kinds of weird and wacky children’s books!
Here is a small collection of some books for young children, illustrated by Sarah.
I have an idea for a picture book, how can I bring it to life?
Every great picture book starts with a great story!
Whether it’s fun, silly or just a bit quirky, a story worth telling is a wonderful thing. We get lots of requests from people who have written a story for their friends or family, often parents who have written a story for their children.
These stories are sometimes based on real events, such as Holby the Beagle that was rescued from an animal shelter, or a more fictional story, such as Who has Dirty Feet? A story about a little girl who wakes up one morning with muddy footprints on her bed, and then goes around her farm asking the animals who has the dirty feet! The point is, any story that means something to you is always worth telling!
How do you go about creating the illustrations?
We work with all sorts of people to bring their stories to life, and here are some of the questions we ask ourselves before beginning work on any project!
- Can the story be broken down into simple sentences?
- What style will suit the story of this book?
- Does the story flow across the pages easily?
- Is each page going to capture the reader’s attention?
When starting a picture book, Sarah always reads the story in full a number of times to help her build up character ideas in her head. She then creates some rough sketches and we send them over to the author to ensure that they are happy with the development. We will also send you a detailed plan of the layout for your book, so you can get a good idea right from the start of how it will look!
What about printing?
I only want one book as a gift, can you do that for me?
Yep, I sure can! If you have written a story and you want to bring it to life and make it a treasured gift, I can help you with each step of the way. I will design and illustrate the book, then get 2 copies made for you to treasure.
How long will it take?
Every picture book is different. A number of factors dictate how long a book will take to produce, including the style chosen, the number of pages and the complexity of the illustrations.
On average, we find that an average book takes anywhere from 3-4 months to produce, from the initial drafts to the completed print files.
How do I get my picture book published?
This is a question we get asked a lot. From the many years of experience we have, our advice is to give publishers a physical copy of your finished book, otherwise, you may find it difficult to raise interest in your book.
If you have any questions about Children’s books, feel free to get in touch by clicking the button below.
