Possible Idea For A Children's Picture Book- I Could Use Your Help!

[HollyandRosie]

Hello Everyone,
I hope this is alright for me to post, and is hopefully in the correct category as well!
I am planning on writing a children’s picture book (mostly aimed at children between ages 3 and 6 I believe) as part of my Extended Project Qualification, and seeing as though I am currently in my mid-to-late teens and am also the youngest in my family, I don’t have too much experience with younger children. Therefore, I was wondering if I could have some feedback from some of the experts on my proposition!
I would most likely want to base my book around a crew of young sea animals (e.g turtles, fish etc.) whose purpose is to help clear the oceans of litter.
A scenario for example, is that they have to help a fish who so happens to have a bottle caught on his nose.
Of course this would be portrayed in a much lighter context than any real life situation, along with a selection of rhyming couplets, repetition, and entertaining, easy-to-read verses.
(Now I understand what you must be thinking at this point, which is that the idea probably sounds absolutely absurd, however I believe that the project requires there to be a purpose behind the story itself, and was hoping that it could work as a reminder that we need to ‘Save The Seas!’)
I would fully illustrate the book and it’s characters, with the intention of them being a sort of superhero team who save the day.
I would hope that the message brought across by the book would be that plastic bottles etc. aren’t safe for sea creatures, as well as there being acts of kindness shown between the characters too.
Do you think that this would be something of interest to a young child, and if so, do you believe that the moral behind the story would be somewhat educational, even if only in the slightest bit?
I am only in the initial planning stages at the moment and therefore have ideas flying about all over the place, so apologies for the lack of current structure to my story!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to hearing from you all!

From memory, books aimed at that age range tend to have much less of an overt message (although they do involve friendship groups and everyone helping each other out). Have you done much reading of books in this age range - perhaps you could go to the library (when they re-open) and go through their selection? In my experience - as a parent, not an author/illustrator - it's much more about getting a bold and memorable graphic right - look up Captain Flynn and the Pirate Dinosaurs series, the Pirates Next Door, anything from Julia Donaldson, Babette Cole etc. Hope that helps.

If you have to have a purpose behind the story then that's the brief to which you are working.

as @everythingcrossed says, read lots of books to develop your critical voice, even if you don't have experience yourself.

don't forget the key elements even if you focus on the message. Including but not exclusively,

distance characters
plot
dialogue/the words
the pictures
characters interacting with each other.

children love humour.

There is more of a focus on diverse casts if you want to try and publish.

Good luck.

distance characters - distinct characters (to the extent you can in approximately 600 words in 32 pages).

Good luck.

For ages 3-6 (which is a wide age range) almost everything can be educational; from the character names and types to the clothes they wear and the environment they in. Don't forget that everything counts. For instance I remember books from when I was a small child (I'm now in my 40s) that described fruits and places (South America) that I'd no idea about otherwise. It informed my learning and gave me a foundation.

What I remember reading as a kid and responding to were both rhymes and beautiful imagery. I really loved beautiful pictures.

Name things believably. Make them recognisable through their names (the characters).

Simplify. There is beauty and wonder in simplicity. Kids respond to this. And so do adults. You don't need fancy words or ideas, what you need is feeling and substance.

Also remember the adult that will read this book to their young child. An adult will throw away or 'disappear' a book that is boring to read. You need to appeal to the adult as much as the child. A book that is just a lovely thing to read will be read with vigour and enthusiasm by the adult and adored by the child for this reason. I.e I remember and have bought copies of books, no longer in print, that were read to me as a child. This is important.

You want a moral message. Do NOT go down the US path (and I say this with some authority as someone with experience of reading lots of US kids' books) of forcing a moral to the tale. Kids aren't stupid. Assume they are clever. Assume they can understand and pick up on the subtle message and you can't go wrong.

Good luck!

You may have considered already, OP, but how long do you think it will take to illustrate the 32 (16 if double page) pages, once you've decided on the story and what each page will say beyond the text? Have you sketched a timeline back from your EPQ deadline?

Good luck.

The idea is not absurd at all. I work in children's publishing and there have been a few picture books published on this subject. They sell particularly well into the schools and libraries market. Good luck with your EPQ!

It tends to be 24 "useable" pages in the UK. That's 12 doubles.

The topic seems fine. The children will understand about littering.

Good luck.

OP watch a few episodes of the Octonauts, they aim at same target market to you and it’s sealife themed.

I would be very careful about moralising at young children. If you want to address problems of plastic waste then it’s adults you need to write for. Young children get lectured a lot about climate change, species going extinct, volanoes, earthquakes, bush fires, etc etc. It gives them nightmares and makes them feel powerless (which they are) and it does nothing to help solve the problems, it’s just a way for adults to feel they have helped by ‘raising awareness’ when actually it’s quite cruel to the children...

That sounds like a lovely book if it’s told in a child friendly way!

There are some books on littering already - I’ve not seen inside them but there’s one called somebody swallowed Stanley, and a book that seems to be for older kids called a planet full of plastic. Also, I think the book Barry the fish with fingers has a mention of litter? You could have a look at those to see how the topic is handled.

Good luck and keep us posted! I wish I had the creativity for a children’s book!