After a busy afternoon, I went to the library to pick up a book on order. While I was looking around, I saw a special display with books about dogs. One children’s book caught my eye because I recognized the author, Mem Fox, and the illustrator, Mark Teague. I stopped to read their story, Cat Dog. It was short, simple and beautifully illustrated, and it made me smile. I checked it out along with the book I had come for.
I remember reading books by Mem Fox and Mark Teague to my kids when they were young. Great memories! We loved their stories. Mark Teague’s illustrations are hilarious and colorful. On my shelf, I have five children’s books by Mark Teague. Two are co-written by Audrey Wood. All were published by Scholastic as part of a reading program in elementary school that allowed kids to buy books.
Children’s books
I kept these books on my shelf long after my kids grew up. The illustrations are delightful, and the stories are fun. As I grabbed the books off the shelf the memories flooded back: “Oh yeah, I remember this,” and “I loved this story.” The books were keepers.
Fast forward
Fast forward many years. I added book design to my graphic design business. These children’s books are very helpful examples when I work with authors. I encourage authors to go their local library (or search Amazon) to find books in their genre. Research what authors and illustrators do.
A children’s book page count is typically thirty-two pages, including the title page. The title page teases the reader to turn the page with an opening illustration. Then, the reader sees the story in spreads—left and right facing pages. There are a lot of design decisions to make when designing a children’s book.
One decision is placement of text on the page. What about the space for the typography? The story could be on the opposite page or it can be in a “blank” un-busy area in the illustration. Authors should make the last page an excellent story closer. Or, the last page could be a dedication that includes the copyright info. Re-use one of the book illustrations to enhance the page.
I truly enjoyed reading Cat Dog. It was wonderful to stumble upon this book at the library. Thanks for the memories of reading to my kids. What books do you remember reading to your children?
