Picture Book Plots and Structure
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
When it comes to picture book plots, there are quite a few different considerations to keep in mind. Picture books might seem short and easy to write, but they do have their own picture book plots and structures. The more nuanced the architecture of the story, the stronger your chances of publishing it.
Picture Book Plots and Guidelines
First things first. Don't forget that for the majority of picture books, you will have 24, 32 or 40 pages to work with, with 32 being industry standard. You should subtract three or four pages for front matter such as copyright and title pages, which leaves you with roughly 28 usable pages for your material. (For your first outing, I really do suggest targeting 32 pages.)
As you plan your picture book plots, visualize yourself narrating the story by way of individual pages (one side of the book, like a "profile" view) or as two-page spreads (the whole book as a "landscape" view). How should you proceed? Forget about wasting time when crafting picture book plots. Get right into the story by starting off with action. Here is one of my favorite picture book plots to get you started: the Problem and Solution.
Basically, the protagonist is initially presented with a conflict or problem, then makes various attempts to address it, before ultimately achieving a resolution.
Starting on page 4, be prepared to introduce your main character.
On pages 5 and 6, you'll put forth the conflict that sets the scene—this is where you’ll cook up the heart of your picture book plots.
The stakes are raised on pages 7 and 8, as you learn why the character is fighting the conflict and what will happen if they don't get what they want.
As your picture book plots progress, things get more intense. Pages 9 to 18 chronicle the first two attempts to resolve the conflict, with the stakes gradually increasing.
On pages 19 to 26, you'll see the character's third and biggest attempt to come out on top and get their goal in your picture book plots.
On pages 27 to 29, it's crunch time—the climax, and success is hanging in the balance.
Finally, the resolution is found on pages 30 to 31 or 32, leaving you with a memorable final image that will stay with readers for a long time.
Take note: these page number recommendations are merely a suggestion as you chart out your ideas, not an absolute mandate. (More on picture book format.)
Wrapping Character Into Your Picture Book Plots
Once you have crafted a character with a clear goal in mind, and motivation that drives them to achieve it, you can spin this dynamic into various picture book plots. Consider the characterization details that you’re offering to readers for your protagonist. Don’t simply give us their favorite color and type of ice cream. Give them a strong goal to pursue, character objective is the primary driver of picture book plots like the Problem and Solution.
Fancy Nancy was not a character simply because she was fond of poodles, but because her single-minded mission in life was to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary—a feature that is bound to captivate readers.
Choose your character, then introduce a conflict that stands in opposition to who they are (or who they want to be). This creates more meaningful story tension, and further drives the protagonist to do what needs to be done. It also raises the stakes in your picture book plots, demonstrating the potentially catastrophic consequences of failure and reinforcing the importance of succeeding.
If readers are not able to understand the significance of the conflict to your character, your picture book plots will be rendered irrelevant. Build a sturdy foundation that connects the character and plot, and their efforts to address the struggle will be meaningful. This way, the classic Problem and Solution picture book format will be a great fit for you.
When constructing a children's book, be mindful of the picture book plots you’re using. Don’t give into the urge to preach or write overtly meaningful children’s books. Instead, empower your protagonist to take charge of the story and discover the resolution through their own attempts to work their way through your picture book plots.
If You’re Looking to Expand Your Understanding of Picture Book Plots
Eve Heidi Bine-Stock's How to Write a Children’s Picture Book, Volume 1 has some great ideas for picture book plots. Her wisdom and knowledge on the topic is truly commendable and investigating her writing is definitely worth it. Here are some broad strokes idea for what she identifies as the components of picture book plots:
Act I: the Start of the Story, approximately 20% of the narrative, or 5-7 pages.
Plot Twist I: a twist that marks the transition between the Beginning and Middle.
Act II: the Middle, the core of the story, making up approximately 60%.
Midpoint: a turning point which divides the story in half.
Plot Twist II: a turn of events which bridges the Middle and the Ending.
Act III: the Climax and Conclusion, with the resolution of the story, about 20% or 5-7 pages.
Exploring the symmetrical paradigm of picture book plots, Bine-Stock reveals some of the best classic examples that truly inspire writers to thoughtfully examine the divisions between the plot, twists, and midpoint which can then create an emotionally dynamic character and story arc.
No writing rule is without exception, and you are absolutely welcome to do some freewriting and break the rules, if you want. Narrative-style picture book plots may be the ideal choice for your idea, but they're certainly not the only option. Non-fiction picture books, on the other hand, are a unique entity, requiring that the narrative be tailored to the subject material.
Picture books for very young readers often follow certain picture book plots, with a high degree of repetition. Alphabet books are easily recognizable as they are organized in the same way we learned our ABCs. Concept books like Duck Rabbit by Amy Krause Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld sometimes have a Problem and Solution format, where a question is posed, and then several variations on the answer (or question) are given over and over. Nonetheless, there isn’t usually a resolution in these picture book plots.
The deeper you dig into all of the picture book plots and structures available to you, the more creative you can be in this fascinating category of children’s books.
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