Erin Dealey

Welcome to the first blog post from the new — nine months old — reader-in-training in our family.

Today’s topic is (drum roll, please…) board books –reading, chewing, and writing them.

As an author I can tell you board books are a hard genre to crack, and this post is partly about why. I admit having made the erroneous call at one point in my career that my manuscript was so short, it must be a board book but, alas. No.

What I have learned since then is that most titles in this genre were not specifically submitted as board books. Also, board books are expensive to produce while at the same time, must be sold at a reasonable price. So publishers have to feel confident that they will be able to sell a LOT of them, which means printing a LOT of them –right off the bat. More about that below.

But what about the actual little readers-in-training? What do they like?

I thought it would be good to ask an expert.

Meet my grandson, E.

As you might guess, we’ve been reading a lot of board books lately. E’s mom and dad and both sets of grandparents are avid readers, so his bookshelves are filling up quickly. And I am happy to report that, while the toys are gathering rapidly too, E will often pull out a book from his “toy box” instead.

The pic above shows one of his current favs, Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? pulled from said box. It just celebrated 25 years in print, so my guess is this one was passed down from cousin to cousin.Which brings us to…

E’s very first book reviews:

The Books from E’s Box

1. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz (Little Simon).

As far as I can tell, E’s choice is not based on the lift-a-flap surprises, as the bookseller might think. Nor is it due to the word belly button, the mention of which is usually followed by a gentle poke to his tummy. Note: If he were ticklish, this might be more of a draw.

In all honesty, we usually skip over a lot of the text and just point out baby’s eyes, nose, etc. My guess is this choice is a favorite of our nine-month-old because there are a lot of faces of babies in it. Period. Interesting to note that these days, he prefers it to one of his first board books with the photographs of actual babies.

Kidlit creators, take note: Karen Katz is the author/illustrator. This is often the case with lift-the-flap books. The book above with the photographs is an example of those very simple concept books –usually created by publishers with no outside help. (Sometimes they hire authors to write them based on certain specifications.)

2. BIG and LITTLE, A Book of Opposites, by Amy Pixton, a mother of triplets, who “created Indestructibles after bits of traditional board books found their way into her babies’ mouths.” Illus. Carolina Búazio (Workman Publishing)

E’s second choice for books in his box is actually the opposite of a board book. It is designed to be “Chew Proof · Rip Proof · Nontoxic · 100% Washable and chewed (non-toxic materials). E likes to turn the pages and the big people let him because there is no fear of E ripping the page. (Speaking of which, RIP –no pun intented– to the cover of Richard Scarry’s 100 First Words/Las primeras 100 palabras de Richard Scarry. And yes, the kittens & bunnies are still a hit without the cover.)

Kidlit creators: We don’t skip the brief text of BIG and LITTLE comparisons. As you can tell, it gets pulled out of the box a lot.

The Books from E’s Shelf

There are more books in E’s room and these are some of the current favs for before-nap or bedtime.

3. Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney (Viking Books for Young Readers)

Yes, this book was given to E because –hello–it’s about Little E saving the day. One might assume E loves this because of his obsession with vehicles. Nope. Nine months is more about chewing the the cover, but maybe someday…

Kidlit creators: This board book began as a picture book. Many of them do.

4. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen, Illus. Mark Teague ( The Blue Sky Press)

THIS is one of my personal favs right now. Seriously. So clever. Between Jane Yolen’s short rhymes with unexpected but perfect perspectives, and Mark Teague’s illustrations, I will read that book to the end even if E is scrambling to get down and practice his new-found skill of crawling.

5. El Ratoncito, La Fresa Roja Y Madura Y El Gran Oso Hambriento: (Spanish/English edition) The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey & Don Wood (Clarion).

E’s mom likes to read this one to him en español, but the story is fun in either language. I’m a big Audrey & Don Wood fan (The Napping House, Quick As A Cricket) but I had not read this board book until E came along. I feel like I judged it by its title and passed it over many times. This one is definitely fun to read and E likes finding the mouse and the bear.

6. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney (Viking Books for Young Readers)

I love Anna Dewdney’s early books but, because of the age of board book “readers,” I honestly think this story is best as a picture book. ( I also love it as a rap by Ludicris.) The book’s width seems to be for larger hands than a nine-month-old. I feel like this one will come back around in a later review.

Kidlit creators: Many board books are spin-offs from popular brands or TV shows, movies, or other well-known intellectual properties. Publishers know (or beleive) these books will sell just by the cover with the brand well-placed. And for the most part, they do. Anna Dewdney’s (1965-2016) lovable Llama Llama legacy lives on through her Anna E. Dewdney Literary Trust.

7. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, Illus.Jane Chapman (Little Simon).

I wish you could hear E’s Daddy read this to him. It is the BEST, for so many reasons. Such a fun read-aloud. The illustrations keep us moving through the book. E will sit through the entire story. I can envision this one being an “again” book, once E starts talking.

8. JAMBERRY by Bruce Degan (Harper Collins)

Hands down, the family favorite right now. Fresh, catchy rhymes make it such a fun read-aloud. And E loves finding the boy and the bear. Short and sweet and E will sit through it even when he doesn’t think he needs a nap–haha. Win-win! This is already an “again?” book for me.

Kidlit Creators: Bruce Degan (1945-2024) also illustrated The Magic School Bus series.

That’s it from our reader-in-training right now.

Final note for the #kidlit creators out there: focus on writing the BEST picture book. Make every word count. Don’t try to write in rhyme unless –truly, realistically, unavoidably– your strength is rhyming. Use current pbs as mentor texts. Let your manuscript sit for a while and then re-read it (and revise) before you submit. Join SCBWI. Find a critique group. Most importantly, never give up!

Next up on the blog:

We chat with Kelly Rice Schmitt about her new nonfiction pb, I Fly, An Airplane’s Fantastic Flight 

Illus. Jam Dong (Lerner)

Meanwhile, Happy Reading to ALL –big or small.