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I am the founder of Picture Book Month and it starts tomorrow, November 1. The website, PictureBookMonth.com, features essays from thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay is posted. This year’s Picture Book Month Champions are: Chris Barton, Aaron Becker, Kelly Bingham , Sophie Blackall, Arree Chung, Anna Dewdney, Johnette Downing, Ame Dyckman, Jill Esbaum, Carolyn Flores, Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Robin Preiss Glasser, Deborah Heiligman, Marla Frazee, Stefan Jolet, Kathleen Krull, Rene Colato Lainez, Loreen Leedy, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Brian Lies, Kelly J. Light, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Alexis O’Neill, Sandra Markle, Ann Whitford Paul, Aaron Reynolds, Judy Schachner, Linda Joy Singleton, and David Schwartz. Please join the celebration!
As you prepare for PiBoIdMo, think about the titles of your picture books. In a recent interview for California Kids! magazine, Patricia Newman asked me, “How do you come up with titles for your books?” This started me thinking in depth about picture book titles. What’s in a title? How important is a title to a book? Can a book be centered around its title?
As it turns out, titles are vital to a book’s success. Author Scott Westerfield says, “Titles name a book, and names are important. A good name can make or break you.”
Brandi Reissenweber of Gotham Writers “Ask the Writer” column says, “A title is a story’s first impression. People make a first impression with appearance, wardrobe, and body language. Stories do it with a title.”
Eric Ode says, “Dan, the Taxi Man began as nothing more than a title. And one of the books I have coming out next year began as a title.”
PiBoIdMo founder and picture book author Tara Lazar says, “Most of my books begin as titles. It’s just the way my mind works. I want a BAM! concept, something that really hits you, and I find that people get HIT best with a succinct, powerful title.”
Corey Rosen Schwartz says, “I have written several books around titles! Like Tara [Lazar], most of my books begin that way. Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears, for example, was just a title on my PiBoIdMo 2009 list.”
Character-Based Titles
Many picture books have character-driven titles. The character of the book IS the title. Do you have a book character that is so compelling that the character’s name should be the book’s title? Here are some examples:
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
Clever, Punny Titles
I am a big fan of clever, punny titles. In fact, several of my books have punny titles. Here are some examples that are just too clever for words… almost.
Crankenstein by Samantha Berger
The Monstore by Tara Lazar
Little Red Hot by Eric Kimmel
Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann
Epossumondas by Colleen Salley
Verbose Titles
I am generally a fan of the “less is more” title for a book but sometimes, a garrulous title is EXACTLY what the book calls for. Can you imagine these books with a short title?
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback (a folktale retelling)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
Plot-Based Titles
Some titles beckon you to open the book. These titles are based around the book’s plot. Yes, as short as a picture book is, it can still have a plot. In fact, these picture book plots were so inspiring that they were turned into Hollywood blockbuster movies!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
A Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story by Hudson Talbott
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Single-Word Titles
A picture book title can also be short and succinct, even one-word. These acclaimed picture books prove that a word is worth a thousand pictures.
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Blackout by John Rocco
Ninja! by Arree Chung
Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds
Hug by Jez Alborough
Aaron Zenz says, “Hiccupotamus started with the title. I really wouldn’t have had any desire to write a book about a bunch of jungle animals chasing around a disruptive hippo if not for the title. In my mind, the pun ‘Hiccupotamus’ is the most important thing about that particular book.”
As you create and engage your imagination this month, think about your picture book’s title. In what way can an engaging title enhance your picture book? How can you use the title to attract readers? Perhaps you can be the Author with the Terrific, Tremendous, Oh-So-Grand, Very Remarkable Title.
As you celebrate PiBoIdMo and Picture Book Month, read LOTS of picture books. Comment below and share with us your favorite picture book titles and why you think they are so splendiferous. Here’s to Picture Books! Read * Share * Celebrate!
Dianne de Las Casas is an award-winning author, storyteller, and founder of Picture Book Month. Her performances, dubbed “revved-up storytelling” are full of energetic audience participation. The author of 24 books, Dianne is the International Reading Association LEADER 2014 Poet Laureate, and the 2014 recipient of the Ann Martin Book Mark award. Her children’s titles include The Cajun Cornbread Boy, There’s a Dragon in the Library,The Little “Read” Hen, The House That Santa Built, and Cinderellaphant. Visit her website at diannedelascasas.com. Visit Picture Book Month at PictureBookMonth.com. Twitter & Instagram: @AuthorDianneDLC Picture Book Month Twitter: @PictureBkMonth Facebook: fanofdianne and PictureBookMonth. Dianne is the proud mom of 14-year-old culinary celebrity, Kid Chef Eliana.
10 Comments on Pre-PiBo Day 6: Dianne de Las Casas and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Title, last added: 10/31/2014
sometimes the idea I jot down in my PiBo notebook is a title…. other times finding a title is like pulling teeth from a fossilized dragon. Great post from a person who knows titles! thanks Dianne.
lmconnors said, on 10/31/2014 5:10:00 AM
Lisa Connors
I love playing with words for titles! I’m going to read this post AGAIN! just like Emily Gravitt’s little dragon. Thanks.
Heather Thurmeier said, on 10/31/2014 5:14:00 AM
Titles are definitely important for all books, but especially ones that are going to attract our young audience!
Cindy S said, on 10/31/2014 5:14:00 AM
One of my favorites is Mem Fox’s ‘Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge’
You just have to love this kid!
Becky P. Hurd said, on 10/31/2014 5:36:00 AM
I’ve definitely written books based solely on the title and this article gave me great ideas on ways to snatch the reader’s attention with just the title, long or short. :)
Jim Chaize said, on 10/31/2014 5:40:00 AM
I have a fuller understanding of the importance of PB titles. I have never started a story by having an idea for a title. Maybe it will happen during the next 30 days.
Genevieve Petrillo said, on 10/31/2014 5:41:00 AM
I love how the types of titles can be categorized like that. Who knew? I’m not sure which kind I like best. I’m also not sure which kind I write most often. Food for thought…
Barbara Cairns said, on 10/31/2014 5:41:00 AM
Thanks, Dianne for reminding us about the importance of good… er… great titles. And thanks, too, for starting Picture Book Month!
Kimberly Sebastian said, on 10/31/2014 5:49:00 AM
Thanks for this post! When I reach my first “stuck” day in PiBoIdMo, I will turn to this post and challenge myself to develop a title in each category!
Debra Shumaker said, on 10/31/2014 5:56:00 AM
Titles frequently come to me first as well. Great post.
Many picture books these days are considered "character-driven," focused on a loveable character who is introduced to readers and then usually shows up in a subsequent series of books. Olivia, Fancy Nancy, and Ladybug Girl are a few you might be familiar with. In fact, all three of these characters are so popular that they each have an entire website devoted just to them. Wow!
It turns out that some dance books are also character-driven and have turned into a series. For instance, the very first blog post I ever wrote was called Have You Met Katy Duck? It introduced readers to a dancing duck named Katy who has appeared in board books, a picture book, and most recently an easy reader. Katy seems to be dancing so much that I should probably find out what she's been up to and write another post about her soon. But until then...
All of this has me thinking that it would be fun to develop an informal blog series to introduce more picture book characters who dance. I don't think it will be a regular series, but as the muse hits me and as I learn more about other characters, I'll add to the series.
Are there any characters you think I should highlight? I already have a few in mind, but I'm sure there are more that I don't know about yet. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
4 Comments on A New Blog Series: Have You Met..., last added: 5/24/2012
Hi, Catherine. Glad you like the idea! My mind is blank much more of the time than I would like it to be these days, so no worries! Thanks for the support :)
Video courtesy of HarperKids: ”Fancy Nancy and her friend Bree adore exploring so much they started the Explorer Extraordinaire Club. Now you can earn a membership card by finding hidden items across the world of Fancy Nancy!
Explore Nancy’s bedroom, the Ooh La La Beauty Spa, the butterfly garden, the front yard and Nancy and Bree’s clubhouse. With over 50 items to find and hiding places that change each time you play, it’s a new explorer mission every time!
If you haven’t had the chance to check out the Fancy Nancy website, you must head over there now and take a look! First, sign up for the Fancy Nancy: Bonjour! E-newsletter:
Kids can read in the traditional way with “page turns” and either they can read to themselves or be read aloud to by a parent or caregiver. There’s also a “read to me” feature with a pre-recorded voice. And now, with the new interactive ability, there’s some animation and activities – while still staying true and respectful to the book’s original art and intent, we think (yes, we were skeptical at first too). But LITTLE WHITE RABBIT is darling when he hops. SPLAT THE CAT hides under his bedsheets, peeking out periodically, making us giggle. FANCY NANCY allows the reader to create and draw and interact. It’s pretty darn cool.
Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases, the bestsellers, and kids’ book events.
There are two new Christmas books which I have read and recommend: Auntie Claus: Home for the Holidays and Fancy Nancy: Splenderific Christmas.
Auntie Claus captures the magic of Christmas in New York City. The illustrations are as if a window display at Macy's came to life! My favorite line in the book is: "Red is the new black!" You'll especially love this story if you have ever been to New York City.
Here's a description of the book from Amazon: Sophie Kringle had always dreamed of being the Sugar Plum Fairy in the school play. After all, Sophie is a Kringle. Her family lives at the Bing Cherry Hotel, and her favorite aunt, Auntie Claus, serves Christmas cookies at teatime -- even in July. When Auntie Claus hears that Sophie will make her debut in the school play, she decides to have her cake and eat it too -- this year Auntie Claus will be home for the holidays and the North Pole will move south to New York! Finally getting to see the tree at Rockefeller Center, the department store windows, and the 57th Street Snowflake with Auntie Claus -- Sophie will have a Christmas that she never could have imagined!
The other book is from the super popular Fancy Nancy series. It's called Fancy Nancy: Splenderific Christmas and here's the story description: What could be fancier than Christmas? Presents with elegant wrapping paper, festive decorations, Christmas cookies with sprinkles—and who could forget the tree? After all, there is no such thing as too much tinsel. Ooh la la! This year, Nancy is especially excited about decorating the Christmas tree. She bought a brand-new sparkly tree topper with her own money and has been waiting for Christmas to come. But when things don't turn out the way Nancy planned, will Christmas still be splendiferous? In this merriest of stories from bestselling duo Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, Nancy proves once again that a little fancying up can go a long, festive way!
Jane so beautifully includes gigantic (that's a fancy word for big) words in the story to stretch kids' vocabulary in a fun way that blends easily with the character's personality. Fancy Nancy is very infectious. My favorite fancy word in this book is compromise which Fancy Nancy explains means what mom wants.
A little sidenote: The author of Fancy Nancy is Jane O'Connor, and Jane is my editor for the Night Before series.
Click on the headline link above for other recommended holiday stories and gift ideas at Cookie Monkey Books.
0 Comments on Recommended Christmas Books as of 1/1/1900
Check out this interview from WABC-TV featuring three authors who share tips for getting kids to read over the summer. Picture book author Jane O'Connor (Fancy Nancy), middle-grade author MAC (Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink) , and YA author Scott Westerfeld (Uglies) are interviewed.
My favorite tip came from MAC, a new author who recently sold out of her debut novel at its sneak preview during NY Comic Con, who advises parents to run over the video game console with the vacuum cleaner. Here's her book cover.
Here in the United States, most eyes are on New Hampshire today, as Democrats and Republicans head to the polls to decide their Party’s candidate for the 2008 presidential race. Further South in New York however, where it’s currently a very sunny 59 degrees Fahrenheit, I find my mind has wandered out west, to Mojave, California. (more…)
by 
sometimes the idea I jot down in my PiBo notebook is a title…. other times finding a title is like pulling teeth from a fossilized dragon. Great post from a person who knows titles! thanks Dianne.
Lisa Connors
I love playing with words for titles! I’m going to read this post AGAIN! just like Emily Gravitt’s little dragon. Thanks.
Titles are definitely important for all books, but especially ones that are going to attract our young audience!
One of my favorites is Mem Fox’s ‘Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge’
You just have to love this kid!
I’ve definitely written books based solely on the title and this article gave me great ideas on ways to snatch the reader’s attention with just the title, long or short. :)
I have a fuller understanding of the importance of PB titles. I have never started a story by having an idea for a title. Maybe it will happen during the next 30 days.
I love how the types of titles can be categorized like that. Who knew? I’m not sure which kind I like best. I’m also not sure which kind I write most often. Food for thought…
Thanks, Dianne for reminding us about the importance of good… er… great titles. And thanks, too, for starting Picture Book Month!
Thanks for this post! When I reach my first “stuck” day in PiBoIdMo, I will turn to this post and challenge myself to develop a title in each category!
Titles frequently come to me first as well. Great post.