Concept Books and Cake with Maria Oka
We are so excited to have Maria Oka join us today to share information about Concept Books.
Maria Oka is currently earning her MFA in writing for children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She knows about layered cakes mostly from her oldest daughter, who bakes them as often as she is allowed. She knows about picture books from SCBWI, VCFA, a lifetime of reading them, and ten years of trying to write them. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four daughters.
A good concept book is like a good cake. It has layers.
Okay, but first…what is a concept book? It’s a book that revolves around a concept rather than a traditional story arc. (Don’t misunderstand me! There should still be an arc. But it is usually subtler – the arc of a day, an emotional arc, etc.)
Concepts like…the Alphabet! Counting! Colors! Rhyming! Shapes!
But writer, be warned. If you want to write a concept book about one of the above, you need a fresh angle, and you need layers.
Let’s break down a few examples:
Colors
BABY BEAR SEES BLUE by Ashley Wolff
It’s about colors. And nature. And discovery. And bears. And a mother/child relationship. All five senses are touched on. And the story follows the arc of a day.
Counting
HOW TO TWO by David Soman
It’s about counting (both up and down). And a city playground. And friendship. And inclusion. And family. And independence.
Alphabet
Z IS FOR MOOSE by Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky
It’s about the alphabet. And a bumbling moose. And wanting to be seen. And friendship. And bonus: it’s metafiction!
Here are a few more examples to check out. Every one of them has a unique angle, and…you guessed it, layers!
Rhyming
NOTHING RHYMES WITH ORANGE by Adam Rex
RHYMING DUST BUNNIES by Jan Thomas
Shapes
ROUND IS A TORTILLA by Roseanne Greenfield Thong and John Parra
But concept books travel well beyond the ABCs and 123s. Concept books can introduce children to much deeper, harder-to-put-in-a-bucket concepts. Here are a few that do this exceptionally well:
EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho
FRY BREAD by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? by Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A PROBLEM? by Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom
Check these out from your library and chew on those delicious layers!
Want to write one yourself? Once you pinpoint a concept you’re passionate about, you’d be surprised at how readily layers show up. Remember to be thoughtful about it, and don’t be surprised if it takes many revisions to get it just right.
Now grab your whisk and get baking! (Erm…writing.)
Thanks so much for joining us, Maria!