We are so excited to have Elanna Allen join us today to share information about surprise ending picture books!
There is nothing I love more than being surprised by the ending of a story. Books like I WANT MY HAT BACK and THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THE BOOK are great examples. My book POOR LITTLE GUY also packs a real wallop at the end. The ability to misdirect the expectations of your audience, and then deliver something fresh on the last page is my ultimate writing goal.
I have spent a long time reading, studying, and reverse engineering the recipe for a surprise ending in order to write POOR LITTLE GUY. I am very happy to share all of those ingredients with you here. But a bit about me, before I spill the beans.
ABOUT ME
I’ve written or illustrated 12 children’s books, and a designed or directed many animated children’s television shows. Here are some of the books I have written or illustrated:
And here are some of the shows I have designed:
My book, ITSY MITSY RUNS AWAY, is now an animated series of shorts on Amazon Kids +.
THE ‘SURPRISE!’ RECIPE
Are you ready to learn the secret recipe in my surprising “surprise!” sauce? Here it is:
Come up with a simple PROBLEM.
HINT at the ending.
(don’t say it. Make it subtle. Something in the pictures, for example, but not in the words. Make your reader think they’ve figured it out themselves.)
3. Drop a STRONGER HINT at how it will end.
4. Now make your reader DOUBT themselves. Maybe they got it wrong? Keep them guessing. Toy with them.
5. Make it REALLY OBVIOUS how it will end
(Now your reader will be smug – they knew it all along!
6. In the end, DO THE OPPOSITE!
Snicker to yourself. Feel self-satisfied.
Let me show you how this plays out in POOR LITTLE GUY:
Right on the cover, I tell you THE PROBLEM – this fish is going to be eaten:
2. HINT AT THE ENDING:
Even the end papers make it clear: yes, this fish is going to be eaten.
Now the story starts. The first pages show a nervous fish, swimming in the ocean.
The next pages show a larger creature watching him. Clearly, he’s going to be eaten.
3. Drop a STRONG HINT at how it will end.
Here we see a predator reach for the fish…
…and grab him! This obnoxious octopus is a bully. This fish is the victim. Obviously!
4. Now, make the reader doubt themselves
On the next page, we meet the octopus. He seems like a nice guy in search of friends!!
Or is he?
5. Make it really clear how this story will end
On this spread, I make it super duper clear that the fish WILL be eaten.
6. Now DO THE OPPOSITE of what is expected! SURPRISE!!
The fishy is a blow fish! Not so delicious!
7. Feel self satisfied and smug
Turns out, the POOR LITTLE GUY is the octopus!! Ha!
And that, my friends, is how you build yourself a surprise ending book. Have you taken a crack at it? Send them my way! I’d love to see what you’ve done.