Why I Love Lyrical Picture Books with Pat Zietlow Miller

May 17, 2021 Stefanie Hohl

We are so excited to have Pat Zietlow Miller join us today to share information about writing lyrical picture books!

Pat Zietlow Miller knew she wanted to be a writer ever since her seventh-grade English teacher read her paper about square-dancing skirts out loud in class and said: “This is the first time anything a student has written has given me chills.”

Pat started out as a newspaper reporter. Then, she joined an insurance company – and then another – and edited their newsletters and magazines.

Now, Pat focuses on writing picture books. She's sold 23 books – including the New York Times bestselling Be Kind and the Golden Kite winning Sophie’s Squash – and is always working on more.

Her two upcoming books are Be Strong, a follow-up to Be Kind, coming Aug. 10, and What Can You Do with a Rock? coming Oct. 12.

First, let me be clear. I love all types of picture books.

To me, one of the coolest aspects of picture books is how many ways there are to structure a 32- or 40-page book to tell an effective, engaging story. Picture books can be a cumulative story, a story told in dialogue, a story with contrasting views, a stream-of-consciousness story, a series of poems that tell a story, or a classic story featuring a main character with a problem to solve.

But, if you sit me down with a stack of picture books and ask me to choose my absolute favorites, it’s likely a lot of them would be lyrical picture books. Those are also the sort of books I find myself writing lately.

So … what IS a lyrical picture book?

To me, lyrical picture books are picture books that focus on:

The beauty of the language.
The strength of feeling that language evokes.

Let’s break these focuses down.

Beautiful language.

Words are my favorite thing to play with (except maybe kittens). When I write picture books, I spend so much time arranging them and changing them until they are in just the right order.

A truly lyrical picture book is one where the words are arranged to such perfection that you could read the text out loud, without even thinking about what the words mean, and still be struck by the beauty of the sound. Lyrical language has a poetic feel and rhythm – whether it rhymes or not.

I had a lot of fun working and reworking the words in one of my books, Remarkably You, a rhyming ode to celebrating all the qualities that make people special. I’m not saying I reached perfection, but one of my favorite parts is:

Like maybe you’re funny. Or bookish. Or fast.
Or maybe you’re always decidedly last.
Perhaps you like counting. Or drawing all day.
Or finding invisible dragons to slay.
You have your own spirit, unparalleled flair.
So rock what you’ve got – every day, everywhere.

Two books that are lyrical in entirely different ways are Blue on Blue by Dianne White and Beth Krommes and My Cold Plum, Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood by Tameka Fryer Brown and Shane W. Evans. Both are an absolute joy to read aloud due to their lovely language.

Strength of feeling.

Lyrical books can have a traditional plot, but sometimes, they’re more about an emotion – encouraging the reader to think about or feel something. And the emotion that’s generated – whether it’s hope, laughter, nostalgia, or love – is what makes readers come back to the book again and again.

For example, I wrote When You Are Brave as a pep talk to myself when I faced a setback. The message of needing to have faith and persevere drove the story instead of a particular plot. I also didn’t name any characters, and talked directly to the reader, saying:

Sometimes, when everything around you seems scary, you have to be brave …

Eliza Wheeler, the supremely talented artist who illustrated the book, added a plot about a child moving to a new house, but that’s only shown in the art and never mentioned in the text. I wanted the text to be universal, so anyone of any age needing bravery in any situation could relate.

Two recent books that evoke feelings well are Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin and A House that Once Was by Julie Fogliano and Lane Smith. Watercress is based on a childhood memory of Wang’s and is told in beautifully crafted prose. House is fictional and told in moving rhyme. But both make the reader feel.

So, if you want to write a lyrical picture book, find an emotion that tugs at your heart. Then, play with language till you’ve evoked it in the most beautiful possible way.

Thanks for joining us, Pat!

You can follow Pat on Twitter at @PatZMiller or visit www.patzietlowmiller.com

Writing Lyrical Picture Books with Michelle Vatulla

May 1, 2021 Stefanie Hohl

We are so excited to have Michelle Vatulla join us today to share information about writing lyrical picture books!

Michelle was born in Boston but spent most of her life in Erie, PA. After she received her Bachelor degree from Miami University of Ohio, she ventured back to Boston for her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Northeastern University. Michelle currently lives in the beautiful rolling hills of North Pittsburgh with her Finnish husband, two golden retrievers, and two beautiful boys who are her true inspiration for writing.

Michelle’s debut picture book, THE STALKING SEAGULLS, was released by MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing on April 20, 2021. Michelle is part of the Western Pennsylvania SCBWI leadership team as their New Member and Critique Group Coordinator. She is also a proud member of the Twitter group #Newin19. Michelle is represented by T.J. Kirsch from JCH Literary. She is open for interviews and virtual visits.

What do we think of when we hear the word lyrical? Most of us probably think of music, hence the name “lyric.” But how does that transform into picture book writing? Is it all about the language and how that language allows the reader to create a vivid world inside their mind? YES!

The words you choose when you write a lyrical picture book need to be vivid and “alive” in order to paint an internal image in the reader's mind. The more descriptive, the better. Great writing devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, and onomatopoeia help with imagery. The more action shown, the easier it is for the reader to make a connection with the story.

Using lyrical language follows one of the most important “rules” in picture book writing: show, don’t tell. According to reedsyblog, “show, don’t tell” is a writing technique in which story and characters are related through sensory details and actions, rather than exposition. It fosters a style of writing that’s more immersive for the reader, allowing them to “be in the room” with the characters.

Thus, showing is about using description and action to help the reader experience the story. Telling is when the author summarizes or uses exposition to simply tell the reader what is happening.

Now you would think that lyrical picture books are all rhyming, but they are a mix of prose rhyming stories and poetry. For example, Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon is a perfect example of a lyrical writing style in prose. In her story, to make the reader know that her Pa is tall and the girl is little, she writes, “Pa made a long shadow, but mine was short and round.” She also allows the reader to relate to coldness by saying, “I could feel the cold, as if someone’s icy hand was palm-down on my back. And my nose and the tops of my cheeks felt cold and hot at the same time.”

Language is vital to get the reader actively involved in a lyrical story. Having the right rhythm allows the reader to enjoy the patterns of the language and enjoy reading the book aloud over and over. Julia Donaldson has created beautiful, heart-warming stories for years, using perfect rhyme and meter coupled with descriptive language. In her story, The Snail and the Whale, Ms. Donaldson uses vivid verb choices to describe a scene with water: “These are the waves that arched and crashed, That foamed and frolicked and sprayed and splashed The tiny snail On the tail of the whale.”

Lyrical picture books can also relay emotional or sentimental lessons. Some great examples of beautiful lyrical picture books are by Pat Zietlow Miller. Her books When you are Brave and Be Kind allow readers to relate to everyday situations and solutions to tough day-to-day issues.

This type of genre can be so fun to write! I love writing in rhyme, so when I find the perfect cadence to a manuscript, it’s exhilarating, and, of course, so fun to read out loud. Do not be fooled by the wonderful lyrical/rhyming picture books out there. Writing a story that has perfect rhyme and meter, along with a great arc and satisfying ending, is very difficult to accomplish. Rhyming books can also be a hard sell to agents and publishers, especially if they are not considered “perfect.”

Lyrical stories that are read to us as children often stay with us throughout our lifetime. We then read them to our own children. Here are some examples of lyrical picture books, old and new, that will certainly withstand the test of time and will be enjoyed for generations to come.

SOMEONE BUILDS THE DREAM by Lisa Wheeler

REMARKABLY YOU by Pat Zietlow Miller

OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW by Kate Messner

OWL MOON by Jane Yolen

IF YOU WANT TO SEE A WHALE by Julie Fogliano

AND THEN IT’S SPRING by Julie Fogliano

GERALDINE by Elizabeth Lilly

STERLING, BEST DOG EVER by Aidan Cassie

THE LITTLE ISLAND by Margaret Wise Brown

https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/blogfish/its-all-about-lyrical-language-in-picture-books