Writing on Important Moments and Milestones for Children with Mariam Gates

We are so excited to have Mariam Gates join us today to share information about Milestones Picture Books!


Mariam Gates, M.Ed is the bestselling author of the Good Night Yoga series and many more books for young people. She has a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and years of experience in the classroom as a Mindfulness Educator and Special Education Teacher. Mariam and her work have been featured in numerous publications to include Parents, Time for KiDS, and New York Magazine as well as teacher, parent and kid lit blogs. As a Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness expert, she teaches children and adults at workshops and conferences around the country. She also teaches weekly at public schools in Northern California. Her forthcoming (9th) book OLIVE ALL AT ONCE (Sounds True, September 2024) follows the titular character as she navigates the many (and sometimes contradictory) ways she feels about significant events in her life (the first day of school, a friend’s birthday party, being with her baby sister, and more.) As Olive sorts through her sometimes mixed-up feelings she teaches young readers that it’s okay, and part of being human, to feel many different ways---all at once.


As a children’s book writer, I am always looking for and receiving inspiration. To me, almost anything has the potential to be a story. (If I see Girl Scouts selling cookies, I start imagining a cookie that gets sent around the world delivered by a little chipmunk postman or a cookie competition between a group of friends that goes somehow awry). For those of you who are writers, you may relate to that moment of hearing a turn of phrase, or seeing an image and getting that feeling that this could be something. Of course, some of those pan out and others don’t (like the aforementioned cookie ideas) but the ones I find most compelling are those that feel like a window into the rich inner lives of children.

During the pandemic, and for quite a bit afterward, I was struck by the ways in which many children had a mixed experience of the world being shut down around them. Of course, for so many it was incredibly challenging, but for others, having that much time at home with their families was not all negative. It made me start to think about the ways in which, even in less extreme times, in many of the important moments and milestones in our lives, we do not feel just one way.

As adults, we know that taking a child to kindergarten (or off to college) is a combination of joy and sadness. We know we can feel both fulfillment and loss a the same time. We even have relationships that we appreciate and also struggle with, and the list goes on. I started being more aware of how true this is for children. But what also felt clear is that we don’t often reflect to them that having ‘mixed feelings’ and holding the contradictions of life is a part of being human. Instead we want them to feel ‘happy’ on the first day of school, when they get a new sibling, or attend a birthday party. I wanted to create a book where the protagonist was able to explain feeling ‘more than one way’ at a time. I wanted to celebrate the importance and humanity of that.

The question was, how to do it? I knew Olive, in Olive All At Once, was going to go through the first day of school, a new sibling, a birthday party, and grandparents visiting and do it all with the accompanying complex feelings each of those events brings. But that still felt hard to show. What really helped me was when I found a way to have her have agency in all of it. In Olive All At Once, the narrator is in a dialogue with Olive. Olive is the one explaining that she does not feel just one way while the unseen narrator is trying to tell a more traditional (and predictable) story. Giving Olive the ability to ‘correct’ the narrator throughout made the story, and her character, really come alive for me. She was the one who knew how full her range of feelings could be. She was the one teaching that to the narrator, and then to the reader. 

I am thrilled with how Olive All At Once turned out and as with all of my books, I hope it helps kids feel more welcome and more a part of this big world. 


 Thanks so much for joining us, Mariam! 

You can find Mariam on her website at mariamgates.com or Instagram @mariam.gates.

2024 Picture Book Writing Challenge

Our 2023 Picture Book Writing Challenge was a great success! About 35 of you participated as we tried new genres, flexed our creative muscles, and grew as writers! I ended up writing nine of the ten genres, plus three other picture books. Even if none of these books ever get published, I love trying new things, challenging myself creatively, and getting stories down on paper. I 100% believe it’s worth every minute!

Who’s in for 2024? We’ve already covered the main picture book genres, so we’ll be digging a little deeper to explore some new, fascinating topics. Remember, anyone can join the challenge—and no one needs to read what you write! We’ve designed this experience to inspire you to learn and grow as a writer and creator, not to pressure you for results. 

How it Works: 

  1. Register by commenting on this blog post. 

  2. Read the blog posts posted throughout the month for inspiration: an intro to the genre, ten favorite picture books in that genre, and author blog posts.

  3. Write a picture book manuscript in the prescribed genre! 

Remember—the Picture Book Writing Challenge is designed as a personal challenge for yourself—no critiquing or sharing manuscripts is needed!

Let the World Know:

Save this image and post to your social media—let the world know you are participating! Tag me at @stefaniehohl so I can like and share your post!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… Here’s the 2024 Picture Book Writing Challenge genre list!

Can’t wait to have you join us! Happy writing!

Constructing a Cumulative Story with Sandy Asher

We are so excited to have Sandy Asher join us today to share information about Cumulative Books!


SANDY ASHER has published over two dozen books for young readers, including the acclaimed picture books Too Many Frogs! and Chicken Story Time, along with hundreds of stories, poems, and articles in Highlights for Children, Ladybug, Hello, and Spider, among others. She's also edited several anthologies. With All My Heart, With All My Mind: 13 Stories About Growing Up Jewish won the National Jewish Book Award for children's literature. Writing It Right: How Published Children's Authors Revise and Sell Their Stories provides a unique look at the revision process of 20+ authors. Sandy has also adapted many of her books for the stage, including Chicken Story Time. The American Alliance for Theatre and Education has honored her with three Distinguished Play Awards (for A Woman Called Truth, In the Garden of the Selfish Giant, and Jesse and Grace: A Best Friends Story), as well as the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award and the Sara Spencer Artistic Achievement Award for lifetime contributions to the field.  


THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT -- AND YOU CAN, TOO!

Constructing a Cumulative Story

by Sandy Asher

Here's how to build a cumulative story.

Lay out a floor plan of repetition

that will help you build your cumulative story.

Add your images, quirky and strong,

that furnish a floor plan of repetition

that will help you build your cumulative story.

Upholster with fabric: a lively rhythm

that covers your images, quirky and strong,

that furnish a floor plan of repetition

that will help you build your cumulative story.

Choose your decor: surprise and humor

that suits the fabric: a lively rhythm

that covers your images, quirky and strong,

that furnish a floor plan of repetition

that will help you build your cumulative story.

Complete with a roof of meaning or theme

that shelters your decor: surprise and humor

that suits the fabric: a lively rhythm

that covers the images, quirky and strong,

that furnish a floor plan of repetition

that will help you build your cumulative story.

Good luck!

That bit of advice is inspired, of course, by the classic cumulative story, THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT.  

Note the building blocks: repetition, strong images, lively rhythm, surprise and humor, and meaning or theme.  Look for them in the final verse of "Jack":

This is the farmer sowing his corn
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built!

Sources say this may be the original cumulative story, dating back (roughly) to the 16th century. What does it mean? Maybe back then something we no longer recognize. Or maybe the goal was simply to paint a topsy-turvy village in a few bold strokes. Or maybe it's just meant to celebrate clever use of language. Whatever the original intent, it remains fun to read and has inspired countless variations, including the equally well-known THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY, interpreted and reinterpreted by many authors and illustrators.

You'll note that rhyme isn't included among my building blocks. Rhyme is nice if you can manage it, but it’s not always possible or needed. Focus on the essentials, and you're well on your way. The variations are endless. Wikipedia defines cumulative stories simply as those in which "action or dialogue repeats and builds up in some way as the tale progresses."

My own CHICKEN STORY TIME, illustrated by Mark Fearing, uses the basic building blocks.  

As with "Jack" and "the Old Lady," there's constant repetition, but, in this case, the repetitions don't fold back on themselves.  They move the story forward: "Story time at the library.  One librarian.  One story.  Children.  And a chicken."  

There's a steady build:  "One week later.  Story time at the library.  One librarian.  One story.  More children.  More chickens." 

Weeks pass until there are so many children and chickens, the librarian is overwhelmed.  But she's resourceful (pun intended) and gives each child a book to read to small groups of chickens. 

I found it helpful to work backward.  I thought about everything I wanted in the finale, then eased my way toward it. I knew the librarian would be overwhelmed, and I knew her solution. I got there step by step, layering on repetition, strong images, lively rhythm, surprise and humor, and meaning or theme.  Children who were listeners at the beginning became readers at the end.

It's enormously satisfying to craft a tight-knit story that packs a mighty punch in style and content. Done well, it makes for a fun read, too.  Try it!


Thanks so much for joining us, Sandy!

You can find Sandy on her website at http://sandyasher.com or watch her on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/sandyplaywright.

Humorous Picture Books with Michelle Vattula

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

Michelle  was born in Boston but spent most of her life in Erie, PA. After she received her Bachelor’s 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 makes a story memorable? Many things contribute to a memorable story—the characters, the arc, the twist at the end. But what about humor? Humor brings about a sense of silliness and ease which can allow the reader, and listener, to react to the book, thus leaving a permanent mark in their memory. But what makes a picture book funny? With various types of humorous picture books, humor can be quite subjective. Books are like people—they are all different, and you don’t have to enjoy them all—meaning, it’s all preference. 

When my children were young (ages 1-3), they loved books that incorporated different sounds, noises, and unpredictability. For example, Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton addressed the noises animals make, and in the end, incorporates the reader to join in on the sounds. Participation seems to keep a child’s interest and increases the chances that they will want to read the book again. Peek a Who by Nina Landen is another book that allows the reader to participate throughout the book by guessing and subsequently making the sounds that are found on the following page.

As children get older, they continue to love silliness, especially when dealing with  relatable humor.  Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein perfectly demonstrates something a child would actually do during a bedtime story, making it relatable—thus, funny. Speaking of animals, it is not hard to go wrong with animals that are acting like humans. A perfect example of this, and one of my all-time favorite picture books, is Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin. I mean, how could typing cows demanding heated blankets via a go-between duck not be funny? LOL. Similarly, Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae has wild animals dancing human dances…I mean, dancing animals!

Of course, you can’t discuss humorous picture books and not talk about bathroom humor. What kid doesn’t get a kick out of reading about underpants and going potty? Classic stories certainly come to mind, such as Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi. A few other great stories surrounding potty humor are: The Story of the Little Mole Who went in Search of Whodunit by Werner Holzwarth & Wolf Erlbruch and Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman. 

This is just a small sample of great humorous picture books to read to your kids. Again, humor is subjective, so while you may think something is funny, your kids may not. It is all about finding the right fit and simply enjoying a good laugh.


Thanks so much for joining us, Michelle!

You can find Michelle on Twitter @Mmvattula.