Ask a Picture Book Editor: Story Magic!!!
Add some fairy (tale) magic dust to your manuscript!
Sometimes, to make a really cracking picture book, you have to turn a story idea on its head and ask
WHAT IF . . .?
So, what happens if you do this with a traditional tale?
What if ... the folk in Fairy Tale Town needed some help from the Fairytale Hairdresser?
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| The Fairytale Hairdresser series by Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard |
What if . . . Fairy Tale detective Sky Private Eye could solve even the trickiest mystery?
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| Sky Private Eye series by Jane Clarke and Loretta Schauer |
What if . . . it was the Pig who was . . . BAD?
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| The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugen Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury |
What if . . . the Wolf was really just misunderstood?
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| The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszca & Lane Smith |
What if . . . the Three Bears were really rather HUNGRY dinosaurs?
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| Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems |
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| Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson |
What if . . . the Gingerbread Boy was a bunny with chocolate covered ears and Foxy just happened to LOVE chocolate?!
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| The Gingerbread Bunny by Jonathan Allen |
What if . . . the Little Olds baked a Stinky Cheese Man who was really quite GROSS and melted . . .?
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| The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith |
What if . . . Little Red Riding Hood's Granny really just needed some glasses?!
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| Little Red Riding Hood (Ladybird) |
What if . . . Little Red was a rather Bossy and FEARLESS and clever toddler who likes everything JUST SO?
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| Very Little Red Riding Hood by Heapy and Heap |
What if . . . Little Red Riding Hood is an ice-skating aficionado who needs a new partner to win the ice skating competition?
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| Little Red Gliding Hood by Tara Lazar and Troy Cummings |
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| Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T Smith |
Asking WHAT IF . . .? can get you into
seriously funny and very unexpected situations.
Go on, share your favourites and have a go!
Natascha Biebow is
an experienced editor, mentor and coach, who loves working with authors
and illustrators at all levels to help them to shape their stories. www.blueelephantstoryshaping.com
Check out the Cook Up a Picture Book Coaching Courses.
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