Helpful Picture Book Tips and Tricks (Plus a Giveaway!)

Whether you’ve always wanted to create a picture book, are in the process of revising one, or your manuscript is out on submission, your 2026 picture book goals are within reach! Through hosting the popular PBParty contest and my PB Fairy Godmother critique service, I’ve learned tons of tips and tricks for creating manuscripts that dazzle and am thrilled to share them with you.

Your Text Should Have Enough Art Bait for the Illustrator

Picture books are magical because they combine amazing text with vivid illustrations to create a layered story. Your book is your baby as you write it…but will have two proud parents once the illustrator comes onboard. Concentrate on the important parts of your story, character’s voice, language that sings—and eliminate step-by-step stage directions:

She walked downstairs into the kitchen, opened the fridge, reached for a can of soda…

Are you yawning yet?

Let the illustrator decide how to fill in the rest of the details. But don’t make their job too hard. Carefully examine the setting. If a huge chunk of your book centers around two people talking in the kitchen, how interesting will the illustrations be?

Debbie Ridpath Ohi has a wealth of information on her website for picture book writers and illustrators. I suggest downloading one of the 32-page templates, since that’s often the length of a debut author’s book (some are 40 pages, but those books are more expensive, so aim for 32). Either sketch or, if you failed Drawing 101 like me, use key words to describe what’s happening in each scene. Then examine the sketches or key words to make sure there’s enough variation before you even consider submitting a manuscript. Note: This is for you; it won’t be part of your submission. If you’d like to see how the text and potential illustrations work together, you can also create a dummy.

Make Sure Every Single Word is Needed

Remember that parents are the ones buying many of the picture books. Because they’re often busy, they often prefer shorter ones. Agents and editors usually seek manuscripts under 500 words (many prefer even lower word counts). Non–fiction picture books can be a bit longer, but you still need to make every word count.

Search for words you can easily cut, such as that and just. Make sure every word is needed and as strong as possible. Strengthen weak verbs (He ran bolted upstairs).

Go through your manuscript at least once to cut words that aren’t needed. If it’s hard to ditch your darlings, create an orphan file where they can safely stay until you find a new manuscript for them.

Short, Snappy Sentences

Picture books are meant to be read out loud. The language should flow, have the right tone for your story, and engage the audience. If you’re writing fiction, look closely at your favorite picture books published in the past few years. Most have sparse text and short, snappy sentences vs. longer paragraphs. Readers should feel the rhythm of the words. While making sure they all shine, it can sometimes take hours, days or even longer to find the best replacement for a single word.  

Read your manuscript out loud—and have others read it to you. Seeing their reactions and hearing how they read the words will show what you did well and areas that need more fine-tuning.

Additional Tips

• Read, read, read…especially picture books published within the past few years. Analyze what makes them stand out from others. Consider keeping notes on each for easy reference later.  
• Craft an engaging opening that makes readers want to dive into your book.
• The ending should have an unexpected twist, surprise, or that extra something special that will make children and parents want to read the book again and again.
• Make sure the main character is relatable to children. Don’t let an adult swoop in and solve a problem—give your characters agency.
• Tap into experiences and parts of yourself that make you special, and your connection to the story will shine through.
• Make sure rhyming manuscripts scan correctly and don’t use “Yoda talk” where you awkwardly flip words around in a sentence for the sake of rhyme. Remember that the rhyme should fit the tone of your story.
• Before submitting your manuscript, paginate it or create a dummy for yourself. This will help identify pacing issues, ensure you have enough unique illustration opportunities, and make sure it fits well in a 32-page layout.
• If you’re seeking an agent, you’ll need at least 3 – 5 completed and polished picture book manuscripts when you start querying. If agents love one, most will request to see more before offering to represent you.

Helpful Picture Book Resources, Challenges, and Contests

Here are some of the most helpful resources I’ve found for picture book writers. If you have any to add, I hope you’ll include them in the comments.

SCBWI – The Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators helps with board books and picture books through young adult novels. They offer virtual and in-person events, so see what’s happening in your area.

12×12 – A community that offers accountability, encouragement, webinars, and a private critique area to support picture book authors and illustrators of all experience levels. It inspires productivity with the goal to write and/or revise one new picture book draft each month.

PB Rising Stars – A FREE picture book mentorship program for text-only authors, illustrators, and author-illustrators! It’s for unagented AND agented creators who haven’t sold a picture book with an agent.

StoryStorm – This amazing challenge runs every January. It started off as a resource for picture book writers but has since opened up for novels, too. The goal is to come up with at least one new manuscript idea each day, for a total of 30 or more by the end of the month. It’s free, includes inspiring daily blog posts, and offers prizes, too! (Click the Blog link on the StoryStorm site to see the 2026 posts)

Inked Voices – This site is for writers and illustrators of all genres. It has an incredible amount of support for picture books, including critique workshops where you receive feedback from agents or editors and a chance to chat with them via Zoom afterward. They also frequently run peer picture book pop-up critique groups.

Storyteller Academy – Tons of workshops for writers or illustrators of picture books.

Annual PBParty Contest – I host a FREE contest for unagented writers and author/illustrators where agents and editors eagerly request submissions from entries that make it into the showcase. (In 2025, we had 63 agents, editors, and art directors). This opportunity is coming around again soon; submissions open on March 17^th, 2026 from midnight until 8 pm EST.

Monthly PBParty New Draft Challenge & Critique Train – Write a new picture book draft during this FREE challenge (I host this one too), then hop on the Critique Train Google doc to receive feedback from the passenger above you and critique the one below. You can send whichever picture book manuscript you’d like fresh eyes on the most—it doesn’t need to be the new draft. This month, it runs January 15^th – 17^th.

You can find the supportive PBParty Facebook community here.

Most importantly, have fun writing and revising your picture books. Play around with different styles and formats. Make sure you’re in an amazing critique group or two—and keep an eye out for additional critique opportunities. I’m sending tons of good luck fairy dust your way and hope 2026 will be a magical year for you and your manuscripts.

A Picture Book Giveaway from Yours Truly

Enter to win an in-depth written critique of a picture book manuscript, plus an hour-long Zoom where I can read your revision out loud, give additional feedback, answer questions, and help brainstorm. The winner will be announced on this post and contacted via e-mail on January 13^th. Good luck!

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Please share any questions or additional picture book resources in the comments.

 

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