April is National Poetry Month!

And there is a lot going on. First and foremost, there is a new challenge going on specifically for writers of rhyming picture books: RhyPiBoMo! Even if you haven’t signed up for RhyPiBoMo, you can still view all the great lessons and learn along with everyone else. But you have until Wednesday April 16th to sign up and participate in the challenge!

RhyPiBoMo Registration (Hurry! Ends April 16th )

http://angiekarcher.wordpress.com/rhypibomo-registration/

RhyPiBoMo F.A.Qs

http://angiekarcher.wordpress.com/rhypibomo-countdown/

RhyPiBoMo Facebook Group (for those registered)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173920209485707/

And Friday, April 25th at 6:00 pm PST there will be a free webinar!

Mira Reisberg and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallan’s live Webinar

3 Things You Must Know About Writing Rhyming Kids’ Books!

You won’t want to miss this!

And they have a marvelous Poetry class coming up too!

The Craft and Pleasure of Writing Poetry for Kids starting May 2014! Many children's book people have a passion for writing poetry. Here's a fabulous interactive e-Course co-taught with the fabulous Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen teaching you how to do so properly while exploring the many kinds of poetry. More information coming soon. 
www.childrensbookacademy.com 


And speaking of the fabulous Sudipta Bardhan-Quallan, she has had some amazing books come out recently.  Two of my favorites are Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! And Snoring Beauty.

In this read-along picture book, a classroom full of young dinosaurs plays with toys, does art projects, and reads books. But each activity is another opportunity for the over-enthusiastic Tyrannosaurus Rex to wreak havoc. Parents and young children will love the call-and-response nature of the book, and young dinosaur fans will appreciate the listing (and pronunciation guide) for a dozen different dino species. The format is extra vertical in order to accommodate T. Rex’s biggest messes.

Snoring Beauty is a sweetly hilarious spin on the classic fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." Written in bouncy rhymed verse perfect for reading aloud, this whimsical reimagining from Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen is sure to appeal to children and parents alike.

Tucked in his little bed inside the castle walls, Mouse is eager to get a good night's sleep before his wedding tomorrow. But just as he begins to drift off, he's awoken by a tremendous roar. SNOOOOGA-SNOOOOOM! KER-SCHUPPP! Sleeping Beauty is snoring . . . again! When the handsome Prince Max arrives, Mouse thinks he's found the perfect scheme: He'll convince the prince to kiss Beauty and wake her up! But when Prince Max learns that Beauty is the one making such monstrous noises, will he still want to kiss her . . . or will he run away from the noisy princess, leaving her snoring for another hundred years?

I love these books for many reasons, but I especially love the rhyme schemes.

The most common and predictable rhyme scheme is a rhyming couplet. A rhyming couplet is a two-line stanza where the end words rhyme. Dr. Seuss wrote mainly in rhyming couplets. 

For example in Green Eggs and Ham

I do not like green eggs and ham.     A

I do like them Sam I am.                     A

I do not like them in a boat.               B

I do not like them with a goat.           B

I do not like them in a house.             C

I do not like them with a mouse.        C

While these are perfectly fine to use, I feel that when I read a book that has a totally different rhyme scheme, it makes me love it even more. The rhyming couplet is also what most beginning writers go to.  So my suggestion to writers would be give a new rhyme scheme a try.

Lane Frederickson has a fantastic site called Rhyme Weaver, which is all about writing Rhyming Picture Books.

http://www.writingrhymeandmeter.com/

Her definition of Rhyme Scheme:

·       A Rhyme Scheme is a pattern that describes where the rhyming words fall within a given stanza or verse. Rhyme Schemes do not tell you anything about Meter or line lengths, they only delineate the number of, and placement of rhymed words.

Let’s take a look at the beginning of Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!

Apatosaurus colors.             A

Pterandodon inspects.         B

Velociraptor glitters.           C

Tyrannosaurus…Wrecks!   B

So in this stanza, Sudipta uses ABCB. I also love the short simple sentences: Noun/Verb.  Using this kind of structure forces a writer to use a really strong verbs.

Snoring Beauty has a great rhyme scheme!

The night before this wedding day,    A

The skies were dark and dreary.        B

But in his house,                                    C

A little Mouse                                         C

Was dreaming of his dearie.                B



Mouse grinned a goofy little grin,       A

And settled in for dozing.                     B

He needed rest                                       C

To look his best,                                     C

But as his eyes were closing…              B

This rhyme scheme is just so much fun to read.  Plus, I love that the last line in the second stanza continues on to the next stanza. It really has a way of pulling you forward and turning the page. Very clever!

There are so many different rhyme schemes to try. Take a look at the examples that Lane gives: http://www.writingrhymeandmeter.com/?page_id=2260

So when deciding to write a rhyming picture book, why only limit yourself to a rhyming couplet?  Try a new rhyme scheme and see where it takes you!

Mandy Yates is currently an elementary reading specialist and children's book writer. She has an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and has been published multiple times in Highlights Magazine. 

She is also assisting Mira in teaching The Craft and Business of Writing Children's Books. http://www.childrensbookacademy.com/writing-childrens-picture-books.html, as well as The Chapter Book Alchemist  http://www.childrensbookacademy.com/the-chapter-book-alchemist.html .

Find some of her teacher resources over at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mandy-Yates.

And you can follow her on Pinterest, Twitter,and Facebook.