THE CHILDREN'S BOOK ACADEMY
  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • Mastering Graphic Novels
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship

It's Time for Rhyme: Finding Humour Through Picture Book Verse

12/31/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
By Brydie Wright

It's a brand new year, friends, and many of us might be looking at our writing goals for 2019. 

​Mine is improving my rhyming skills, with a view to sharpening the humour in my picture book manuscripts.


Before you all gasp in horror, I am aware of the common wisdom that editors are wary of manuscripts written in rhyme. Arguments include:

  • Rhyme is hard to do well;
  • Rhyming text is difficult to edit;
  • It will be harder to gain translation rights for a rhyming text.

​When we're thinking of the craft and business of picture book writing, all these points are important for budding writers of verse. I'd venture, however, that only one of the points is in my control as a writer, and it's the first. Rhyme is hard to do well. The other points are best left to the publishing experts.
​If rhyme is hard to do well then that lays down a challenge - we can learn the right techniques for writing metre and verse. If all children’s book writers were scared off by the idea of writing in rhyme, then we would never have the great books of Dr Seuss, Julia Donaldson and Australian author, Aaron Blabey, to name but a few.

​And if the popularity of any of these authors has taught me anything, it's while editors may not favour rhyme for the reasons listed above, children most certainly do. Many of the all-time favourite picture books are written in rhyme. Rhyme makes kids laugh and rhyming text screams out for being repeated, over and over…

​
If you’re an author who’s keen to take a rhyming challenge this year, modelling the greats can be a useful way to get you writing and practice your craft.

Some of my favourite examples of rhyme used effectively to convey humour include:-
​
Picture

​How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss
​

No one quite matches the ability of this author for long-form rhyming verse. The very fact that numerous feature length films are adapted from his texts, suggests he uses rhyme effectively to drive a fully-fleshed narrative. Perhaps you could say his rhyming technique is a gimmick but it is a skilful gimmick and it is never at the expense of a story and it's moral. 

​The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right. 
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. 
But I think that the most likely reason of all
​May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
​

Picture

​Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

How many times have you read Room on the Broom, or watched its animated short film adaptation? If you’re anything like me, your pre-schooler has read and watched it a hundred times and there’s no way you can have escaped its catchy refrains. 

​Then out of the bushes on thundering paws

There bounded a dog with the hat in his jaws.
He dropped it politely, then eagerly said
(As the witch pulled the hat firmly down on her head),
“I am a dog, as keen as can be.
Is there room on the broom for a dog like me?”

​Donaldson, like Seuss delivers fully-formed narratives in verse, with perfect storytelling - a film maker’s dream. Reliable repetition of rhyme becomes a way for the child to engage with the story and know what’s coming at every turn. For a modern day reading audience, Donaldson’s rhymes are less dense and perhaps more readable than Seuss, but both convey a classic sense of whimsy, humour, wonder and a moral core through lyrical manipulation of words.
​

Picture

​Pig the Pug
by Aaron Blabey


It would be remiss of me to leave off this blog without recommending an even more contemporary example of a rhyming star, capturing the hearts and tapping on the funny bones of children all over Australia.  With over four million Pig the Pug series picture books in print, Blabey adheres to the time-old formula of Seuss and Donaldson: the delightful mix of a pesky animal (anti)hero, good strong rhyming narrative and lessons that teach, without alienating the young reader.

Pig was a pug
and I’m sorry to say,
he was greedy and selfish
in most every way…
​

These opening words bring back childhood in an instant. One could almost be reading about a Grinch or a Gruffalo…
​

“No, they are mine!
Are you nuts? Only mine!
You keep your paws off them,
you sausage-shaped swine!”
​

You might even be forgiven for hearing the echoes of Roald Dahl in this perfectly formed rhyme… It’s no secret that there is nothing completely new under the sun in literature, and the masters never apologise for modelling the work of the trail blazers who have come before them.

So, I figure if I can model and master rhyme as a mechanism for delivering humour, I can make an editor's job easier. While there is hope to be published, I can't give up on rhyme. The form, if executed well, can be incredibly rewarding for the child reader, and spawn the kind of loyal following won by these best-selling masters of lyricism.

​Happy New Year and all the best with all your writing goals for 2019!


Brydie Wright Bio
​

​Graduate, Craft & Business of Children’s Picture Book Writing Course
​Chief Editor, 
Sydney Mums Group and Reviewer, WeekendNotes and Just Write For Kids Books on Tour
​Author of Daddy and the World's Longest Poo, IAN Awards 2017 Finalist, & Magic Beans from the Creative Kids Tales Story Collection
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Instagram
1 Comment
resume writers online link
1/13/2019 11:50:04 pm

I admit that I am guilty with such hobby. I do this frequently when write poems. I try to come up with the words at the ending with the same sound for I believe that it has more impact compared to non-rhythmic poems. But not all the time, it's fine. There are poems, titles, and pieces wherein you need to break the norm and explore other styles. That's fine because going our of your comfort zone will always be fine.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our  awesome new bloggers!!

    Here's our lineup:
    1st Mondays begin with editor/art director, & CBA Director Mira Reisberg PhD who is handing her Mondays over to awesome former now traditionally pubbed students to widen their audience.

    2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books.
     

    3rd Mondays will feature
    Bryan Patrick Avery, published writer, man of mystery, and professional magician among other things.

    4th Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info.

    And 5th Mondays will feature Libyan American author Koloud Tarapolsi sharing wonderful diverse books.

    Enter your email address to follow this blog:

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Picture
Discover
Why Us?
Courses
Blogfish
Book Shoppe
About Us
Meet the Academy Faculty
Community
Contact Us

Privacy Policy
Join Us
Social Media
Join our Community and receive a fabulous free gift, yummy newsletters, scholarship info, contests, and more!

Like us on Facebook 
Join our interactive FB Group  
Find us on Twitter 
Follow us on ​Instagram  
Look for us on Pinterest
​
Watch us on YouTube
© 2012-2021  All content on this website is copyrighted. Sorry, all courses are non-refundable.
  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • Mastering Graphic Novels
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship