Dear Readers,
Recently, I paid for a critique on a picture book story that I wrote epistolary style. Epistolary means it is written as a series of letters – so naturally the story will be first person.
I wasn’t worried about the style, as I knew there were quite a few PBs written that way, most notably, Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Quit, Troy Cummings’ Can I Be Your Dog, and Mark Teague’s Dear Mrs. LaRue series, and I also knew it was a successful format and the best format for the story I wanted to write. My concern for this particular work in progress was the concept.
The person who did the critique is a writer I admire and has written many books in the area I was writing in. Thankfully, they thought the concept was funny and worth pursuing. However, they wrote, they had never heard of any picture books written epistolary style except for one that was very old (and I cannot find in any library near me). And they suggested that I try a different style.
I was shocked, as were my critique partners when I mentioned this to them. They listed many more epistolary style picture books. Based on these conversations, research for comp titles on the internet, and a recent post in one of my Facebook groups for children’s writers, I have compiled a list of picture books written epistolary style. This includes letters, postcards, emails, diary entries, and alien spaceship logs. There are around 30 titles on this list but there are more than that as some of the authors have written series, follow ups, or other books in the same style. (I haven’t given a description or rating of them, nor included the illustrator, as you can find out more about these books on any of the sites for information on books and form your own judgments.)
I realize that as we navigate this world of picture book writing we have a tendency to look to those who have been multi-published for advice and support. But sometimes, the “expert” doesn’t have the answers we seek. Sometimes we just have to trust our own gut, do our own research, and believe that we are the only ones who can give ourselves the best advice.
And I think I just got an idea for a new picture book.
Happy writing!
Sincerely,
Marilyn
P.S. If you think of any book(s) I have left out, please let me know! Perhaps one day, I will add my own to the list!
The List:
Ada, Alma Flor: Dear Peter Rabbit (series) (Atheneum Books, 1997+)
Biedrzycki, David: Invasion of the Unicorns (Charlesbridge, 2021)
Brisson, Pat: Your Best Friend, Kate (Bradbury Press, 1989+)
Brooks, K.S.: Postcards from Mr. Pish (series) (Independent, 2016)
Cronin, Doreen: Diary of a (Worm, Spider, Fly) (HarperCollins, various dates)
Cummings, Troy: Can I Be Your Dog? (Random House, 2018)
Cummings, Troy: Is This Your Class Pet? (Random House, 2022)
Daywalt, Drew: The Day the Crayons Quit (Philomel Books, 2013)
Daywalt, Drew: The Day the Crayons Came Home (Philomel Books, 2015)
Dealey, Erin: Dear Earth … From your Friends in Room 5 (HarperCollins, 2020)
Evans, Christine: Dear Mr. G (Union Square Kids, 2023)
Falatko, Julie: Yours in Books (Harry Abrams, 2021)
Frawley, Katie: Tabitha and Fritz Trade Places (Two Lions, 2021)
Funk, Josh: Dear Dragon: A Pen Pal Tale (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2016)
Gravett, Emily: Meerkat Mail (Simon & Schuster, 2007)
Hendrix, John: Shooting at Stars (Harry N. Abrams, 2014)
Hobbie, Holly: Toot & Puddle (v1) (Little, Brown and Company, 2010)
James, Simon: Dear Mr. Blueberry (Aladdin, 1996)
Kelly, Irene: A Small Dog’s Big Life: Around the World with Owney (Holiday House, 2005)
Latham, Irene: Love, Agnes: Postcards from an Octopus (Millbrook Press, 2018)
McAnulty, Stacy: Dear Santasaurus (Boyds Mills Press, 2013)
Olson, Shannon: A Letter From Your Teacher on the First Day of School (2021); A Letter From Your Teacher on the Last Day of School (2022) (Both published by Shannon Olson)
Orloff, Karen Kaufman: I Wanna Iguana (G.P. Putnam and Sons, 2004); I Wanna New Room (2010); I Wanna Go Home (2014)
Pattison, Darcy: The Journey of Oliver K Woodman (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2003)
Rex, Adam: XO, OX: A Love Story (Roaring Brook Press, 2017)
Stein, David Ezra: Love, Mouserella (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2011)
Stewart, Sarah: The Gardener (Square Fish, reissue 2007)
Stewart, Sarah: The Quiet Space (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012)
Teague, Mark: Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters From Obedience School (Scholastic Press, 2003) Plus three more
The Literate Cat 