"Don't be too preachy in your writing!" You may have heard it many times before, but how? Try leveling up with sophistication.

Julie Hedlund discusses the sparkle of sophisticated humor in picture books, where to find great examples of it, and how to incorporate it in your own writing.

Author Katie Davis spells out why pacing is important for good picture book manuscripts in today's market, analyzes examples of pacing in some of her favorite picture books, and reveals various methods for achieving excellent pacing in shorter texts.

They say that if you want to get published, don't write rhyming picture book manuscripts! But is that really a rule to live by?

Spoiler: Of course not! Julie Hedlund, author of three rhyming picture books and Co-Founder of the Picture Book Summit, shares how to write rhyming manuscripts that will actually sell.

Emma Walton Hamilton unearths a brief history of picture books including how Randolph Caldecott started the genre by creating illustrations that helped to tell the story instead of the pictures simply reflecting what's in the text. Emma shares how picture books evolved from morality tales to books for "naughty children" and books that break the rules and meet children where they are. It's the best kind of history lesson for picture book creators.

What makes a great read-aloud?

Join author and librarian Betsy Bird for an entertaining look examination of what separates the good picture book read-alouds from the great picture book read-alouds. Librarians have always known that picture books can often break down into two groups: one-on-one titles and read-aloud titles. One-on-ones are great for getting snuggly at bedtime, but if you want to engage a large crowd of kids, you need a text that pops in an entirely different way. Betsy breaks down some of the most successful read-alouds, from classics to lesser known titles and more recent favorites.

Hold on to your seat because this is one thrilling ride!

Listen in as Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund share their submission expertise and give you the key components of a killer query letter and plus top tips for improving your own query letter. You'll leave this episode with actionable items you can apply immediately to your own queries. Get ready to polish those queries until they shine brighter than you thought possible.

In Part 3 of Where the Ideas Are, let's talk about how to develop your picture book ideas into a strong manuscripts.

At the core of every good picture book is a central dramatic question. What is that, anyway? Picture Book Summit co-founder Emma Walton Hamilton discusses the importance and function of the central dramatic question and how to find it.

Be sure to catch Parts 1 and 2 of Where the Ideas Are in podcast episode 031 Generating Ideas with Katie Davis and episode 032 Assessing Ideas with Laura Backes!

In Part 2 of Where the Ideas Are, PBSummit co-founder Laura Backes shares how to assess if your idea is one worth pursuing including...

• Finding out if there's room in the market for your idea
• Deciding if your has kid-appeal
• Determining if your idea is the right size for a picture book

Catch part 1 of Where the Ideas Are in episode 030 Generating Ideas with Katie Davis.

Welcome to our three-part series Where the Ideas Are! We'll finding, assessing, and developing ideas for marketable picture books stories.

While we can't tell you exactly where to get your next great idea, Katie Davis can give you tips for harvesting the ideas that are cropping up all around you.

Look for parts 2 and 3 in episode 031 with Laura Backes and episode 032 with Emma Walton Hamilton.

In today's episode, we'll hear from Samantha Berger, a twice Emmy-nominated writer and award-winning author of over 80 books for young readers, including Crankenstein, Monster's New Undies, Snail Mail, and Rock What You Got! Samantha wrote for Nickelodeon for 12 years and now she writes for Sesame Street. Now, she's revealing five things you need to know about being AND writing funny.