Picturebooking

I have three story ideas, and I need your help deciding which one to develop.

In this episode, I pitch three stories that have been bouncing around in my head:

The Museum of Stories — When robots replace children's messy stories with perfect ones, three siblings must find a way to stop them.

The Garden of Books — In a garden where books come alive, a boy must use his imagination to outsmart a magical dragon and prove that you don't have to be big to be the hero of your own story.

The Zoo of Artists — Who gets to be called an artist? A family trip to the zoo leads to a discovery that challenges fences, rules, and expectations.

Want to help choose the story? Read more about all three ideas and cast your vote here:

https://picturebooking.substack.com/p/i-could-beg-or-i-could-make

These are early ideas, not finished stories. My goal is to develop one into a fully illustrated story, with input from my family and the Picturebooking community along the way.

Which story would you like to see me make? Listen to the pitches and let me know what you think.

Plus, an update on the Picturebooking 500-person challenge at the beginning of the episode.

I'm Nick Patton, and this is Picturebooking: stories, art, and the people who make them.

Follow along at https://picturebooking.com

See the count and join the story →

After more than 200 interviews with children's book authors and illustrators over nine years, I walked away from Picturebooking.

Now I'm thinking about what Picturebooking could become next.

I'll create things with and for kids, talk honestly about the business of making stories, and bring authors and illustrators into the process along the way.

But before I start all of that, I have one question:

Is anybody still interested in Picturebooking?

If at least 500 people sign up by December 1, I'll start making new episodes.

If you'd like to be one of them, sign up for free at picturebooking.com.

Welcome to the end of Picturebooking's fall episodes. We will be taking a break for a while, but before we go, we would like to leave you with some helpful creative advice and an excellent list of books to check out the next time you visit the library. Enjoy!

Author and educator NoNieqa Ramos talks about her picture book Best Believe: The Tres Hermanas, a Sisterhood for the Common Good, illustrated by Nicole Medina—a story written in rhythmic verse that portrays three inspiring changemakers, Evelina Antonetty, Lillian López, and Elba Cabrera.

Your host for this episode is Nadia Salomon.

https://picturebooking.com/nonieqa-ramos-best-believe https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9781728460444 https://www.nonieqaramos.com/ https://www.nadiasalomon.com/

Award-winning author-illustrator Lane Smith talks about his picture book Stickler Loves the World—a story that reminds us to appreciate the everyday wonders we often ignore.

Your host for this episode is Nick Patton.

https://picturebooking.com/lane-smith-stickler-loves-the-world https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9780593649831 https://www.lanesmithbooks.com/

Author-illustrator Vashti Harrison talks about her picture book Big—a story that traces a child's journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal.

Your host for this episode is Shawna J. C. Tenney.

https://picturebooking.com/vashti-harrison-big https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9780316353229 https://www.vashtiharrison.com/ https://www.shawnajctenney.com/

Author-illustrator Bob Shea talks about his picture book Chez Bob—a hilarious story about a restaurant for birds found on an alligator's NOSE!

Your host for this episode is Shawna J. C. Tenney.

https://picturebooking.com/bob-shea-chez-bob https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9780316483117 https://www.bobshea.com/https://www.shawnajctenney.com/

Acclaimed author Minh Lê talks about his picture book Real to Me, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa—a story about two best friends (one of whom is imaginary) who are inseparable until the day when one of them unexpectedly disappears.

Then Lê tells us about his graphic novel, Enlighten Me, illustrated by Chan Chau.

Your host for this episode is Nadia Salomon.

https://picturebooking.com/minh-le-real-to-me https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9780593377499 http://minhlebooks.com/https://www.nadiasalomon.com/

Author-illustrator Leah Hayes talks about her picture book I Touched the Sun—a wondrous story about a young boy's journey to meet the Sun.

Your host for this episode is Nick Patton.

https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9781592703906

http://www.leahhayes.com/

Author Kari Lavelle talks about her picture book Butt or Face?—a delightfully cheeky challenge: examine a close-up photo of an animal, and then guess whether you're looking at the top or the...um...bottom.

Your host for this episode is Nadia Salomon.

https://picturebooking.com/kari-lavelle-butt-or-face https://bookshop.org/a/14436/9781728271170 https://www.karilavelle.com/ https://www.nadiasalomon.com/