Writing a children's book was a unique challenge for me. When I write for the blog or for one of the 5 or 6 half-completed manuscripts that are currently collecting dust, my words are the paintbrush and the reader's mind is the canvas. In writing a children's book I had to strip down the text until it felt almost skeletal.
I am embarrassed to admit that I have had moments in my own life while reading to my 7 kids when I chuckled at a children's book. The author literally had about 5 words per page, where the illustrator had created a beautiful scene. "How lame!" I thought.
Turns out I'm the lame one. I am discovering that there is way more work involved than I ever realized. All 32 pages of illustrations in my book, "St. Joseph's Hammer" I had premeditated. I had written down exactly what I wanted to be drawn, including the emotion that I wanted each picture to convey. My incredibly talented illustrator is very in-tune with my desires for this project and easily brought these images to life.
The illustrations are still being worked on, but we discussed in great detail how to get the desired results using certain facial expressions, contrasting colors for the more dramatic pages, and even body posture to show the reader what is happening.
It is a humbling experience as a writer to strip away my beloved words, but as a children's book reader, I appreciate it when the pictures are the ones telling the story. This allows you to savor the story and read, and reread it, discovering new nuances. That way the story is comfortingly familiar, yet ever new.