Irresistible Picture Book Characters

by author Tammi Sauer

Psst. Hey, you there. Yes, you. Do you want to wow an editor with your next picture book manuscript? Great!

It only takes one thing. Come up with the next Fancy Nancy, Olivia, or Skippyjon Jones. Editors are wading through their slush and/or agented submissions in the hopes of finding an irresistible, can’t-put-down, character-driven manuscript. They want manuscripts that make them feel something and a great character can do just that.

Examples of strong characters in picture books:

Martha Doesn’t Share! by Samantha Berger
Martha has a hard time with typical preschool things like, in this case, sharing.

Olivia by Ian Falconer
Olivia is a feisty little piglet who has too much energy for her own good.

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
Nancy is very into fanciness whereas her family is not.

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
Skippyjon Jones is a little kitty with a big imagination.

A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid
An exuberant Petunia wants, wants, wants a pet she really shouldn’t have.

Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
The seemingly unstoppable Dinosaur is very much into his own bad self.

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
Scaredy Squirrel is excessively worried about things big and small.

Developing a unique and engaging character like the ones listed above, however, is a huge challenge.

When I’m working on a new picture book manuscript, I remind myself that if people don’t care about my main character, they won’t care about my story.

I always keep A.R.F. in mind.

A stands for active.
I want my main character to be doing something. No one wants to read about a kid who just sits on the couch with a remote and a bag of Doritos.

R stands for relatable.
I don’t have any plans to write a story about a little old lady who does yoga in the morning, works in her garden in the afternoon, and knits sweaters at night. Why? Even though the character is active, this little old lady is not relatable to my young readers. I want my readers to have a connection with my main character. I want my readers to think, “Yeah, I know what that feels like.”

F stands for flawed.
A story that stars an active kid who is great at everything would be a dud. Nobody wants to read about little miss perfect. Yawn. Perfect is boring. A flawed character is much more interesting. A bonus? Those flaws often increase the story’s tension and make the character more endearing and root-worthy to the reader.

In my latest book, Mr. Duck Means Business (Simon & Schuster, 2011), Mr. Duck enjoys a life of quiet solitude and keeps a tight schedule for himself.

He’s active. Each morning he stretches, fluffs his feathers, and glides across his perfectly still pond.

He’s relatable. Mr. Duck enjoys the sameness of his days. Kids can easily understand what it is like to not want to embrace change.

He’s flawed. Mr. Duck goes a little haywire when the other barnyard animals mistakenly think they’ve been invited for a swim in his otherwise peaceful pond.

In the end, however, my active, relatable, flawed Mr. Duck makes a big discovery—sometimes life calls for a little commotion.

Occasionally, though, I have trouble coming up with a fresh character who is active, relatable, and flawed. This calls for some brainstorming on paper. By figuring out the details about a character, I can often uncover his or her story.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you may want to give the following exercise a try.

Fill in as many blanks as you can. You won’t necessarily use a lot of this information in your manuscript, but these details will help you to get to know your character. Sometimes all it takes to get a story started is discovering a character’s disposition, pet peeve, or fear.

So give it a try. Who knows? YOUR character might be exactly what editors are searching for.

PB CHARACTER BIO

BASICS
Type (kid, monster, chicken, alien…):
Name:
Gender:

FAVORITES
Color:
Food:
Item of clothing:
Book:
Type of music:
Class:

EXTRAS
Disposition:
Hobbies:
Talents:
Pet Peeves:
Flaws:
Secret:

THE BIG THREE
What is his/her biggest fear?

What does he/she want more than anything?

What is stopping him/her from getting it?

Tammi Sauer has sold ten picture books to a number of major publishing houses: Bloomsbury, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon & Schuster, and Sterling. One of her latest books, Mostly Monsterly, illustrated by Scott Magoon, was named a Scholastic Parent & Child Best Book of 2010 and won the 2011 Oklahoma Book Award and the 2011 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. Her book Chicken Dance, illustrated by Dan Santat, was also recently released in French, which makes her feel extra fancy. Tammi is represented by Laura Rennert, Senior Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. To learn more about Tammi and her books, please visit her online at www.tammisauer.com.

MR. DUCK MEANS BUSINESS by Tammi Sauer: All Duck wants in the world is a little bit of peace and quiet, but the other animals on the farm just don’t understand. Can Duck make friends with his fellow barnyard animals and still get the peace and quiet he wants?

And because she rocks, Tammi has offered to donate a signed copy of her picture book Mostly Monsterly. Leave a comment to qualify and good luck!