​My newest lyrical nonfiction picture book, A Pathway for Pollinators, illustrated by Blanca Goméz and published by Norton Young Readers, releases today!  Just in time for planting season!

​​A Pathway for Pollinators is a companion to my 2024 release, A Place for Rain. Both books feature a classroom of nature-loving children set on tackling an environmental challenge. In A Place for Rain, the challenge is how to “lessen all the mess” of dirty storm water flowing into waterways. In A Pathway for Pollinators, it’s how to provide pollinators with the food and shelter they need in urban settings.

​A Pathway for Pollinators is the first book that I set out to write as a companion text. In the past, I approached each new manuscript as a blank slate, not influenced by topics, structures, or approaches I had used in previous books. But with this project, I knew even before A Place for Rain went to print that my editor at Norton, Simon Boughton, was interested in a book on pollinator corridors as a follow-up title.

So, how did I approach this task of creating a “matched pair?”

To begin, I revisited the essential elements of A Place for Rain. At its heart, A Place for Rain is meant to inspire kids to enact environmental change at a local level. It uses a steps-in-a-process structure to show actionable ways to solve a problem. Finally, it relies on onomatopoeia to create an engaging, read-aloud voice. I wrote these three “elements” at the top of my first draft of A Pathway for Pollinators to serve as guideposts as a began the new story.

After that, I created a two-column draft. In the first column, I pasted the text from A Place for Rain, dividing the spreads into rows. In the second column, I wrote the text A Pathway for Pollinators.

​This is what my draft looked like:

Placing the two stories side-by-side helped me zoom in on the structures and techniques I used in A Place for Rain so I could imitate them in A Pathway for Pollinators. In most places, I didn’t attempt to exactly mirror line and stanza lengths. Instead, I aimed for each scene to follow a similar “path” to move the story forward.

Both texts open with onomatopoetic scene-setting:

“Plink. Plip. Plop.” to describe the beginning of a rain shower.

 “Flitter. Flutter. Buzz. Hum.” to describe a meadow thrumming with pollinators.

From there, the second spread provides more setting details and hints at the problem. The third spread reveals the problem. The remaining spreads follow a similar one-to-one plot pattern.
​
In a few key places, I did mirror the exact wording of A Place for Rain. In both books, when the kids asks their teacher if it’s possible to do something to address the environmental challenge, the teacher answers with a simple, but confident “YES!”

​Both books also end with the same final words, “and EVERYONE.” In A Place for Rain, the last line is “a place for rain and everyone.” In A Pathway for Pollinators, it’s “to welcome pollinators and everyone.” I did this to emphasize that caring for nature benefits the entire community.

The fact that Blanca Goméz illustrated both books was a lucky occurrence that happened after A Pathway for Pollinators was purchased and edited. Blanca’s use of distinct geometric patterns and primary colors definitely helps the two books hold together as a matched pair. (I love the bright yellow school bus and six eager children featured in both books!)

Do you have an idea for two (or more!) books that would work as companion texts? If so, my biggest advice is to make sure that your first book can stand on its own. Polish it until it’s as perfect as possible to catch an editor’s eye. From there, try the two-column approach I outline here.  And don’t’ forget to study other companion book mentor texts, such as Rhyme Doctor Patricia Toht’s Pick A books: Pick A Pumpkin, Pick a Pine Tree, and Pick the Perfect Egg.
​
The ultimate goal? Creating companion picture books that “hum and thrum” as a set!

I'm continuing my series with a deeper dive into various poetry forms. So far we've looked at List poems and Haiku if you'd like to review those posts. Today's topic: Concrete poetry, also known as shape poetry, is “a form of playing with words, ideas, letters, and art. It is, in a sense, a picture poem, one that gives not only words but delight to the eye.” (Myra Cohn Livingston, Poem-Making) The poem’s words are placed or fit into the construct of a recognizable shape to reflect the poem’s subject. That’s the challenge – can you select the right wording to not only capture the subject matter effectively with lyrical language, but also form it into a pleasing shape to reflect your topic! Achieving this can be more difficult than it sounds. Let’s explore some concrete poem examples from a few children’s picture books.

Joan Bransfield Graham’s picture book, AWESOME EARTH: CONCRETE POEMS CELEBRATE CAVES, CANYONS, AND OTHER FASCINATING LANDFORMS (Illustrated by Tania Garcia, 2025) uses concrete poetry to dig into shapes and forms found on Earth. Volcanoes, canyons, and archipelagos are just a few examples of the shape poem topics found in this delightful picture book. Check out this selection about Continents--it showcases how a poem can be laid out creatively to reflect the topic. Not only does the poem split apart to visually depict the key fact that gigantic landmasses broke apart millions of years ago and drifted to create today's seven continents, but some words are laid out uniquely (see word "LIKE") to mimic the lower narrow portion of South America. The two-part poem also shows its puzzle-piece relationship to the continent of Africa. Terrific poem in both word selection and visual display!

In Bob Raczka's poetry collection, WET CEMENT: A MIX OF CONCRETE POEMS (2016), he notes that with each poem in the book, he's done two things. First, for the poem's title, he's created "pictures with letters." (I really like this extra twist in his poetry collection - each title is fascinating! See below.) And in the poem itself, he's arranged "words in the shape of the thing the poem is about or in a way that emphasizes the poem's meaning." Take a closer look at this poem about hangers - those common household items we use to hang up our coats and jackets each day, and we don't give them much thought. . . And notice who is speaking in the poem - the hanger! (Essentially, a mask voice in this poem, too! An object (the hanger) is speaking, NOT you.)

Finally, one more poem from a classic book--Heidi B. Roemer's COME TO MY PARTY AND OTHER SHAPE POEMS (Illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, 2004) With a whirl through the four seasons, you'll find concrete poems that celebrate shapes linked to the different times of year.  A favorite of mine, this lovely winter poem about icicles! 

​Crafting a poem can be quite challenging, and adapting it to a specified shape adds another layer of complexity. We've looked at poems shaped like two continents, a household hanger, and frozen icicles. So creative! I hope you'll check out these picture books featuring concrete poetry by these accomplished poets--and try to write one of your own, too!

Happy creating!
Eileen Meyer, Rhyme Doctor

Whether you prefer the term graphic novel, sequential art, or comics, books written in this style have exploded in popularity this century. The first graphic novel that I read was Raina Telgemeier's SMILE, a memoir about the author navigating school while dealing with the repercussions of a mouth injury. Published in 2010, it led a surge of fans to graphic novels. Since 2010, the sales of books in comic/graphic format have soared to nearly $2 billion in sales, according to Publishing Perspectives.

This popularity has led to an expansion of topics tackled in this style, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction, and targeting ages 4-8 to adult. It was only a matter of time before poetry and the graphic format would join forces in the children's book market.

The two books we'll look at today are collections of poems by author-illustrators who have illustrated them in a comic style: 

BEWARE THE DRAGON AND THE NOZZLEWOCK by Vikram Madan (WordSong, ©2024), is a collection of 25 poems about a variety of zany, imaginary creatures and people.

Some of Madan's poems definitely have a flavor of Dr Seuss, while others remind me of Jack Prelutsky. A parody of Robert Frost's "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" takes a fun, spooky turn. "A Hatful of Imps" embraces wordplay, using words beginning with the prefix imp- to convey the naughtiness going on. One poem is a tongue-twister; another is a concrete poem. Loads of fun dialogue and onomatopoeia throughout. Poems may be contained in one spread or stretch over many pages. The words and comic artwork blend seamlessly.

POETRY COMICS by Grant Snider (Chronicle Books, ©2025) has a completely different feel. The 69 poems are simpler and the artwork more orderly. The collection is divided into the four seasons, with poems often set in nature, as cued by the cover illustration:

One of the author's aims is to inspire young writers to pen their own poems, by exploring common experiences of children -- from losing a balloon to riding a roller coaster to picking a pumpkin. Also included are four "How to Write a Poem" poems, as well as a concluding poem about making poetry comics. Like Madan, author Snider includes different poetry forms like haiku, ode, and opposite poem. The neat layout of comic boxes and line drawings complement the simplicity of the poems.

Both of these books have been well-received. Beware the Dragon and the Nozzlewock earned starred reviews from Kirkus and Horn Book, and was a "Best Book of the Year" in the Boston Globe and Kirkus Reviews roundups. Poetry Comics also earned starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

I'm excited to see that poetry collections are now joining the popular comic format! I believe it will attract a larger audience to poetry by appealing to graphic novel lovers. I encourage you to give these two books a read.

​~Patricia Toht

I first learned about seagrass meadows from this article that popped up in my Google feed. When I read that seagrass “shapes life on Earth, from the food we eat to the air we breathe,” I was intrigued. Then I discovered that there weren’t any picture books on this vital ecosystem, so I decided to write one.

But how to present the plethora of information on the benefits of seagrass meadows, some of it scientifically dense, in an accessible, poetic format? I admit that was quite a process, but I’ll share two strategies that played a big role in shaping the book.

The first strategy I used was to rely on side bars to do the factual “heavy lifting.” This freed me up to focus on kid-friendly, image-evoking details for the main text and present them in a free-flowing lyrical way.

​Here’s a spread from early in the book.  The left page presents the main text, which paints the image of seagrass leaves “waltzing with the current.” The right page contains prose sidebars, which explain specific facts about the location and physical attributes of seagrass.

Let's look more closely at the main text: 

In this example, which focuses on seagrass meadows’ importance as nursery habitats, the final lines are  “All seek a leafy haven in the /meadows of the sea.” 

In this example, which discusses how seagrass meadows act as carbon sinks by pulling carbon from the air, the final lines are “slowing global warming with the/meadows of the sea.”

​These repeated lines do a lot of work! They they sum up the most important idea on the page, provide a refrain for readers to anticipate, and echo the title.
 
I hope this glimpse into Meadows of the Sea has provided you with some ideas for tackling your own nonfiction picture book in a lyrical style . . .
 
and inspired you to learn more about this wondrous ecosystem!

The Rhyme Doctors are once again teaming up with The Children's Book Insider, this time to present a webinar on writing lyrical picture books called Mastering the Flow. (Our previous best-selling CBI webinar, How to Write Rhyming Picture Books, is also still available!) 

Mastering the Flow is a practical, craft-focused webinar designed to help you create picture book texts that sound beautiful out loud while still delivering a strong, clear story. We'll dig into a plethora of recent lyrical picture book mentor texts to show best-practice techniques. We'll also discuss common pitfalls and how to avoid them. 

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, rhyme or prose, you’ll come away with tools you can use immediately in your own manuscripts.

We hope you'll join us for this 90 minute webinar! 

Sign up HERE! 

List poems have been around a long time, with examples of list verses found as far back as Homer’s Illiad, which dates to the 8th century BC! Walt Whitman used this form as he detailed the varied workers across our nation in his beautiful poem “I Hear America Singing”
​

​I Hear America Singing
By Walt Whitman
 
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
 
Do you hear the repetition of key words? The use of anaphora? The celebration of American workers and the different voices that all contribute to the nation’s song? It’s a classic example of a list poem.

Are list poems used in children’s literature? YES! Check out Deborah Underwood’s The Quiet Book, illustrated by Renata Liwska. This well-loved picture book celebrates the different kinds of quiet that a child might encounter from morning to night. Liwska’s illustrations play a vital role in showcasing Underwood’s short but perfectly descriptive text which reads like a bedtime lullaby, opening with “There are many kinds of quiet” . . .  and goes on to depict spread by spread, different examples of quiet with the reader feeling the emotion of each unique scene.

“Last one to get picked up from school quiet.”
“Swimming underwater quiet.” 
“Lollipop quiet.”  
Read this classic book to learn more about how a list poem structure can work beautifully to convey a surprising list of emotions.

Take a closer look at It’s Fall! by Renee Kurilla. Diving into the wonder of the season, this book celebrates the many ways that fall is delightful in the structure of a list poem. The opening text sets it up: 
 
Colors bursting, shadows tall.
There’s lots to celebrate—it’s fall!
 
Early-morning sunny skies.
Back to school with new supplies. . . .

(Seek out your own copy to read more and discover the ending.) Kurilla also offers It’s Winter! and It’s Spring! in this seasonal celebration.

Poet Laura Purdie Salas and artist Violeta Dadija open their delicious picture book, A Leaf Can Be . . . with this bit of text:
 
A leaf is a leaf, a bit of a tree.
But just try to guess what else it can be!
 
Pages unfold to show the leaf as a tree topper, rain stopper, shade spiller, mouth filler and many other roles a leaf takes in the natural world. You’ll have to read it, or the companion books, A Rock Can Be, Water Can Be to find out more. All of these books are essentially lovely list poems.
 
You often find list poems in poetry collections, too! See if you can hunt and find one in your favorite collection. More children’s books that are structured as list poems for your reading list:
What to Do with a Stick? By Jane Yolen
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman
A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes by Liz Garton Scanlon
Thankful by Eileen Spinelli
A Hug is for Holding Me by Lisa Wheeler
 
What type of list poem will you create?
 
Eileen Meyer, Rhyme Doctor

This year, the Rhyme Doctors celebrate our fifth year of providing comprehensive rhyming picture book check-ups. At the outset, we expected our clients would struggle with poetic foot and metrical structure. But, five years in, we know that the manuscripts we receive are just as likely to experience story issues. 
As part of the revision process, we frequently suggest that our clients make a "dummy" of their story. A dummy is a tool that can help a writer imagine the layout of their text as a 32-page book (the most common layout of a picture book). Why is it important to do this? I will explain why in a moment. But first, I'd like to introduce you to two different versions of dummies that can serve two different purposes.

One thing that I like about the Easy-Peasy, One-Page Dummy is that I can whip one up wherever I have access to one piece of letter-sized paper. Fold twice, long-edge to longe-edge, open up, then fold three times, short-edge to short-edge, and open up. Your fold marks will make 32 little rectangles -- exactly the number of boxes needed to replicate a picture book layout. Number the rectangles 1 to 32 and cross out the first three for the "business pages" of the book (title page, copyright, etc.). Grab your manuscript, a pencil and eraser, and get started!

The key to filling out a dummy is to imagine how your words (and the illustrations they'll inspire) will flow through the book. I usually start on p. 4 or 5. Each arrowed line represents one spread of the book (side-by-side left and right pages). I add words to denote scenes of my story as it progresses. Around p. 13, I stop, go to p. 32, and work backwards from the ending. More often than not, I discover (around p. 21) that I have a very messy middle! I wield my eraser liberally, then re-imagine and adjust until the entire story is contained in the dummy. Below is a dummy from my book Taxi, Go! (Note: I use only as many words as needed to understand where I am in the story.)

With the story laid out on one piece of paper, I find it easier to see how a story is flowing --
or not! -- and whether it is hitting the typical touch points for a 32-page picture book. Now is the time to consider BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS, which can often uncover story issues.

The Mini Book Dummy takes a bit more paper, as well as cutting and assembling. Use four pieces of letter-sized paper (8.5 x 11in). Cut each one in half, resulting in eight pieces (8.5 x 5.5in). Fold each piece in half, short-edge to short-edge. Nestle the folded pieces together to form a mini book. Number the pages and mark off the first three for business purposes. 

Print out your manuscript. You will be cutting up your text and adhering the pieces to the pages, according to their layout in the Easy-Peasy Dummy. Using Scotch "Magic Tape" will make it easy to make later adjustments. (Gluing them in doesn't allow for movement!) 

Seeing your text in this format makes it easier to check for things like pacing, balance of text-to-art, page turns, and word choice. Let's look at some PAGE-TO-PAGE QUESTIONS that can help assess these items.

As authors, we know how great it feels to have a manuscript that's working. But a crucial step after the manuscript stage is seeing exactly how well that story will work within the confines of a 32-page picture book layout. The goal of making a dummy is to "see" your book exactly as an editor and reader will see it. The Rhyme Doctors suggest taking that extra step of making a dummy (or two!) to help your book become the best it can be!

​~ Patricia Toht

Brr! Baby, it's cold outside. Time to cuddle up with a cozy winter-themed picture book. Better yet, time to write one! "But wait," you say. "Hasn't this topic been covered . . . a lot?" True, snow and winter are enduringly popular topics for picture books. For good reason. There's perennial magic in that fluffy white stuff that falls from the sky. The key is to capture that magic in a fresh way. 

In this post, I'll look at three recent winter-themed rhyming and lyrical picture books that are as surprising and delightful as freshly fallen snow.

While the list structure and repeated words provide a pleasing rhythm to Snow Is, what really makes this book shine is how it engages all five senses in a joyful day playing in the snow. 

Through alliteration, assonance, and clever end rhymes, Laura Purdie Salas weaves magic into the science of snow, revealing the wonder of winter weather. 

In addition to the counting structure, Nancy White Carlstrom creates musical unity by repeating a specific sentence structure on each spread. Within that structure, she uses precise verbs and adverbs to make each set of creatures pulse with energy. 

With these books as inspiration, I hope you'll play with text structure in your current picture book project and create some magic of your own!

-Rhyme Doctor Michelle Schaub 

This time of year, it always feels to me that Thanksgiving is being squeezed into a smaller and smaller space by Halloween and Christmas. Looking at the holiday picture book section of my library shows the same -- multiple shelves packed with Halloween and Christmas books, but only a few rows of Thanksgiving titles wedged between them.

Luckily, more books that celebrate Thanksgiving, harvest, and gathering together are being added each year. And books that are at the edges of Thanksgiving, (like those about turkeys, pies, feasts), are also more plentiful. Here are three newer titles that fit the (turkey) bill.

Twelve Days of Autumn, by Sherri Maret and Thomas Hilley (Muddy Boots Books, 2025) is part of a four-book series, with one book for each season. The inspiration for these books comes from "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song. The books have a simplicity to them and are NOT in metered rhyme.
​The autumn book opens with the expected line that begins the counting up:

Each spread then adds another animal in a cumulative counting up to twelve types of animals. In the end, the counting is reversed, counting down from twelve to one. Occasional alliteration adds some lyricism.

Thanksgiving Is a Blessing by Rachel Tawil Kenyon and Udayana Lugo (Beaming Books, 2025) has more poetic punch. The rhyming text uses the poetic device of anaphora; each stanza opens with the same two words: "Thanksgiving is..." Every spread contains one quatrain (4 lines) which offers varying interpretations of what Thanksgiving means.
A metaphor opens each spread, like this one:

The lines predominantly alternate stressed and unstressed syllables (iamb and trochee poetic feet).The story follows an arc from morning to night. The book concludes with two pages of back matter, which includes instructions on how to set a Thanksgiving table and a recipe for pumpkin soup.

Harvest Days: Giving Thanks Around the World by Kate DePalma and Martina Peluso shares details about harvest festivals around the world, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. (Surprisingly, the American tradition of Thaksgiving Day is portrayed as being celebrated in Liberia, where emigrants from the United States moved in the late 1800s!) A dozen countries and their harvest traditions are celebrated across twelve spreads.
The story portion of the book opens and closes with a pair of couplets. This is the opening:

The meter is predominantly anapest (two unstressed syllables + one stressed syllable), but often one (or even two) of the leading unstressed syllables are omitted. 
Below is a sample spread from one country's harvest celebration. Note that the pronunciation of unfamiliar words in included, and a small sidebar adds additional celebration facts.

Generous back matter completes the book, giving it lots of layers to appeal to readers, parents, and teachers. (The Rhyme Doctors are big fans of adding layers to books. Check out this post by Michelle Schaub about her NCTE commended poetry collection, Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees.) 

Include some rhyming or lyrical Thanksgiving books at your families celebration!

At this Thanksgiving time, the Rhyme Doctors would like to thank YOU for following the House Calls blog, as well as spreading the love of rhyme and lyrical writing in the world! Thanksgiving blessings to you and your family from us. 

​~ Patricia Toht

​Here at the Rhyme Doctors we're big fans of rhyming and lyrical picture books. But we also know that strict metered rhyme and even loose, free-verse lyricism are not always the best choice for a project.

Especially if you are writing a narrative, trying to make all the story elements (character, problem, escalating tension, etc.) work within the confines of rhyme can be tricky. (Although it can be done, and done well, as Andrea Beatty proves with her Questioneers series.) Still, sometimes good old prose is the way to go!

Choosing to write with traditional paragraphs and sentences does not mean you have to abandon your poetic proclivities. Weaving poetic elements into prose can elevate your picture book project from banal to brilliant!

Let’s look closely at two recent prose picture books that really grabbed my attention. Both incorporate specific poetic elements to make them oh-so-enjoyable read alouds.

​Look at all the fun “c”​ and “f” sounds in this spread!

​Not only does Roeder's use of alliteration add musicality to her words, it also creates a sense of cohesion that pulls readers through each scene. Fun. Funny. Fabulous!

In both Narwhal Vs. Kindergarten and Forts, the authors carefully chose words for the way they sounded with the other words around them, relying heavily on the poetic elements of alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia.
 
The result is prose books that pulse with the heart of a poem!

-Rhyme Doctor Michelle Schaub