Rhyme Doctor Eileen Meyer has been exploring poetic devices on the House Calls blog, and a November 2022 post features onomatopoeia. It’s a tough word to spell, but a fun device to use when writing in rhyme. As Eileen tells us, onomatopoetic words imitate the sounds of what they mean – for example, squish, purr, whoop, twang. Use of these words can be very effective, adding fun and interest to your rhyme.
 
Onomatopoeia can become the inspiration for poems, picture books, and poetry collections.

​It’s time for another blog post about the use of poetic devices in picture book writing. Today, we’ll take a look at the poetic device: Personification

If you've been writing for a while, you've likely experienced it.

You have a great idea! You brainstorm. You research. You write and rewrite and rewrite again. You pour your heart and soul into your great idea. Then you see in announcement of an upcoming book or pop into a bookstore to discover a new book with the EXACT SAME THEME!

With March being the month of St. Patrick's Day and all things lucky, I thought I'd thank my   lucky stars for these three books. As a picture book writer, I know how lucky it is to hit upon an idea that can generate a sequel. PICK A PERFECT EGG, recently released into the world, is a follow-up on two previous book: PICK A PINE TREE and PICK A PUMPKIN. 

ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIME, written by Charles Ghigna and Matt Forrest Esenwine, and illustrated by Andrés F. Landazábal, garnered high praise from award-winning poet Nikki Grimes: "Ghigna and Esenwine provide a vehicle to ferry young readers back to a time when the wonders of nature called to them more powerfully than any computer screen ever could. Once Upon Another Time's glorious poetry and paintings are a perfect pairing." 

I agree that the poetry and paintings are wonderful! I was also intrigued by another aspect of the book -- it's a collaboration between two un-related authors. I wondered how the collaboration came about and what made it work so brilliantly, so I went directly to the authorial sources!

​It’s time for another blog post about the use of poetic devices in picture book writing. Today, we’ll take a look at the poetic device: Hyperbole
 
Hyperbole is an excessive exaggeration, used to create emphasis or humor.