COZY UP WITH Text STRUCTURE IN WINTER-THEMED RHYMING AND LYRICAL PICTURE BOOKS

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.

But first! "HOW do you go about tackling a time-honored topic in a fresh way?" you ask. My top tip: mix up your text structure! There are many fun structures you can apply to your topic. THIS POST by children's author Laura Perdew discusses different text structure options. Try picking a structure from Laura's list that you haven't used before. Or mix two together. What would happen if you combined an "opposites" structure with a "seasonal" structure? A "counting" structure with "cause/effect?" The results might be magical!

Speaking of magic, Laura Gehl certainly captures it in Snow Is . . .  illustrated by Sonia Sánchez. Laura uses a list structure for her book, beginning each page with the words "Snow is" and then describing a specific activity or feeling associated with snow through rhyming couplets. 

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. 

Flurry, Float, and Fly by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Chiara Fedele is another delightful winter picture book. It uses a sequential/process structure to show how snow and snowstorms are formed. 

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

Counting Winter, by Nancy White Carlstrom illustrated by Claudia McGehee, celebrates the rhythm of the tundra and its residents. This lyrical and informative picture book uses a counting structure to bring the winter season to life. 

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