What writers and illustrators can learn from…

How to…

*craft a successful all-dialogue text.

*keep the text sparse and still make every word count.

*leave room for amazing interplay in the illustrations.

*make kids crave page turns.

*let the reader in on a secret that the main characters don’t know about.

*build tension gradually and then pow!, deliver a perfect climax.

*infuse innocence and whimsy by choosing the correct color palette.

This. Is. Adorable. So much fun. The all-dialogue text is precise and true to the age and relationship of the sibling characters. The page turns play to a child's curiosity and wanting to read on. This will prompt a child to reread this one over and over again and also want to read it alone or even with a friend or a sibling. (They could each read a part!) So. Much. Fun! I love the subplot in the pictures and how the reader is in on a secret that the characters don't know about. Near the end, the brother is in on a secret that the other doesn't know. So much suspense and the illustrations are perfect in every way. I love the color selections, the scenery, and the expressions on the character's faces that complement the character development. Interplay between text and illustrations is at an all-time high!

Carrie Charley Brownis the founder and co-coordinator of ReFoReMo, or Reading for ResearchMonth, a research challenge and blog focused on mentor texts for picturebook writers. She eats, sleeps, and breathes KidLit as a picture bookwriter, CYBILS panelist, and Regional Advisor for SCBWI North Texas.

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