A Book Takes Root, The Making of a Picture Book

Traces the process of making a picture book, from idea to manuscript to final publication

Grade 3-6-Carefully shot, full-color photographs and solid information clearly describe the almost miraculous creation of a picture book. An actual title-Elizabeth Thomas's Green Beans (Carolrhoda, 1992)-is the result. The author is shown developing her idea, refining and rewriting, until the final draft of the manuscript is ready for the publisher. The story is then examined by the editor, publisher, and marketing people, and an illustrator is chosen. The artist's interpretation of the characters and making the dummy; the designer's choice of typeface; and the work of the typesetter and keyliner are all delineated. Then the process of four-color printing is clearly explained. Finally comes the binding and casing-in. A sense of wonder and excitement is never lost through all the explanations. Aliki's How a Book Is Made (Crowell, 1986), with lighthearted watercolors, presents similar information in a simpler text. Rodney Martin's The Making of a Picture Book (1989) also tells the story of the evolution of a particular book, The Dinosaur in the Park (1987; o.p., both Gareth Stevens), but Green Beans is more readily available for children to see.
-Sylvia S. Marantz, formerly at Worthington Schools, Columbus, OH
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.