A Book Takes Root: The Making of a Picture Book

An updated edition of The Puzzle of Books illustrates and explains each step involved in the process of making a book, covering every stage from the manuscript to the bound and printed final result.

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.

Even publishing professionals might profit from a perusal of this photo-essay explanation of a book's conception and production. Kehoe ( The Puzzle of Books ) begins at the very beginning, introducing one Betsy Thomas who thinks she might like to write a children's book. We follow Betsy as she chews her pen and writes draft after draft before sending out her manuscript. In the only inauthentic moment here, the book is accepted by the first publisher that sees it (Carolrhoda). Then we watch as the editor, artist and designer perform their work on the manuscript, on its way to becoming the picture book Green Beans . Streamlined but accurate passages define production technology, from mechanicals to color separators, from stripping to folding and gathering. (No snags befall the production process--which is either a second lapse in authenticity or an indication of Carolrhoda's unique good fortune.) Accessible and energetic, Kehoe's book stimulates readers' curiosity about everyday objects even as it delivers comprehensive information. Ages 7-11.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.