Hello! You're probably reading this because you are a writer. If so, I'll bet you've been asked, "What is your story about?" Knowing your story's aboutness and being able to talk about it in a couple of concise sentences says you're on the right track for delivering a focused story.
What is “Aboutness”:
Some people call “aboutness” the theme. However, that word feels intimidating to me, so I
stick with talking in terms of “aboutness”. Your story will be about something, right? Examples include friendship (Sophie’s Squash), boredom and conflict (The Longest Storm), problem solving (The Teacher’s Pet), navigating a new situation like a first day of school or moving (Evelyn Del Ray is Moving Away), answering the question “Where do babies come from?” (The Baby Tree), ingenuity and kindness (Extra Yarn), bravery (Truman), self-love and the power of words to hurt and heal (BIG), innovation and perseverance (Guitar Genius), curiosity and determinations (The Fire of Stars), trust and friendship (The Elephants Come Home), perspectives (Two Together), the environment and the interconnections of the natural world (A River of Dust: The Life-Giving Link Between North Africa and the Amazon)
etc.
Pro tip: THE MISTAKE to avoid
Oftentimes, new writers believe picture books are about teaching a lesson. They are not.
Have an aboutness without
hitting the reader over the head with a lesson. Entertain with interesting
hooks, words, characters, and action. If a picture book comes across didactic
or “lesson-y”, the young reader will probably tune out. Kids can smell preachy
lessons from a mile away.
I appreciate how Ann Whitford Paul says “Children are wise enough to figure out what a story is about without an explicitly stated moral. We’re in the business of writing engaging stories, not teaching lessons” (Writing Picture Books, page 13).
Good luck with the story you are writing.
Cheers,
Kim
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