Today I have Alison Reynolds visiting at Spinning Pearls as part of her tour with her amazing picture book A Year With Marmalade.
Hi
Sally! Thank you for inviting me to the lovely Spinning Pearls.
I
was wondering why picture books are such a popular genre to write. My
publisher asked me to write a picture book with a background of the
seasons and A Year with Marmalade emerged. But could I have written
it as a chapter book? I don’t think it would have worked half as
well. The juxtaposition between the words and illustrations is half
the music.
5
Reasons to write picture books
- 
They’re
 short. BUT this does not mean they are easy to write. Mem Fox took 2
 years to write the 487 words of Koala
 Lou. 
  
- 
You
 can achieve a clarity and simplicity that is hard to maintain over a
 longer piece of work. 
- 
They
 can look and feel fabulous. I love the textured trunk on the cover
 of A Year with Marmalade. Many picture books are actual works of
 art. 
  
- 
It’s
 fascinating to have an illustrator interpret/add to your story. 
  
- 
Both
 small and big children love them. For many of us, picture books are
 our first exposure to literature. Picture books are fun! 
Do
any other writers out there like to write picture books? Why?
Thanks
for hosting the A Year with Marmalade tour, Sally.
Looking
forward to seeing your new work Bushland Lullaby soon!
 
Thanks, Alison... Now, see below for a competition and the other stops in the blog tour.
 
CONTEST
 
Marmalade’s
personality really shines through in Alison Reynolds and Heath
McKenzie's newest picture book A
Year with Marmalade.
Share your favourite picture showing your cat's personality to win. 
Entries
close on the 1st of September 
 
 
 
Follow the tour!
 
Blog Tour
7th  August  Dee
White 
9th  August  Karen
Tyrrell 
11th August  Tania McCartney
13th August  Pass It On 
14th August  Kathryn Apel
17th August  Dale Harcombe
20th August 
Peter Taylor
22nd August 
Susan Stephenson 
23rd August 
Robyn Opie Parnell
27th August 
Sally Odgers
29th  August  Angela Sunde
31st August Chris Bell