Creating Picture Books

Enhance your students’ literacy through Creating Picture Books

This tailored workshop encourages students to experiment with their own creative writing to create stories they can share with their families and friends. Creating Picture Books is suitable for a range of primary and secondary school year levels and is a means of starting the process of creating a picture book.

Prep to Year 2: Learning about beginnings, middles and endings

Students in this age group discuss story ideas, plan their drawings and work towards creating a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Using familiar texts, students look at how characters’ motivations can influence their stories.

Years 3 & 4: Using humour to convey character

Students in Years 3 and 4 also work on character motivation, story structure and illustrations, with the added theme of using humour as a way to convey character. Familiar texts are used to identify what makes some stories funny and others not.

Years 5 & 6: Non-fiction picture books to demonstrate knowledge

Students in Years 5 and 6 being the process of creating a nonfiction picture book for a younger audience, usually in Prep to Year 2. The students usually choose topics within the school’s learning areas of Science, Technologies, Humanities, Maths, The Arts, English or Languages, but teachers may allow different topics according to student needs.
The workshop focuses on how to plan a nonfiction text and sourcing illustrations and images, with an emphasis on helping younger readers understand the topic.

Years 7 to 12: Tailored creative writing workshops

I work with English teachers to create tailored creative writing workshops that meet individual class requirements. These workshops include the concepts of creating engaging characters, sourcing images and holding the reader’s attention. They may also look at aspects of the editing process and how the publishing industry works, according to school needs.

Why engage me?

I’m an industry professional who knows how to connect with students and meet their literacy needs. I also love writing and reviewing picture books and have reviewed them for Magpies Magazine for over 7 years.My workshops are aimed squarely at enhancing your students’ literacy skills…but they will also create picture books that they and their families will cherish.
…And you’ll be able to enjoy the process, knowing that your curriculum goals will be met and your budget well spent.