How I Get Ideas for My Children’s Books

As a children’s author, people often ask me how I come up with ideas for my picture books. I’m very lucky. Generally, they just pop into my head, triggered by a random thought, a topic for an event, an incident or a comment someone makes in passing. Unfortunately, due to time and budgetary constraints, only a few ideas become actual children’s picture books. (If only I could draw. Then budgetary constraints would not be an issue… sigh.)

A number of my story ideas originated at Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, Ontario. (Fanshawe Pioneer Village is a heritage museum that has houses, stores and other buildings as well as activities that show how life was lived in the 19th century in London and Middlesex County.) I started storytelling there when my daughter was little. (I’d done it in classrooms for years when I used to teach, but not in a formal manner.) I’d have to come up with a story that coordinated with their special events.

Children’s author Susan R. Ross with Abby from DOGS DON’T GO TO SCHOOL! and daughter Rachel at Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

The idea for THE GREAT BELLYBUTTON COVER-UP originated when I needed a story for a sheep shearing event at at Fanshawe Pioneer Village. So I thought, What if one of the sheep won the contest for the loviest wool at the fair but then she was sheared! And everyone could see her BELLYBUTTON! How embarrassing! She’d need to find something else to wear, obviously.

When my daughter Rachel was around 3 years old we started volunteering at the village. For several years we fed the many animals that used to reside there. (Well, okay. I did most of the work but she had an awesome time!) We called one of the sheep ‘Violet’ so naturally that was the name of the star of my story.

When I told the story at Western Fair (London, Ontario) I switched the story’s location to the fair. I decided to stick to the fair as the venue when I eventually wrote the book.

Violet at the fair looking for something new to wear.

The next ‘Violet’ book, SAY PLEASE TO THE HONEYBEES, was created due to children at my school visits demanding a second ‘Violet’ picture book. This time I decided it was only fair (no pun intended) to use Fanshawe Pioneer Village as the venue. Violet is sheared yet again but this time her wool is a sticky mess from the honey she’s swiped from the bees without saying, “Please.” Once again naked (a word not used in the book due to prudish editors - who knew the people I’ve known for years were so staid), Violet sneaks around the village attempting to hide until she finds something new to wear.  She encounters a very rude horse, some rude spiders and some unfriendly geese. Aside from Farmer Shepherd’s home, all the buildings and backgrounds in the illustrations are based on those at Fanshawe Pioneer Village. No worries, Violet finally learns to be polite.

NOTE: No animals or humans were stung in the writing of this book.

The horse is eating the honey sweetened hay. Did he say, “Can I please eat some hay?” No, he did not.

THE KIT KAT CAPER was created for a Halloween event at the village. I love Kit Kats so I created a story about a little witch who is treat-or-treating around the neighbourhood. But she only wants Kit Kats! How rude! I added a bat and a cat when I wrote the book. I love this story because it’s about ME! It’s my autobiography!

Okay, I didn’t actually walk around the neighbourhood on my knees trying to rake in as many Kit Kats as I could, but that’s only because I have bad knees.

This little witch is the author/mother-in-the-story walking around on her knees! Some people will do anything for a Kit Kat!

THE ROSE AND THE LILY was created for the village’s strawberry event. Prickly, pampered Princess Rose wants the perfect fruit and will only marry the prince who is enamoured by her beauty if he satisfies her whim. But the prince has a hard time finding the perfect fruit. When I told this story at the London International Children’s Festival (London, Ontario) I changed the search from one for fruit to a search for a unique hairpin. I used the latter in my picture book.

Can you find the mouse hidden in the border and the illustration?

DOGS DON’T GO TO SCHOOL! originated when I had my fluffy white Bichon Frise, Sophie, and then my teeny, tiny terrier, Abby. I would walk my daughter to school and take the dog for a walk at the same time. It is in my nature to kibitz. (That’s Yiddish for acting in a light-hearted, joking manner.) I would tell the children the dog was going to school as well. When Rachel no longer went to public school I’d ask the children if Sophie or Abby could go to school with them. Perhaps she could hide in their backpack? I thought it was hilarious so I decided that a dog going to school would make a funny children’s book.

The salesgirl is appalled at the mess Grandma is making. I hope she cleaned it up.

DRAT THAT CAT! was created for a much more serious reason, although the book is meant to make children giggle. There were a lot of stray cats roaming around our neighbourhood thanks to an irresponsible neighbour. If I managed to catch them I either adopted them or found them homes. It was driving me nuts. I wrote DRAT THAT CAT! to encourage people to neuter their pets.

Find ten cats in the kitchen.

EMMA THE MOUSE BRINGS JOY TO THE HOUSE. was conceived at a corn event at Fanshawe Pioneer Village, The story was about a mouse who wanted long hair. She tried many options for wigs but the best was cornsilk. Somehow thoughts of my childhood friend who died of leukaemia in grade six popped into my head. I don’t know how I connected the two but somehow the two thought merged and a story about a child losing her hair due to chemotherapy was created. The mouse is her best friend. First the mouse makes herself wigs then she uses her amazing creativity to help her best friend cope with her hair loss. I eventually rewrote and replaced the original title with WILLOW’S WONDERFUL WIGS which targeted a younger audience.

With the help of her siblings, Willow created this beautiful wig for Sydney.

Ideas pop into my head all the time. Storytelling is easy for me. The hard part is writing a well-written picture book. It is much different than just telling the story. Everything has to be just so: vocabulary, rhythm, etc, . But that’s for another blog.

And here’s a new idea!.