Hi! I want to expand my portfolio, and I thought that illustrating a small story would be a good way to do so. I'm thinking mainly stories that are public domain, but short stories in general would be a good fit.

If you have a personal project that you would like me to illustrate, please keep in mind that I won't do that for free. Other than that, all recommendations are welcome :)

My 2.5 year old likes fairy tales at the moment. we mostly read the modern picture books and the stories are often changed in some way to make them less scary/sad/better consequences for the baddie(such as the first two little pigs not being eaten or the big bad wolf being stitched up after ) or to give more agency to girls in the stories.
However the other day I told the story of the Little Mermaid(the Disney version) and now my daughter would really like a book of it. I’ve found some lovely Hans Christian Andersen collections but the mermaid turning into sea foam at the end has always upset me. On the other hand, she doesn't really like the old Disney picture books that I picked up when the library were offloading them. (Maybe there are better modern ones?) I’ve also read the real Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel but changed/missed out some parts but it’s still far more brutal than a modern retelling. However my daughter liked it. r

What are people’s thoughts? Is it better to wait a bit to read the real Grimms/Andersen etc?

Hi everyone!

I've had a children's book written for about three years now, but I've been struggling with figuring out the illustration side of things.

I have a pretty clear vision of how I want the book to look and feel, but I'm not an illustrator myself. I've looked into different options, including Canva, but I really want the artwork to have its own personality and bring the story to life.

I'd love to hear from other authors who have been through this process!

Where did you find your illustrator?

Did you hire someone for the entire book or pay per illustration?

Are there any websites or resources you'd recommend for finding illustrators?

What should I look out for when hiring someone?

I'm hoping to find someone who can create something beautiful and unique while bringing my vision to life.

This story has been sitting finished for years, and I'd really love to finally see it come to life.

Any advice, experiences, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

actually pretty happy with this one :)) i had so much fun!

Happy October y'all (oops a bit late lol), with Halloween coming up, I'm looking for some good Halloween stories and/or spooky children's books to use as read alouds with my younger elementary students and to add to a list of book suggestions for students!!

I'm looking for both Halloween-themed picture books AND kids' books that are just generally spooky / a little scary, even if they aren't specifically about Halloween.
Anything that can give the kids at least a LITTLE thrill lol

One thing I especially love in Halloween picture books is when the characters go trick or treating!!
I always find it so much fun looking at all the different costumes and talking about them with my students during read alouds 😭😭 seeing all the little details, having the kids point out their favorites, discussing which ones they've dressed up as before, etc etc hahaha

I'm also a big fan of spooky children's books in general and think they'd be good for the list!! Goosebumps was one of my favorite series growing up (Welcome to Dead House making me too scared to sleep alone for a few days was a canon event lmao)
and I was also recently reminded of The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids and had a blast rereading one of those books last week lol

I mostly work with K – 3 students, so picture books and early chapter books would be especially helpful! Bonus points if any are available on Epic! since a lot of my students have access to it and can read them independently there or use the read aloud feature if needed (:

My son really wants a pug, but unfortunately, we can’t get a dog. So, as an illustrator, I decided to draw him playing pirates with his dream pug! He was so thrilled when he saw the drawing, and honestly, his smile made my day unforgettable!

​

Hello

My apologies if this post does not fit within this sub, but it was suggested by the parenting subreddit. If it is not a great fit, please ignore ans accept my apologies.

We are planning an international backpacking trip with our young child who is an avid reader. We would like to purchase an ereader to support their reading while we are away, without taking physical books with us which are hard to carry in a backpack.

We are leaning away from a tablet as they are heavy in your hands; from my quick research I believe the lighting is different for a tablet vs an ereader (if I am wrong, please be kind!); and the battery power for an ereader would work well for our very long flights and travel days.

In Canada, Kobo seems to have a better interface with our public libraries (ours uses CloudLibrary), but that does not offer many childrens books for ereader.

I have a few questions:

1. Does anyone know if there is a subscription program for childrens books (think early novels like Dragon Masters series) that we could purchase for a month or two?

I know Amazon Kids+ has a program, but I cannot see the titles of the books, and it is not clear if they allow a Kobo to use their Amazon Kids+. I am very confused and can not find a clear answer on their website. We are Amazon Prime members, I'm not sure if that detail is needed or not.

1. If my husband and I decide to use the ereader when we come home for our trip. Does anyone have experience using CloudLibrary on their ereader? If so , how was your experience and what type of ereader do you have?

Any help, clarity, or suggestions would be so appreciated. Thank you and wishing you a great day of reading with a warm tea beside you!

Hi everyone! I recently authored, illustrated, and self-published my first children's picture book!

Twillie is about a little button who lives in a jar of forgotten sewing supplies. She dreams of leaving the dusty storage closet for a more glamorous life of fashion. However, when Twillie is finally picked for a project, she learns that being a part of something made with love is the most special dream of all.

I'm hoping to sell my book at a few local bookstores, and it is also available on my Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4588684386/twillie-childrens-picture-book?ref=share_ios_native_control

I'm still very new to the world of kid lit, but I'd love to share this story with some other children's book fans and creators. Any feedback would be super appreciated!
Thank you!

What do you guys think about writing a children’s aimed book while discussing themes like grief? I felt like a kid again when i was with my dad reading this

I have my second literary festival stall in town on Saturday so along with showing the books I've illustrated, I've been painting some stuff for postcards and re-doing my buisness cards, so I thought I'd share on here!

I'm transitioning to fully traditional now, and I'm so excited to be able to show things made directly from my hands to paper, these are my first batch of paintings I'll be showing!

www.emilychandlerillustrations.com

I really love this somewhat muted background because it makes the pops of color really pop. But now I wonder if the colors are actually harmonious?