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In this episode, I talk with children's book editor, Elizabeth Law about her two great loves: children's books and the theater. Specifically, what can picture book authors learn from the theater to make their children's books shine. We talked about similarities in pacing, cadence, anticipation, the importance of the story, and the challenge of turning the adult picture book reader into an actor. Elizabeth's conclusion is that it is fine to learn from plays, musicals, songs and movies, and to study the so-called rules of the picture book mavens. But at the end of the day, it's all about assimilating what fits and doing one's own thing to create the magic that ends up becoming a wonderful book.
Dr. Mel Rosenberg is a children's book author and cofounder of www.Ourboox.com, a website and platform for creating interactive picture books. Mel's debut picture book in North America, EMILY SAW A DOOR, will be published by Penguin Random House in February, 2026 and is available for pre-order. He is represented by the Liza Royce Literary Agency.
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