Jennifer Shand's Blog

Okay, maybe not repetition that is that obvious or redundant. But there is still something to be said for repeating things in writing for children. We have to remember that, as adults, we take it for granted that we have been exposed to things over and over again. For a child, however, everything is new and they are discovering the world one experience at a time. They look for clues in everything they do to learn about the world around them. Books and being read to are great allies for them in this journey of discovery and expedites those clues for them. And to help with expediting those clues even more, use repetition. This can mean repeating the same word or phrase over and over exactly or repeating a phrase with certain variations. When looking for books with variations, there are so many examples. Think back to classics, such as GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS. In this book, for every different experience Goldilocks encountered, the text would repeat the beginning of each statement. Goldilocks would say, “this porridge is too cold,” then, “this porridge is too hot,” or, “this porridge is just right.” She would repeat phrases for everything she tried. Then when the bears returned home, they would repeat the same phrasing too for each thing they discovered, whether it be the porridge or the chair, etc. and then baby bear would add a little to the line. Father Bear would say, “someone ate my porridge,” and Mother Bear would say, “someone ate my porridge,” and then baby bear would say, “someone ate my porridge and it is all gone!” Next, let’s look at LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD which does something similar by repeating a phrase but with variations. As you may know, the phrase “All the better to … you with,” is repeated many times. In the version of this book, which is my personal retelling, it includes, “All the better to hug you with,” “All the better to hear you with,” and “All the better to see you with!” As we discussed earlier, the repetition doesn’t have to be repeating the same thing exactly over and over again. Repetition is used here with little tweaks each time. The tweaks keep it interesting for the child but using the repetition reinforces a concept for them to learn, grow from, and acquire more clues to build their skills. A writer can also use repetition to solidify the message you want your manuscript to communicate. Exact repetition does the same thing for children. It reinforces a concept or message but it also allows a child to learn a pattern and be able to predict what is coming. If you’ve been around a child, you know they love it when they feel they know what is coming or that they can predict something. It makes them feel that they are learning the world around them and learning about behavior which encourages them to keep learning and makes learning more enjoyable for them. For an example of this, look to Dr. Seuss’ ARE YOU MY MOTHER? In this book, the text repeats the title question over and over throughout the entire book as the bird searches for his mother. For my Why Do series, I repeat “No, that’s silly!” to each answer to teach a child that the first answer is not to be taken seriously. I highly recommend repetition because children love it, it makes them feel encouraged and it reinforces learning concepts and messages.

I've been writing about literary techniques and the next one is all about the drama – hyperbole. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is usually not taken seriously. Hyperbole is possibly the most effective way to add silliness and humor to your writing. I use hyperbole in my Why Do series frequently. In this series, a question is asked and then a silly answer is given that contains hyperbole before the real and serious answer is given. For example, as you can see in WHY DO TRACTORS HAVE SUCH BIG TIRES, for the title question, the first answer is, “Is it so they can crush the other machines on the farm?” This is hyperbole because it is obvious that the tractors are not used to do this. Even if it is not obvious for the child at first, then it becomes a learning experience because the book then answers the question with, “No, that’s silly!” This tells the child that the first answer is not to be taken seriously because it is hyperbole. This is further reinforced in the book because the next part gives the real answer. I have been told by many parents that their children love the silly answers so much that it keeps them listening for the real answers. This is how it can grab and then, keep the reader/listener’s attention and make them lean in to the story.

One of the best writers at using hyperbole was Roald Dahl. You can find hyperbole is all of his books such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach or The Witches, among others. He used it for several reasons, to add fun or drama, or to suggest the magnitude of a situation or to convey emotions, and other things. Here are two examples from the book BFG, “The wind rushing against Sophie’s face became so strong that she had to duck down again into the blanket to prevent her head from being blown away." As you can see here, the hyperbole is that her head would be blown away. Though her head won’t really be blown away, Dahl used this to communicate the strength of the wind. He also had her duck down under a blanket to convey her emotions of panic and fear. In this example, we can also see how hyperbole can be a great tool in showing, not telling. Writers are always told, “show, don’t tell” in your writing. In this example, instead of saying the wind was fierce (telling), the author showed us it was fierce from the hyperbole. Even without an illustration we could picture the wind and the action but it wasn’t just told to us, it was shown. Hyperbole is a great way to help a reader picture in their mind what you are describing. Another example of showing and hyperbole, once again, in BFG, is “The houses looked bent and crooked, like houses in a fairy tale." Here the hyperbole was used to show how quickly Sophie and the Giant were traveling. It also gave a fun and whimsical effect.

For a writing exercise, look at your manuscript or if you don’t have one, think of hyperbolic statements to convey humor, movement or emotion. Or use hyperbole to set up a situation that is exaggerated and then give the real answer/situation, even in non-fiction like in my Why Do series. Or think of familiar sayings with hyperbole such as, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse,” or “It’s raining cats and dogs,” and how you could add them to your manuscript or they may even give you an idea for a new manuscript. To sum up, try using hyperbole, not just for drama and humor, but also to show, not tell.

Let’s look a little at a literary and language lesson: alliteration. See what I did there? Alliteration is using the same letter or sound over and over again, especially at the beginning of each word. Using alliteration is a great way to grab the attention of your reader. This is because the brain is wired to see patterns, such as alliteration, and the brain picks up on patterns quickly. This makes a person really lean in to your writing and it is pleasing to the mind. Therefore, your reader will enjoy your writing more. Alliteration adds fun too. Just think of the tongue twisters you loved as a child. They were fun because of the alliteration. Remember, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood or Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers? Another pro to using alliteration is that when a string of words all start with the same letter, it can help group them. This can be helpful if you are trying to convey a theme or message in your writing. For example, if you wanted a fruit theme, instead of listing apples, bananas and oranges, try using pineapples, pears, peaches and papayas. I believe alliteration is especially beneficial in poetry and nursery rhyme because it is lulling and lyrical. The most beneficial reason to use alliteration for children is in teaching them to read. Repeating a letter over and over makes the reader pay attention to that letter and, more importantly for a new reader, to the sound it makes. This helps them sound out letters and words and learn to read faster. When a child sees the same letter over and over again and then hears the same sound over and over again, their brain puts it together faster that is the sound that letter makes.

I use alliteration in my Sounds from the… series. These books are based on sounds and I wanted them to have rhythm. I think using alliteration gives a manuscript rhythm. This is especially important for books for the very young because these books are being read aloud to someone else. I think and hope that the alliteration gives the reader a natural rhythm to make the flow better and therefore, to be more enjoyable for both the reader and the listener. As children's book writers, it is important to remember that you want the person who is reading aloud to enjoy your book as well.

Alliteration is also frequently used in book titles to make them flow better and to be more memorable. Think of Jane Austin with Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility or Charles Dickens with Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol. If you would like, try a writing exercise. If you have a manuscript with a theme or message, think of words for that theme or message that all start with the same letter or try to arrange your title to use alliteration or if you don’t have a manuscript, but have an idea for one, and know the theme or message, then do the same exercise with alliterative words or a title. One example, if the theme for your book is going back to school, then try listing that you need pencils and paper to practice punctuation. And your classes might include reading, writing and recess where you will read, write and run. Or your teacher may be amazingly awesome and attentive. In summary, alliteration provides many, many benefits to your manuscript such as being educational and enjoyable, providing flow and reinforcing your theme.

Pop! Boom! Did that get your attention? I hope it not only got your attention but also made this article more fun. Pop and boom are examples of onomatopoeia. The use of onomatopoeia in your writing is a great way to engage readers, especially young readers. Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word that phonetically imitates the sound that it describes. More simply put, it’s a word or group of words that is also a sound or that imitates a sound. This sound is also usually the common sound of the object it’s describing. Other examples of onomatopoeia are beep, buzz, clink, crack, gurgle, honk, splash, squeak, zip and zoom, just to name a few. Onomatopoeia is a tool, like alliteration or rhyme that an author can use to make their work more interesting, appealing and lively. It is extremely useful in writing because it helps the writer to describe sounds more accurately. It may also be helpful for children learning to speak as onomatopoeia are usually among a child’s first words, such as animal sounds. Onomatopoeia also helps children learn to read. There are many reasons to use onomatopoeia and different ways to use it. Most of all, the use of onomatopoeia can make your writing more fun!

In my books, Moo, Moo, Chew, Chew: Sounds from the Farm and Roar, Roar, Growl, Growl: Sounds from the Jungle, I use onomatopoeia as the main ingredient of the book. The focus is the onomatopoeia itself, along with a little alliteration and rhyme. For example, in Moo, Moo, Chew, Chew, the text reads, “I hear oink, oink, oink and snort, snort, snort! Wallow, wallow, wallow and squeal, squeal, squeal! What is that?” With the next spread revealing that it’s a pig for little minds to discover. In this excerpt, oink, snort and squeal are three uses of onomatopoeia. Another example from Roar, Roar, Growl, Growl reads, “I hear croak, croak, croak and grunt, grunt, grunt! Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit with a hop, hop, hop! What is that?” With the next page once again being the reveal that it’s a frog. In this case, croak, grunt and ribbit are all examples. In both of these excerpts, the sounds the animals are making are used as onomatopoeia and their movements are added to give extra clues. In my other books, Honk, Honk, Vroom, Vroom: Sounds from the City, Rumble, Rumble, Grumble, Grumble: Sounds from the Sky, Toot, Toot, Hoot, Hoot: Sounds from the Symphony, and Ring, Ring, Click, Clack: Sounds from School, onomatopoeia continues to be the main ingredient but with fewer animal sounds. Groan, crunch, screech, ring, cha-ching, whistle, splat, crash, whirl, hiss, peck, squeak, and crackle are all examples of onomatopoeia from these books.

It is also very popular to use onomatopoeia in comic books and graphic novels. You might see words like pow, bang, whiz and kaboom all with exclamation points after them. These words allow the writer to convey not only sounds but also action. This makes the work more attention grabbing and captivating. Another way to use onomatopoeia is in the narrative to make the story more interesting and lively. For example, instead of writing, “When the boy returned, the puppy joyfully wagged his tail,” you could write, “When the boy returned, the puppy joyfully wagged his tail with a swish, swish, swish.” In this example, the onomatopoeia is used as describing the sound of an action and not only makes the passage more descriptive but it makes it more fun. Making your writing more descriptive and more fun are both important. It is important to make the writing as fun as possible to keep the reader’s attention. Being descriptive is important for young minds because they are using these descriptions along with their imagination and the illustrations to make sense of the book. Beyond that, they are using books and the words in them to make sense of the world around them that they are newly discovering. Onomatopoeia gives them more clues in this discovery and gives them an advantage on this journey. The use of onomatopoeia adds many positive features to a manuscript and overall can make your writing stand out from the crowd.

A great literary technique to add to your work to make it more appealing is to use something that is familiar. It may be familiar to the child or the adult purchasing the book. Either way, it is a great choice because familiarity adds nostalgia and this appeals to everyone. It can also be a teaching device for a child to learn something from the past. When I was young, my piano teacher used to always refer to Looney Tunes cartoons to help me recognize classical music such as Mozart or Beethoven. These cartoons used this music to not only introduce children to it but to also conjure the familiar because this is something people enjoy. Another benefit to using something familiar is to add emotion to your writing. If you reference a love story that people know, such as King Arthur and Guinevere, then that creates an emotion that people connect to instantly. I referenced King Arthur and Guinevere in my new novel, The Last Elf Daughter, not only to add emotion to the scene, but to also create nostalgia, in the hopes of hooking readers early in the book. Here is an excerpt from this novel, the speaker at first being Rose, the main character’s mother: “Of course, there were some elves that would fall in love with humans, but it was forbidden. That is, until the marriage of King Arthur to Guinevere, an elf.” “What!?” Evie interjected. “King Arthur is a real story? And Guinevere was an elf?” “”Yes and yes,” her mother replied. “King Arthur was a real king and Guinevere was an elf. Merlin was an elf too. He was the most magical elf that ever lived. That is how King Arthur met Merlin. The elves introduced them. But that is another story, back to King Arthur and Guinevere. They randomly met one day and there was an instant attraction between them. It did not take too long and they fell in love.” So, in that little excerpt, we can see that the familiar story is used to add nostalgia and emotion. I also used the familiar to put a new spin on the idea of being an elf, which on its own, an elf is also something familiar to readers, as characters in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. My hope is that the familiarity of King Arthur, Guinevere, and elves will draw in new readers for me. This leads to my next point. By referencing the familiar, you can also gain new readers if you’re a new author or if readers just aren’t familiar with you but are familiar with and fans of the subject you refer to. You can do this by using a specific familiar character, such as Cinderella, and putting a new twist on her story, like many books and movies have done. Or it can be a familiar story or message, like anything by Shakespeare. I also like using familiarity because it helps someone understand what you are trying to explain faster. Like in this blog post, I have referenced examples I thought you all would be familiar with to expedite your understanding of what I was trying to explain. So, use it to help explain a subject too. Familiarity is an excellent way to connect with readers, especially if you are a new author and you need to gain fans without them knowing you, but they know the character or subject and are already fans of it.