Children’s Book “Rules” Worth Breaking
- Ari
- Sep 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 7
Breaking Tradition to Tell Your Story in Your Own Unique Way
When I first started learning about children’s book illustration, I kept coming across this invisible checklist of “rules” everyone seemed to follow. But after doing some research—reading what literary agents were asking for, studying illustrator portfolios, and listening to what working illustrators are saying—I realized something: these rules aren’t set in stone! In fact, the industry is changing fast, and sometimes breaking the rules is exactly what makes your work memorable. So let’s talk about a few traditions we can start bending (or tossing out entirely).
1) You Must Draw Children
When people have portfolio checklists, the number one thing they ask for is illustrated children in different poses and expressions. While I believe it’s important to know how to draw kids, I think you can get away with drawing other things as your main character! I’ve been noticing so many more books that don’t even have people in them. I’ve even seen books where the main character is a sock, haha!
Right now, the most important thing is the lesson the book teaches, how the story is told, and if the book has personality. So if your story’s lesson doesn’t really need people, go for it! Who knows—your quirky, unexpected main character might just be the thing that makes your book unforgettable!
2) Wide Spread, Half Pages, and Spot Illustrations Only
Wide Spread Pages: When the illustration stretches all the way across both pages when the book is open.
Spot Illustrations: A small drawing without a background, usually showing just one object, character, or moment. It’s like a little “floating” picture on the page.
Single-page Illustration: The illustration fills just one page of the open book, with the other page often showing text, another smaller illustration, or a different scene.
When I first began sketching my book, I didn’t do any actual research on the anatomy of a children's book. I literally just folded my paper into four squares and started sketching out my story from there. Because I was so hell-bent on this style, I began illustrating about halfway through before realizing I should’ve made some pages with spot illustrations and full wide spread pages.
I then delved deeper to see if there were any books with just a half-page image and a poem on the other page. I found some amazing books such as Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy, Hondo and Fabian by Peter McCarty, and Stellaluna by Janell Cannon.
That’s when I realized you can lay out your book however you please! I’ve even started noticing other layouts like the graphic design bento layouts within children's books, which adds a fresh perspective to the page.
I personally like having my book with the image on one side so you can really look at the image without text getting in the way. You can take in the image while reading the poem next to it. But I do plan to eventually do the traditional layouts in the future, specifically the widespread pages, which are fantastic for showing landscape imagery—one of my favorite things to illustrate!
3) Avoid Saturated Colors
I’ve noticed some illustrators saying that highly saturated colors make the art feel less traditional and suggest using more subdued colors. But when I go to bookstores, I honestly see more saturated colors in children's books! At this point, I think it’s just a preference that some people gravitate towards. For me, I love saturated colors! I’m not sure if I would ever do any subdued illustrations, but hey, maybe I will one day!
I believe as the industry continues to grow, there will be more space for even more creativity and out-of-the-box ideas. I think there are rules we can eventually break once we figure them out. For example, drawing a human body—once you understand how to draw the human body, it’s time to play around with the figure to make it your own. Maybe turn it into an alien? Just kidding! Do what feels right for you!
4) No Negative Situations
When I began looking up literary agents, I noticed many said no harmful messages like hurting or depression. But this is honestly something we need to think about! We need to teach our children the right messages, even if they might have to go to a dark place to get there. That’s why I wrote my book about a girl who loses her grandma and experiences depression for the first time.
Most (not all) books that are getting published look like rainbows and sunshine, always portraying happiness. But the books that are getting self-published talk more about difficult situations like bullying, pain, and loss, which I think needs to change. It’s clear people want to discuss these things because this topic is only growing.
Final Thoughts
As a self-taught illustrator, I’ve learned that sometimes the best work happens when you break the rules—and that’s exactly the energy I’m bringing to my very first illustrated children’s book, coming out in just a few months! If you enjoy talking about the art (and the chaos) of creating children’s books, feel free to follow along for more tips and behind-the-scenes magic. And if you’d like to snag a special signed edition of my debut book, you can join my email list below so you’re the first to know when it’s ready!
Also, remember that embracing your unique style is key! Whether you’re illustrating a sock or a spaceship, let your creativity shine!
