 Picture books have the remarkable power to captivate young listeners with just a handful of perfectly chosen words. And nothing elevates that magic quite like the rhythm and musicality of poetry. In this article, children's author Peggy Archer shares the poetic tools that make manuscripts sing. Whether you're writing your first picture book or polishing a beloved draft, embracing a “think poetry” mindset can make all the difference. Let's dive in and have fun with words!  I love picture books with a poetic feel. The words create a rhythm that has a musical or lyrical quality—just made to read out loud! Using poetic tools helps to create that read aloud quality. Following are some examples of how using those tools gives that poetic feeling to a picture book. A simile compares objects or concepts to other things using "like" or "as." In Quick as a Cricket, Audrey Wood uses similes to show abstract concepts— I’m as quick as a cricket, I’m as slow as a snail… Just how fast is "quick"? It can be very different for two different people. When the author compares it to that of a cricket it puts the concept into perspective and gives the reader a clear image of just how quick he is. In Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, Joanna Ho uses simile to give a picture of how eyes look here— Some people have eyes like sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns…  Metaphors compare things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’, as in the first line from The Longest Night by Marion Dane Bauer— …The stars are ice, the moon is frost And all the world is still. You might say that the night is cold, but comparing the stars and moon to "ice" and "frost" shows how cold it is. Personification gives a human quality to an object or something that is not human. It can help to show setting and mood. Here’s an example from Hoo's There, by Kristi Valiant— Hampton loved the quiet nighttime when the moon winked and the stars blinked. Winking and blinking are quiet actions. Using personification here adds to the quiet feel of nighttime. Here’s another example from my picture book Three Little Witches and the Spooky Old House— Shiver! Go the curtains in the drafty old house. The word "shiver" gives the curtains a human feeling or action and adds to the spookiness of the story.  Alliteration repeats the beginning sounds of adjacent or close words. In her book Peekity Boo--What Can You Do! by Heidi Bee Roemer, you’ll find lots of words that make this fun to read out loud. Words like-- Splishity splash, Blibbity blub, and Peepity peep. Here's an example from Construction Site: Farming Strong, All Year Long, by Sherri Duskey Rinker. These words using alliteration make it active and lively-- Chicks and chickens peck and peep! In Tammi Sauer’s picture book Ginny Louise and the School Showdown, she uses alliterative names that give clues to the characters’ personalities. Cap’n Catastrophe Destructo Dude Make-My-Day May. Alliteration and consonance are similar in that they repeat the sounds of consonants. In the same way, alliteration and assonance both repeat the sounds of vowels.
In consonance those sounds are repeated in words that are near to each other but not at the beginning of those words. Here’s an example of alliteration vs consonance from The Littlest Yak and the New Arrival, by Lu Fraser-- …On the pointiest peak of a craggy cliff top, (alliteration—letter sounds are at the beginning of words which are adjacent to each other). …Is there something I’ve missed? What else should I share On my big sister list? (consonance—the letter sounds are within words that are near to each other). Assonance repeats vowel sounds in words that are near to each other. There are lots of short "I" sounds in the words here from The Thingity-Jig, by Kathleen Doherty— The Thingity-Jig was a springy thing. And here from Three Little Witches and the Spooky Old House— …scatter goes the magic …rumble-grumble tummy (same vowel sounds in these three words). Buy Peggy's most recent book here: https://tinyurl.com/4hmatevc  Three little witches stir up a surprise in this cozy Halloween read-aloud for fans of Room on the Broom. A trio of witches needs a place to brew their magic, and the spooky old house down a dark road looks just right. It’s full of hairy scary spiders, musty dusty ghosts, creeeeeeaky floorboards, and shivery curtains. But as the witches work, the house seems to grow warmer and brighter. Just what kind of spell are these little witches casting? This not-so-spooky story is just right for reading aloud at bedtime, with a surprise ending that celebrates the best type of magic: the kind that’s shared with friends. Onomatopoeia creates words that imitate sounds. In Plenty of Pancakes, Carrie Finison uses these words to show what’s happening-- Five perfect pancakes, hot from the pan… THUNK! “Who’s there?” MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH And more from Three Little Witches and the Spooky Old House-- Whoosh! Goes the wind. Hoot! Goes an owl. Slap! Go the shutters Internal rhyme is a rhyme within a line. It adds to the rhythm of a picture book and helps set the tone. Here’s an example from Venetian Lullaby, a lyrical bedtime book by Judith L. Roth-- Dipping oars and curtain doors Sigh their lullabies. And from my picture book A Hippy-Hoppy Toad-- …under bunchy, crunchy leaves came an easy, breezy song. Repetition helps create rhythm. It can help show an idea or concept. It also encourages the child who is listening to read along when those lines are repeated later in the story. Repetition can come at places within the story, such as in God's Always Loving Me, by Janna Matthies-- …who is bigger than the storm? God, that’s who. And later… …who is there to rest your head? God, that’s who. And so on throughout the story. Cumulative repetition increases tension and makes the challenge even more fun as in The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams. The text goes from: And the shoes went CLOMP, CLOMP, to Two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, One pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE… The author ads more repeated lines as the story goes on. Or repetition can come at the end of the lines, as in Kim Norman’s Give Me Back My Bones!— A stormy night has passed here And toppled every mast here. The ocean, flowing fast here… Has scattered all my bones! Those last words are not necessary, but they add emphasis to what’s happening in each line. Have fun with your words when writing your picture book! And don’t forget to think "poetry."  Peggy Archer is the author of children's picture books including fiction and poetry collections. Her picture book, A HIPPY-HOPPY TOAD (Schwartz & Wade/PRH) was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a 2019 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award finalist. It received the SCBWI Crystal Kite award and was on Bank Street Books 2019 Best Children's Books of the Year. Her up-coming picture book, THREE LITTLE WITCHES AND THE SPOOKY OLD HOUSE, will be released from Little Brown Young Readers in August 2026. Archer is a member of SCBWI and the Authors Guild as well as critique groups with other children's writers. She enjoys speaking to students and adults about her books and writing for children. Outside of writing, she enjoys reading mysteries, doing word and number puzzles, walking and spending time with her family. Mother of six grown children and grandmother/ Gramma/ Gram-Cracker/ G-ma/ Nana/ GeGe, she and her husband live in Valparaiso, IN. You can find out more at: www.peggyarcher.com  Attend a Writers Conference in 2026:
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