[sarah-garcia-morgan Posts: 101 Status: Offline]

Not to hog the board, but I’m a newbie with lots of questions 😊 and you are all so helpful.  So...  on my mind right now is how accurate do PBs with a clear fantasy element have to be?  I’m thinking of hidden places that I can remember having fantasies about as a 6yo and my 3yo also has fantasies about- like the plumbing or what’s under the floor.  As long as it’s clearly fantasy and consistent with the sorts of things picture book age children imagine, is it acceptable to take some liberties (ex: the pipes running to the ocean without mentioning the water treatment plant)?

[onestepp Posts: 139 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I believe you can write fantasy any way you'd like and make it believable so that it would be understood and sell well.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 7,009 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Just make sure your tone is clearly fantasy so readers won't believe what you're saying is real. Have that fantasy element up front and centered, if you will.

[Vijaya Posts: 7,172 Status: Offline Encourage WWW]

Kids love make-believe and fantasy, so as long as you are consistent with the world you create I don't see any problem. I'm personally fond of fantastical elements in our natural world, like Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher or like in The Borrowers. Although these are MG novels, the principles apply to PBs as well. Good luck with your story!

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,262 Status: Offline]

Sarah: any fictional will tell you that a child loves the fantasy/fictional world. It's a place where they can go to a place that's just for them.
When I started writing I asked subtle questions of the reader. Or put the character in a place/predicament the reader can talk about it. Once you have a problem the reader can work through you'll probably have them hooked.
Vijaya is completely right. I love the borrowers!
My collection of stories with The Kitchen Clan is loosely based on them.
Best of luck & keep us posted.

[JodyJS Posts: 1,316 Status: Offline Who you gonna call? EMERGENCY KITTENS! WWW]

Sarah, Go for it! Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is all about fantastical elements. Have fun!

[JulieM Posts: 988 Status: Offline WWW]

Referring you to the work of Shaun Tan, most recently Cicada, as examples of how "unreal" fantasy picture books can be.

[sarah-garcia-morgan Posts: 101 Status: Offline]

Thank you all for your thoughts and the fun reading suggestions.  I will be checking them out!