[Franzilla Posts: 998 Status: Offline Gah! WWW]

Did it occur to anyone, back when Twilight was first kicking off, that it would trickle down to picture books? Did anyone attempt to write a vampire story? I just noticed a vampire-based PB sale and it made me wonder whether people would be more likely to publish a vampire story, given the hoo-ha about vampires over the past few years, and whether people would be more likely to BUY a vampire story, given the hoo-ha.

Just thinking out loud (or on screen) here. The Chicken Soup book trickled down to PB level, as did Three Cups of Tea (love that book), and also Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Are there other examples of tricklers?

[Mara Posts: 451 Status: Offline WWW]

The Omnivore's Dilemma is a PICTURE BOOK now? Called what?

[Mrs. Jones Posts: 1,388 Status: Offline WWW]

The Count on Sesame Street was always a very popular character, but I'm not sure if he got his own PB.

[olmue Posts: 3,582 Status: Offline WWW]

We liked a fairly recent one we found in the library last year called Dear Vampa. Great little picture book!

[Franzilla Posts: 998 Status: Offline Gah! WWW]

Dear Vampa sounds like fun. I wonder if it was a result of the vampire craze? I'm intrigued by the idea of adult/young adult books' topics working their way all the way to PBs.

Mara, sorry, badly worded on my part - Omnivore's Dilemma just trickled down from adult to MG (or early reader, I'm not sure how you'd classify it), not to PB level though (as far as I know). It's the young reader version we've got at home.

[Stephanie Ruble Posts: 1,904 Status: Offline author/illustrator WWW]

I loved Dear Vampa too!

BTW, I was writing vampire and monster PBs way before Twilight - just haven't had any published. There are probably other authors and/or illustrators that were doing that as well, and some of them might have gotten their stories published. So, not sure you can say that they trickled down to PBs after Twilight, although I'm sure it's a possibility.

[Franzilla Posts: 998 Status: Offline Gah! WWW]

That's true... so I guess my question relates to whether publishers are more likely to publish a vampire story if vampires are 'in'. I dunno, it just occurred to me that there might be trends in PBs that link to trends further up...

[EricJ]

I'd never read any of Angela Sommer-Bodenburg's "Little Vampire" MG books before seeing the German live-action movie (which was surprisingly cute)--
But I know that pitching "harmless" vampires to MG and PB audiences doesn't mean you're trying to indoctrinate a younger Twilight market early, but that 7-10 yo.'s just have a thing for misunderstood monsters who have to obey funnier or cooler rules...Albeit more of the Count Chocula variety than Team Edward.

(And seems like the original "Let the Right One In" should have had the makings of a good older-MG novel, if...it were for kids.   )

[JennaWren Posts: 1,779 Status: Offline WWW]

I agree -- kids always have, and always will, love the friendly, cuddly monsters!  The Count (from SS) did have at least one book that we owned, a novelty sing-a-long book (the kind that comes with the music buttons).  Counting songs, obviously!  But it was no Monster at the End of the Book, let me tell ya.   

[olmue Posts: 3,582 Status: Offline WWW]

I'd never read any of Angela Sommer-Bodenburg's "Little Vampire" MG books before seeing the German live-action movie (which was surprisingly cute)--

True--vampire books have been around for the younger set for a LONG time in the German book market. We were inundated with vampire and witch stories for young kids when we lived there. (Maybe that's why Twilight was so popular over there--it was a trickle-UP effect? )

[Rena]

My boys have a pop-up vampire picture book that we got many years before the Twilight stories came out. It's about Dracula going to the dentist with a toothache. Or something like that ...

[Alison A Posts: 359 Status: Offline Writing! WWW]

This PB by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen is coming out next year with a vampire theme--she shared parts of the book at an SCBWI conference last spring and it looks fun:

The Hampire, Illustrated by Howard Fine (HarperCollins, 2011) - Every night, while the farm is sleeping, the Hampire goes out creeping.  What happens when Duck needs a midnight snack?  Will a hungry Hampire snack on Duck?