[Kurtis]

Are picture books ever in the first person? Any examples? I can't think of any.

[jeanne k]

Third person definitely outnumber first person, but two of my all-time favorite PBs are in first person:

PLAY WITH ME and GILBERTO AND THE WIND, both by Marie Hall Ets.

[Natalie Posts: 743 Status: Offline Flying the Dragon, Charlesbridge 2012]

All of Mercer Mayer's LITTLE CRITTER books are in 1st person, I believe.

[Mindy Alyse Weiss Posts: 3,665 Status: Offline A long journey - but I'm determined to get there!]

I just looked at my stack of PB from the library and found these in first person:

PARTS by Tedd Arnold
FRED STAYS WITH ME by Nancy Coffelt

I just gave my niece my daughter's copy of COWS CAN'T FLY, but I can't remember the author.

[Kurtis]

Just googled it. The premise is disconcertingly similar to what I was trying to do.

[wolfie712 Posts: 236 Status: Offline Teacher, Writer, Up-All-Nighter]

Hi Kurtis,

We had a thread on first person PBs a while back:

http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php?topic=24563.0

There are quite a few titles listed in there.

Laura

[ShelliC Posts: 51 Status: Offline]

A good recent one is MY MOM IS TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE by Kate Feiffer.

There are several PBs in first person but I'm too tired to think of a decent list right now. If I think of more tomorrow, I'll send them.

[sameyers Posts: 80 Status: Offline]

I just looked at my stack of PB from the library and found these in first person:

PARTS by Tedd Arnold
FRED STAYS WITH ME by Nancy Coffelt

I just gave my niece my daughter's copy of COWS CAN'T FLY, but I can't remember the author.

Fred Stays With Me is one of my favorite picture books!

I'll Always Love You by H. Wilhelm

God Bless,
Susan
http://susanameyers.blogspot.com/

[Kurtis]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm glad to know it's not as rare as I thought, but my trusted first reader thinks the first person in this case isn't working anyway.

[Gatz Posts: 196 Status: Offline Single and looking]

Before you give up on first person, maybe add a character or series of minor characters to provide the different perspective or ironic counterpoint that a regular third person narrator would give from above.

[sarah_create Posts: 361 Status: Offline Sarah Johnson]

Here is a link with a healthy list of first person PBs. They are older.
http://nancykeane.com/rl/279.htm

One PB I love that is written in 1st person present is Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswami.
Another great one is The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington.

[eecoburn Posts: 202 Status: Offline]

The Fancy Nancy picture books, Cat in the Hat (easy reader?).

Question: Does it count as first person if a PB is written entirely in dialogue, like the Pinkerton books or the Pigeon series by Mo Willems?

[SproutQ]

Is it totally self-serving to say that my picture books are all in first person?  They just seem to come out that way for me.

[Kurtis]

Not all. Thanks!

[Ellen]

I am writing a picture book in first person. Well, trying to write one anyway.

[carrierhawk]

The Cat in the Hat

[Abracabarbara Posts: 1,146 Status: Offline formerly AE aaa eee]

I happen to like first person a lot. I've written three in first person and am starting a fourth about the same character. If it works it works. Write it first in first and if it doesn't then work try it in third.

You might want to flesh it out first.

[Stephanie Denise]

I'm so glad to find this discussion (and the link to a previous discussion as another commenter posted).  I wrote my first picture book last month and it came out in first person.  It didn't occur to me that it might be a problem and it's reassuring to see all of these great titles to reference!

[Kurtis]

The Cat in the Hat

I'm not familiar with this one... what's the author's name? ;-)

[Mike Jung]

A really gorgeous and sweet first-person PB that's out right now is THE SEA SERPENT AND ME by Dashka Slater and Catia Chien.

[Jean Reidy Posts: 723 Status: Offline I love kids' books!!]

The two books that I sold to Disney/Hyperion MY OWN LITTLE PIECE OF THE UNIVERSE and THERE'S A CORNER IN MY HOUSE are both first person. And my latest PB, which my agent is currently pitching, is also first person.
Jean

[Lauren Matovic-Smith]

The PB I'm self-publishing now is told in the first person, it's called My Little Eye.  Personally I like a children's story told in the first person b/c I feel it allows for a child to feel as if it is them.
Lauren