Writing in Rhyme: Learn from the Best!
Do you write picture books in rhyme? Writing in rhyme is hard and you often hear editors say that they don't like it because it's often done so badly.
So, what DOES make for a good rhyming picture book?
2017 Best in Rhyme Award
Fortunately, there's a picture book award just for rhyming books, and the Top 20 books of the year have just been announced.
CAPTAIN BLING’S CHRISTMAS PLUNDERby Rebecca Colby
DORIS THE BOOKASAURUS by Diana Murray
GRIMELDA AND THE SPOOKTACULAR PET SHOW by Diana Murray
EVERYBUNNY DANCE by Ellie Sandall
NOTHING RHYMES WITH ORANGE by Adam Rex
MONSTERS NEED TO SLEEP by Lisa Wheeler
TRAINS DON’T SLEEP by Andria Rosembaum
THE CASE OF THE STINKY STENCH by Josh Funk
LOVE IS by Diane Adams
GRANDMA’S TINY HOUSE: A COUNTING STORY by JaNay Brown-Woods
MIGHTY, MIGHTY CONSTRUCTION SITE by Sherri Duskey Rinker
THE POMEGRANATE WITCH by Denise Doyen
MONSTER’S NEW UNDIESby Samantha Berger
READY, SET, BUILD by Meg Fleming
LITTLE EXCAVATOR by Anna Dewdney
TWINDERELLA by Corey Rosen Schwartz
FLASHLIGHT NIGHT by Matt Forest Esenwine
THE HAWK OF THE CASTLE by Danna Smith
HOOT AND HONK by Leslie Helakoski
Best in Rhyme Rubric
What you really want to see, though, is the Best in Rhyme Rubric. This is the judging criteria for the award. It's a simple form that you can apply to YOUR writing. It's provided as a Google Doc form that you can download. It includes categories for plot, character, rhyme, rhyming pattern, meter, appeal, theme, language, and sentence fluency.
How do your rhyming stories stack up?