Allison asked Stacy McAnulty:

We have all your picture books in my K-4 library. Do you consider writing a novel "a step up" in your career, or are they just different art forms entirely? Any insights you might want to share would be appreciated. I love to tell my students how writers hone their craft.

Stacy McAnulty First, THANK YOU for carrying my picture books in your library. Libraries are how I connect with most of my readers. So thanks!!!

I don't consider novels "a step up" in my career. I started by writing picture books and hope to continue creating them. I call picture books "everybody books" (which I heard from a librarian) and believe we can all enjoy them.

And I love writing both picture book and novels!

There are some differences, of course. For picture books, I'm only doing half the work. The illustrator is doing the other half. A talented illustrator brings the character to life! I try to give the characters a voice, but the illustrator is developing much of the personality. Not to mention, the illustrator is setting the scene and adding layers. (In general, illustrators are AMAZING. They're magical!)

For a novel, all these elements rest on the author's shoulders (my shoulders). I get to dig deeper into the lives of the characters and their world. This is both fun and daunting. I cannot rely on art to convey any of the story. Words are all I have.

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