by Salina Yoon
Toys, toys, toys! I love toys! They are often the inspiration to my novelty books—board books with interactive features. They are designed to be touched, pulled, squeezed and played with, so my books and toys are like cousins.
Colored stacking rings, the Connect Four game, wooden puzzles, rubber duckies, and even a football has inspired a book idea! And sometimes, it’s not even a toy at all. Random objects will inspire me. My husband’s toolbox, kitchen utensils, scrap fabric, a greeting card, and even a funny jack-o-lantern on Halloween! I can’t get away from ideas creeping into my head because I’m surrounded by objects. Needless to say, I develop a ton of ideas every year. About a dozen are usually good enough to publish. And the others crawl back into my deep, dark dummy closet of doom. (See photo!)
My books are concept- and format-driven, so I’m not looking for story ideas. I look for fun concepts that allow a child to interact in a meaningful way from the physical design of the book. Rock & Roll COLORS is an excellent example. The book has a hidden track within each narrow page that allow a shiny disk to roll back and forth when the book is tilted. It makes a nice, satisfying clunking sound when the disk hits the edge. Each side of the page has an image with die-cuts, so the foil comes shining through. Each spread focuses on one color, and both images on the page are that same color. It’s so simple, but effective!
So how does this help you if you’re not developing novelty books? I say keep an open mind! Even simple objects can inspire, if you let them. For the PiBoIdMo challenge, all you need are concepts.
Surrender to your imagination! I don’t actively try to create ideas as much as allowing ideas to come into my head. Allow your mind to be free! Relax. Smile. Enjoy the process. Like the Chinese finger trap, the harder you pull, the stronger it resists. Don’t stress too much about trying to think up great ideas. When they come a-knockin’, just invite them in!
Salina Yoon is the creator of over 150 innovative books for young children. She has been named a finalist for the CBC’s Children’s Choice Book Awards for K-2nd Best Book of the Year, for Opposnakes (S&S/Little Simon), received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal awards for Little Scholastic TOYS (Scholastic/Cartwheel) and Rock & Roll COLORS (Scholastic/Cartwheel), and the Nick Jr. Fam
Thanks Salina. How fun to think about concept books! You make it seem easy.
Catherine Denton
Thanks for the inspiration, Salina.
I absolutely LOVE your books and I own several of them.
They are so much fun!
Ooh, I’m gonna have to look up OPPOSNAKES! (Well, and all the others, too!)
Thanks for the reminder to relax and let the ideas come to you. I sometimes feel as if I’m chasing mine–and they keep turning the corner just ahead of me!
Oh Salina, you’re so funny with the deep, dark dummy closet of doom… I love that! Your words are very inspirational and also that your work is so prolific. I’m completely motivated to dive into more ideas and sketching out some illustrations today…thank you for the creative boost! You’re amazing…
Thanks, Salina! You’re such an inspiration! I don’t know how you come up with so many fantastic ideas. It’s incredible. I think I’ll go play with my kids’ toys, have a relaxing cup of tea, and wait for inspiration to strike. Sounds like fun! I love your closet of doom, by the way. LOL! Hey, it even has nice moldings.
Thank you Salina! Your books are wonderful!
Oh.. I have to say something about my Deep, Dark, Dummy Closet of Doom. That closet didn’t exist until my hubby decided there was space beneath the staircase for a small closet if he could only make a hole into my studio wall! I reluctantly let him,… and wow. There is definitely space in there! He even carpeted the inside. Hubby built that custom door with moldings for me! YAY for new found storage spaces!
And thanks, all, for your lovely comments!
Oh, I think it would be so fun to come up with novelty book concepts! Thanks for the PB inspiration today!
Thanks for inspiring me to think out of the “toy box” Salina! I appreciate what you said about tons of ideas and only about a dozen being good enough to publish. The last time I said that, I heard gasps! But it’s true…so we should all be inspired to keep building a better mousetrap (or a better idea) until we find one that works! Keep building, troops!
I love your books, too, Salina… and your blog post is SO relevant, especially as with e-readers, it’s great for PB writers to be able to think of their stories in more than just 2D. You’re ahead of the game!
Excellent post. Opposnakes looks like it could be a blast. Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheryl