Do you have a favorite rhyming book from your childhood that you can still recite today? Children and adults alike are delighted by the creative, sometimes unexpected ways that rhyme can add sparkle to a story.
As a result, many first-time writers jump to rhyme by default. After all, you’ve been identifying rhymes since kindergarten—how hard can it be to put them into a story?
Writing an excellent picture book is hard work. Doing so with the added complication of incorporating rhyme and metre is even harder.
In this multi-part series, we’ll take a look at the things you need to consider to write an effective picture book, from the definition of rhyme through to common errors and how to avoid them.
To rhyme or not to rhyme?
Not all picture books need to rhyme.
Rhyming books work really well for simple, lively, sometimes whimsical stories where you want the rhythm to bounce along, and for lyrical, poetic texts that are full of imagery. In these types of books, the language and concepts take center stage. The storytelling may also rely on repetition.
Complex, narrative-driven stories often work better in prose, where the ebb and flow of scene and sentence lengths can be driven by the needs of the plot and characterization. When each line needs to follow a certain pattern, it can be harder to accommodate clarifying details (like transitions and dialogue tags) and rich, thoughtful narration. Does that mean there are no plot-heavy rhyming books? Of course not. But they can be harder to write well.
Remember: prose doesn’t have to be prosaic. You can still write beautiful, lyrical lines and use literary devices to make your prose feel poetic.
Think about what really feels best for your story. If you’re not sure, try writing a few sections in both verse and prose to compare. If rhyme works best, then that’s great! Enjoy writing it—and take the time to perfect it. Poorly executed rhyme and metre can harm the reading experience and stop people from purchasing your book.
A weak rhyming book distracts the reader.
An average rhyming book works.
An excellent rhyming book uses rhyme and metre to elevate the reading experience.
What is rhyme?
Name three words that rhyme with “bat.” Easy, right? But what does it really mean to rhyme?
Rhyming picture books most often rely on perfect rhymes. A perfect rhyme satisfies two conditions:
All sounds must match from the vowel sound in the stressed syllable to the end of the word.
Consider the word “bat”.
From the vowel in the stressed (in this case, only) syllable of “bat” to the end, the sound is at. Therefore, “bat” rhymes with “cat.” The word “copycat” also ends in the “at” sound, but it does not form a perfect rhyme with “bat.” Why? It doesn’t line up starting from the vowel in the stressed syllable: copycat.
The start of the stressed syllables must be different.
In other words, if one word simply contains the other, it’s more of a duplication than a perfect rhyme. In the example of “bat” and “cat”, the start of the stressed syllable is different for each word.
Does it need to be perfect?
Words that end in almost the same sound form a near rhyme. For example, “bat” and “cats” (note the plural), or “scramble” and “tremble.”
If you’ve used a near rhyme because it was hard to make the rhyme work, keep trying. Your book will be stronger if you don’t take shortcuts. But if you have a near rhyme that’s just so clever that it begs to be used, go ahead and put it in. Writing in rhyme is an art, and sometimes breaking a rule works well.
When it comes to near rhyme, less is always more. There’s a chance that a reader could assume a near rhyme is an error, but if one works well, it’s unlikely to raise eyebrows. If there’s one in every stanza, then readers may assume that you don’t understand how to form a rhyme.
The missing link: metre
Think back to that favorite childhood story. As you recite it in your mind, you’ll feel its rhythm driving you forward. That’s the metre, and it’s as integral to a rhyming picture book as the rhyme. The metre invites the reader along, guiding them from one rhyme to the next—and if it goes wrong, the reader will stumble.
Imagine that reading in rhyme is like skipping. Without metre, it’s like trying to skip on a beach covered in large rocks: you probably can’t do it at all. With a clear metre, it’s like skipping on a paved path: one-skip, two-skip, right-skip, left-skip . . .
What if you had to switch the order of your feet mid-skip? One-skip, two-skip, right-skip, left-skip-hop-hop, right-skip . . . You can’t do it seamlessly. It’s awkward and ungainly, and it throws off the rhythm. The same thing happens when there’s an error in metre.
Myth: publishers hate rhyming books
If you walk into any given bookstore, you’ll see that publishers are still producing plenty of new rhyming books. So why do people tell authors that agents and editors don’t like rhyme? Because they see so many rhyming books from people who didn’t take the time to learn how to write a book well in rhyme. And “don’t write in rhyme” is more memorable than “only write in rhyme if you understand this or know how to subvert that in a way that's effective.”
When a rhyming picture book is weak, it’s not because the author has intentionally chosen another style, but because either (a) they’ve tried to follow a metre and made some missteps, or (b) they haven’t realized that cadence is something they should be thinking about at all. That’s what the “don’t write in rhyme” advice is usually referring to (along with common issues like adding filler content to complete a couplet).
In other words, if you want your book to be as effective as it can be, you should be dedicated to mastering your style. And that’s true whether you write in rhyme or not.
Next Steps
In part two, we’ll dig deeper into the mechanics of metre and take the stress out of syllable stress.
Writing in rhyme is hard, but an editor who specializes in rhyme can help you smooth everything out for your reader. When you’re ready, let’s talk about how I can help you refine your rhyme and metre.
Read More
Rhyme & Metre Series – Part 2: Understanding metre and stress
Rhyme & Metre Series – Part 3: 5 easy ways to improve your rhyming picture book