Written by Flo, Year 7
Starting as an optional activity in school, the International ReadingZone Picture Book Competition was really just something to pass the time. However, as I continued to work on my entry I began to get really into it, and as time went on, I found myself working on my picture book at every spare moment: after lunch, before bed, and all opportunities in between.
I decided to write my book about a whale whose only friend in the world was taken from him, and how he then has to use only what he already has to try and regain some of the joy and happiness he had had previously. My book is called The Whale Hotel and features many underwater creatures, emotions and details in the writing, as well as in the illustrations. The Whale Hotel is aimed at children aged 3 to 7, although several adults have shown an interest too! I drew the pictures for my book digitally, and this enabled me to add intricate details and features that if I had done the illustrations on paper, I feel I would not have been able to achieve.
I have always been wanting to write my own picture book. By doing so, I could merge my two favourite subjects: Art and English. I first created a story-line, ensuring that it all made sense and there were as few plot-holes as possible. Then, I started to draft the text. But, as I re-read and thought about it more, I felt that several aspects of it had to be changed. For instance, the main character, Horatio, underwent many transformations regarding his name, including Gerald, Humphrey and Nigel. Although, there was one aspect of the book that I was one hundred percent sure that I wanted to keep, and include in the final version, and that was the colour scheme. I was delighted with the effect the serene greens and blues had against the bright pink pops of colour, and this was especially pronounced when I printed my final version.
But then… disaster struck. I then realised (having not read the guidelines thoroughly enough!) I now had to enter my book in portrait format, rather than landscape. So, through nobody’s fault other than my own, I had to redraw all of the scenes and pages, re-orientating the text and titles. However, now I have two editions of The Whale Hotel, and the crisis was thankfully averted.
The entry process was, in a word, epic. With two rather lengthy forms to complete and print out, almost half of the effort put into the book was also used preparing it to send! A physical copy, I thought, would be preferable, so I went to the print shop in Oxford to get it printed out properly and clearly.
However, once I had entered my submission, I waited three months to see the results, until finally last week I was thrilled to discover that I had come first of two runners up! As this was an international competition, I was especially delighted to receive this information, and also because of how much work and effort I had put into this book! To celebrate this, the competition sent me a certificate, a letter containing feedback on my book, and a request for the books that I like to read, so that they could send me some appealing books. So, in the end, all of the effort was completely worth it, and I am intrigued and excited to see what happens next to my book! I am now looking to see if I can publish my picture book, and I am eager to promote it further!
