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September 26, 2016 by Travis Jonker

Just My Size: Favored Dimensions of Picture Book Makers

September 26, 2016 by Travis Jonker   3 comments

I always notice bookmakers who favor a particular size for their books – not just for a series, but for their careers.

How/why does this happen?

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I imagine the scene goes something like this:

Bookmaker: (Walks in to the offices of a major publisher, finished picture book art under arm) I make books this big. (Slaps art down on desk of publishing head honcho) Deal.

Head Honcho: Yes ma’am/sir.¹

Here are some author/illustrators who tend² to think in specific dimensions:

Patricia Polacco

Polacco

Size: Vertical Golden Rectangle

Mr. Falker

Polacco is maybe the best example of a bookmaker sticking to a trim size.

David Wiesner

Wiesner

Size: Cinematic Widescreen

flotsam

Except for Sector 7, the Wies-man likes to go for the panoramic.

David Shannon

David Shannon

Size: Tall & Sturdy

No David

All the No David books are the same size (naturally), but many of Shannon’s others share the same size as well.

Jon Agee

Jon Agee

Size: Tall and Lean

Terrific

Agee’s books vary slightly, but most of them are on the tall and narrow side.

Kevin Henkes

Keven Henkes

Size: Uniform Height, Varying Width

Kitten's First Full Moon

I didn’t realize Henkes could fit with this group until I started looking for this post. Henkes often uses the same height for his books, but with widths that range from square to more rectangular.

Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss

Size: The Godfather Rectangle

Grinch

A leader in the uniform trim size game, Seuss preferred the tall rectangle for his picture books.

Jon Klassen

Hat BackHat Book 2We Found a Hat

Size: Knock It Down, Stand It Up Rectangle

Did you notice this? All three books in the Hat trilogy are the exact same size, but with a different perspective (portrait, landscape, portrait).

Any others out there?

¹I know this isn’t how things go.

²I repeat: tend. I think all the folks on this list have broken out of their own mold at least once or twice.

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eric Carpenter says

    September 26, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    Just strolled the shelves and noticed three more.
    Donald Crews
    David Shannon
    Robert Munsch

  2. Carter Higgins says

    September 27, 2016 at 11:39 am

    Pizzoli!

    • Travis Jonker says

      September 27, 2016 at 12:28 pm

      Good call!

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