by Clare Helen Welsh

A picture book is an exciting opportunity to explore powerful themes, engaging plots and interesting characters with readers, and all in a delicate balance between words and pictures.

However, crafting them can be challenging! This is true for theme-driven picture books; the focus of today’s prompt. As an author and fan of theme-driven picture books, I know there’s a fine line between presenting meaningful content and being too moralistic.

Fear not! As well as some idea generation techniques, I’m here to share some strategies for crafting picture books that are rich and meaningful yet enjoyable for readers.

Tips for generating theme-driven ideas:

Have a look at some of these tried and tested exercises for brainstorming a theme-driven picture book.

  1. Flip a Familiar Story: Take a well-known tale and reimagine it with a new perspective or twist. For example, what if the tortoise and hare became friends instead of competitors?
    I did this when I wrote Scissorella (illustrated by Laura Barrett, published by Andersen Press) – a re-imagining of the Cinderella story, based on the life and work of animator, Lotte Reiniger. The story has a clear takeaway of making your own happy ever after, but also a strong hook and interesting characters to balance out the message.
  2. Start with a Feeling: Think of an emotion or challenge you’d like to explore, such as jealousy, fear or hope, then try building a story around it.
    I do this a lot in my writing. My picture books about divorce (Everything Changes) and cancer (The Perfect Shelter) illustrated by Asa Gilland and published by Kane Miller, both began life as difficult feelings that I was trying to process. Thinking about how I would explain them to children, helped me to develop child-centre storylines.

  3. Use “What If” Questions: Ask imaginative questions like, “What if a rainstorm had feelings?” or “What if bedtime stories came to life?” Starting with a WHAT IF that appeals to children can give you an engaging – and non-preachy – approach to your theme.
    When I was invited to write a story about Daylight Savings, I knew I would need to find a fun way in to prevent the story feeling too educational. In Sunshine At Bedtime, (illustrated by Sally Soweol Han) the story begins with Miki thinking the sun must have forgotten to go to bed, and things develop quickly from there; “What if the Sun forgot to go to bed?”
  4. Draw from Personal Experience: Reflect on significant moments from your own childhood. Can you translate these experiences into a story with universal appeal?
    My upcoming picture book with Fiona Lumbers, The Space Between (published by Andersen Press), is about a girl living with uncertainty, which is something I dealt with a lot growing up, and still struggle with now. The protagonist has just moved house and learns some coping strategies that I wish I’d had when I was younger. In the story, she learns to be more comfortable with uncomfortable feelings.
  5. Observe Children: Watch how children interact with the world. What delights, frustrates and challenges them? These observations can spark story ideas grounded in real-life themes.
    My first published theme-driven picture book was about a family learning to live well with dementia, called The Tide. It’s illustrated by Ashling Lindsay and published by Tiger Tales. It began life as a day on the beach, watching my children’s joy as the sea came closer and closer.  Without this child-centric approach and interesting setting, the story could well have been too hard-hitting and on-the-nose.

See? I wasn’t joking when I said I was a fan of theme-driven books! I also write funny books and non-fiction, but many of my titles have strong messages and clear takeaways.

Strategies for Crafting Theme-Driven Stories:

Assuming that you now have a starting point, here are some strategies to help you write a picture book that is rich in meaning but also accessible and enjoyable for your audience.

  1. Start with the Story, Not the Lesson: Children (and adults) can sense when a story is constructed solely to deliver a moral. Ensure you have a character, conflict, situation or hook that fascinates. The theme will emerge naturally through the choices your characters make and the consequences they face.
  2. Understand Your Audience: Consider themes that might naturally align with your readers’ experiences. Concepts like kindness, perseverance, curiosity and acceptance often resonate with children without feeling heavy-handed when woven into an engaging story.
  3. Create Characters with Depth: Authentic, multidimensional characters are the heart of any good picture book. A well-drawn character can embody a theme without the need for lots of exposition. For example, a character who is afraid of trying new things might reflect the theme of bravery through their actions, rather than through lots of narration or dialogue.
  4. Show, Don’t Tell: Use the visuals to support the theme. If your story is about the value of teamwork, consider scenes where teamwork is shown – characters lifting something heavy together or painting a mural as a group. This approach allows readers to discover the theme on their own.
  5. Reflect Real Life: Themes in picture books don’t have to be tied up neatly with a bow. Life is rarely like this! For example, if your story’s theme involves friendship, you might close with the ups and downs of a relationship rather than ending with a perfect, idealised version. This allows readers to draw their own conclusions and can lighten the lesson.
  6. Use Humour and Playfulness: Picture books thrive on wonder and play. Humour can help convey meaningful ideas without being too didactic. Think of books like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems, which subtly explores themes of self-control through hilarious scenarios.
  7. Don’t Overload the Story: Stick to one takeaway or theme per text, rather than trying to address multiple lessons in the same story line. There isn’t the space in a picture book to handle more than one message, especially if you want to do it well!

Some final thoughts…

Theme-driven picture books balance meaning with magic. They aren’t always the easiest to write, but they’re worth it! And by focusing on authentic characters, engaging stories and subtle storytelling techniques, it is possible to create books that resonate with readers without feeling moralistic. Approach them with creativity, care and perhaps a touch of playfulness, and you’ll have a theme-driven story with the power to shape hearts and minds.

Clare is a former teacher, turned children’s writer, and the author of over 60 books for children. Her writing is varied—sometimes funny, factual or heartfelt—but she has a particular passion for theme-driven books.

Inspired by her time as a mental health champion, Clare founded Books That Help; a place to gather picture books that help when the words are hard to find.

When Clare isn’t fulfilling her dream of writing for children, she is helping aspiring writers do the same. Clare offers critiques and 1:1 mentoring via her website, and workshops and courses via Write Mentor.

Clare lives in the UK with her husband, two children and a dog called Hope. Visit her at ClareHelenWelsh.com and follow on social @ClareHelenWelsh.

Clare Helen Welsh is offering a 30-minutes virtual chat about anything picture book-y; the industry, your story or about carving out a career as a writer, to one lucky winner.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2025 participant and you have commented only once below.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.