I had submitted the story of Gunther the Underwater Elephant to about five publishers before one became interested but then after a long session and wait they finally turned him down. It wasn't so much the pictures, they loved those, it was the story.
Me, being a bit of a control (not quite freak) person did not want to let go of the story so I took Gunther back and put him on the bookshelf for 6 months.
Recently I started working on two other dummies and during the process I realized that Gunther had possibilities I had not thought of. So naturally he is back on the drawing table and being re-dummied. The text is far more minimal and the pictures are telling the story from a more childlike point of view. I think a child could now hear the story once and then retell (READ) it by reading the pictures. And isn't that what a picture book should be about?
3 comments:
I certainly hope the publisher decides to publish Gunther! He is absolutley adorable! I collect illustrated books and think that Gunther will be a fabulous addition to my collection!
BTW...this blog is the best!
Hi Sue, thanks for the nice comments about our blog!
It is certainly nice to have visitors here in our little spot of cyberspace.
what a wonderful illustration. here's wishing you and Gunther many wonderful adventures!
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