Overview

A Two-Night Mini Online Course

Picture books are easy to love, but challenging to write. Learn the essential elements of craft that can help you turn your ideas into stories with award-winning picture book author Darcy Pattison and author/illustrator Leslie Helakoski.

This program is a great fit if you’re looking for a short course of two, 75-minute sessions offering limited interaction with the community, but loads of information.

• Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
• Thursday, July 17, 2025 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
• Webinar-style program with closed captioning available and limited interaction in the chat.
• You’ll have access to the recordings through August 31, 2025.

Feedback Expected

• There will be limited interaction in the chat feature of the webinar-style program.
• Darcy and Leslie will answer as many questions as possible during the program.

It’s a Great Fit If…

• You are starting out as a picture book author or author/illustrator, and you’re looking for beginning information about picture book structures and word choice.
• You are a picture book author or author/illustrator who has already drafted picture books and want to learn more about considerations when it comes to revising and strengthening your work.
• You write chapter books or novels, and wonder if you can write picture books, too.
• You are considering writing a picture book for children and want to learn more about this genre.
• You’re looking for something short, sweet, and smart! This is not a full workshop. Instead it is two, 75-minute sessions meant to engage and build your knowledge of the picture book form.

Tentative Agenda

At registration: You will receive a Zoom link to use each night of the course.

IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND LIVE:

If you are unable to attend either session for any reason, you’ll have access to the recordings (with closed captioning) through August 31, 2025.

Please note that if you register for the course after the start of the first session, you will not receive recordings immediately.  You’ll receive both recordings after the close of the last session, usually within 24 hours.

All Times are Eastern Time. 

Click on the headings below to explore the agenda in more detail.

How It Impacts Kids

Picture books are beloved by children and the adults who care about them. This two-night workshop can help you learn more about this amazing storytelling gift.

Testimonials from Our Community

“I was immediately inspired to incorporate ideas into a picture book I’ve been working on, and in fact completed another draft after the second session.”

“Darcy and Leslie were extremely accessible.”

“Please add me to the mailing list for anything and everything related to workshops with these authors!”

Resources

Learn more with Darcy and Leslie at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center: A Retreat for Authors and Illustrators

• How Do You Know If You’ve Written a Picture Book?
• Word Choices: Writing Picture Books That Soar
• Short and Easy, Right? How Hard Can It Be to Write a Picture Book?
• 3 Tips for Writing Funny Picture Books
• Pointers for Writing Powerful Picture Books
• Get it Right with Research for Your Nonfiction Picture Book