Overview

A Two-Night Mini Online Course

To rhyme or not to rhyme… a question that fills the picture book writer’s mind!

Join Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Anne Marie Pace for this two-night mini to gain beginning knowledge about rhyming picture books in today’s market.

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, June 10, 2025 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
• Thursday, June 12, 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 July 31, 2025.

Feedback Expected

• No feedback included in the course. There will be limited interaction in the chat feature of the webinar-style program.
• A small number of student submission samples will be used during the program. If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please submit your single, rhyming stanza at the time of registration. (A limited number of stanzas will be used as samples during the program.)

It’s a Great Fit If…

• You’ve written a picture book(s) but aren’t sure if rhyme is the best device to drive the story forward.
• You haven’t started writing your picture book, but love working in rhyme.
• You’ve received feedback that your rhyme isn’t working. You can revise to make the rhyme work, but should you? Not all stories are best served by rhyme. This mini will explore those that are and those that aren’t.
• You don’t write in rhyme, but you want tips on how to make your prose sound more lyrical.
• You’re looking for a picture book workshop with minimal time commitment. This mini will let you develop craft skills without investing a lot of time.

Tentative Agenda

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

You can also consider submitting one stanza of a rhyming work in progress at registration (no more than 6 lines). We will choose a few to analyze during the course. (Don’t have a rhyming work-in-progress? No problem! Submitting one stanza is not a requirement for this 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 July 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.

How It Impacts Kids

Some of the most beloved and memorable children’s books are written in rhyme. If rhyme serves your story, it could be a great way to foster connection with your readers. This short course will help you build your knowledge of when (and when not) to rhyme.

Testimonials from Our Community

“You picked two very different authors to teach the course and I enjoyed their similar (yet slightly different) perspectives.”

“Deep expertise, extremely generous with their time, insights. Perfect pair–very different but complimentary skills/experiences. And funny!”

“The faculty, Sudipta & Anne Marie, were fantastic. It was wonderful to receive direction from such established and prolific writers. They brought a great deal of enthusiasm to their presentations.”

“I’ve been avoiding rhyme and even rewritten old rhyming manuscripts into prose since I felt unable to master the genre. Now that my knowledge base is broader I’m confident to try again.”

Resources

• How Do You Know if You’ve Written a Picture Book?
• Picture Books: To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme
• Short and Easy, Right? How Hard Can it be to Write a Picture Book?