Double-page spreads, illustrations in frames, and white space allow the reader to focus on an image.
Picture books are often 16 page 'signatures' (32 total pages), make your book a multiple of 4 (12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32).
A 32-page book includes the end papers but not the front and back covers, so you will end up with a book of 24-28 pages.
A storyboard helps to map out the book and plan what will go on each page.
Use a template, (one piece of paper) for pictures and words to see how your story will flow through the book. It makes things much easier to see how things fit together and allows you to make quick changes.
"It can help you think about what you can leave out of the text and show in the illustrations. It can help you think of where to pause in the words and let the pictures do their magic…"
Tenney, 2016.
Carolyn Fisher, 2012.
This video explains Signatures, Sheets, Spreads, and Gutters, book making terms for children's picture book writers.
How to make a hand sewn 32pp picture book dummy.
This video is a tutorial that examines picture book anatomy showing how picture books are made. Knowing how a picture is made helps you write to fit their strict format. They are usually made up of 32 pages, only it is not as simple as that, you don't have all of those 32 pages to tell your story.