So, how do you impart a meaningful takeaway for your young picture book reader without it feeling like a lesson? In Purpose Without Preaching, Laura Backes illustrates how to write picture books with purpose that don’t preach at kids but trusts them to find the kernels of truth hidden within your story.

Laura Backes publishes Children’s Book Insider and The Children’s Writing Monthly. She has edited and critiqued thousands of picture book manuscripts. Her credits include Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read (Random House) and articles for Writer’s Digest, The Writer and Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. She was also the technical editor of Writing Children’s Books for Dummies. Recently, you may have seen Laura on her weekly Kidlit Distancing Socials.

In Laura Backes’ Picture Book Summit workshop Purpose Without Preaching, she gave actionable tips for infusing your manuscript with a message and how to get kids to hear that message without tuning you out. In this episode, we share some highlights from her talk.