Visual storytelling can cast a spell on readers of children’s books, cookbooks, and even blog posts. But how does that spellbinding magic actually work? Here, we explore the key principles of visual storytelling to ensure your reader efficiently absorbs your content — and remains compelled to keep turning your book’s pages.

When you hire your own illustrator, it puts you in the position of art director. To help you settle into your new role and better manage your self-published book’s illustrations, try these pro tips from our in-house illustrations specialist Astra Crompton.

Books grow up as quickly and diversely as today’s children. By exploring what a book is about and how the story is told, we can better understand what changes as young readers grow up – and reflect those changes in the pages of your children’s book.

For a new children’s book to succeed in a crowded market, it doesn’t need to be good. It needs to be *great*. Here are four ways you can make your children’s story stand out and be loved by today’s young readers.

Destigmatizing mental health conversations have never been more prevalent than they are today, but one area still remains underserved. In advance of #BellLetsTalk, we interviewed FriesenPress children’s book author Britt Sayler about her mission to address childhood depression and her important The Semicolon.

Experience is the best friend of most every writer, especially if you believe in writing what you know. FriesenPress author Paul Toffanello takes you through his journey as a children’s book author and details three key writing lessons he learned along the way.

Sonya Ballantyne is the author of Kerri Berry Lynn, a storybook about a young Cree girl living on the Misipawistik reservation with her family and seven dogs. We recently spoke with Sonya about the real Kerri Berry Lynn, the importance of representation, the power of classroom readings, and so much more.

There’s nothing quite like a great book illustrator’s ability to bring a story to life. If you’re hiring an illustrator of your own, we’ve turned our best advice into a list of ways to help you get the most out of the relationship.

As the first Black Chief of Police in Canada, Devon Clunis is a trailblazer in the truest sense. But in between his many career achievements, he and his wife Pearlene have also made a difference by authoring children’s books with an inclusive message. We spoke with Devon to learn more about the origins of The Little Boy From Jamaica, the impact his and Pearlene’s books have had on readers, and so much more.

If the right illustrator is paired with the right book, they can create magic that brings a writer’s vision to life. When hiring a new illustrator to our team at FriesenPress, we consider certain qualities of experience and expertise. Here’s how you can find the perfect illustrator using those same qualities as markers for your own hiring process.