--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You need a theme in a picture book just…" description: "\"You need a theme in a picture book just as much or maybe even more than you need it in a novel.\" — Eve Bunting" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png" --- # You need a theme in a picture book just as much or maybe… ![“You need a theme in a picture book just as much or maybe even more than you need it in a novel.” quote by Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png) > “You need a theme in a picture book just as much or maybe even more than you need it in a novel.” [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A picture book needs a clear theme, possibly more than a novel, to guide visual storytelling. **In simple terms:** Themes are essential for picture books. Key Takeaway Prioritize a strong central idea when planning a picture book. Themes storytelling visual literacy theme Mood inspirational practical Type guidance creative When to use this quote - authoring a picture book - illustration planning - educational material Key Concepts narrative focus visual coherence Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance theme with visual creativity? - When is a subtle theme more effective? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on theme can limit artistic freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Picture books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture-books/) ## Related quotes > [I guess every superhero need his theme music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-guess-every-superhero-need-his-theme-music/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“I would be perfectly willing if a publisher came up to me and said, "I need a novel about underwater Nazi cheerleaders and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcdowell/i-would-be-perfectly-willing-if-a-publisher-came-up-to-me-and-said-i/) [Michael McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcdowell/) > [though he found that if you are stupid enough to bury a camera underground you won't be taking many pictures with it afterwards. Thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/though-he-found-that-if-you-are-stupid-enough-to-bury-a-camera/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [When I was young, my favorite picture book was 'Fletcher and Zenobia,' written by Edward Gorey and illustrated by Victoria Chess. It's long out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/when-i-was-young-my-favorite-picture-book-was-fletcher-and-zenobia/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Man's actions are the picture book of his creeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/man-s-actions-are-the-picture-book-of-his-creeds/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If kids like a picture book, they're going to read it at least 50 times. Read anything that often, and even minor imperfections start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/if-kids-like-a-picture-book-they-re-going-to-read-it-at-least-50/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [You'll go insane if you try to have a picture-book house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dempsey/you-ll-go-insane-if-you-try-to-have-a-picture-book-house/) [Patrick Dempsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dempsey/) > [I think the trick of writing a good picture book manuscript is to leave that space for illustration. An illustrated novel can do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/i-think-the-trick-of-writing-a-good-picture-book-manuscript-is-to/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [A picture book is a motorcycle: small, loud, fun, and zippy. An easy reader is a chartered bus: obliged to carry a rather dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/a-picture-book-is-a-motorcycle-small-loud-fun-and-zippy-an-easy/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [They judge me like a picture book, by the colors, like they forgot to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/they-judge-me-like-a-picture-book-by-the-colors-like-they-forgot-to/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [Painting is the only universal language. All nature is creation's picture book. Painting alone can describe every thing which can be seen, and suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-hunt/painting-is-the-only-universal-language-all-nature-is-creation-s/) [William Morris Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-hunt/) > [I want a nice picture book with 12 pictures - I do my best with that format.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bruna/i-want-a-nice-picture-book-with-12-pictures-i-do-my-best-with-that/) [Dick Bruna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bruna/) > [There's not too much difference between writing a picture book and writing a collection of a hundred poems or so, except that the bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-prelutsky/there-s-not-too-much-difference-between-writing-a-picture-book-and/) [Jack Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-prelutsky/) > [A man's action is only a picture book of his creed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/a-man-s-action-is-only-a-picture-book-of-his-creed/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [Writing a picture book is like writing 'War and Peace' in Haiku.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mem-fox/writing-a-picture-book-is-like-writing-war-and-peace-in-haiku/) [Mem Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mem-fox/) ## More by Eve Bunting > [I write at a desk. I have a room of my own where I can have my computer. I write in there, usually directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-write-at-a-desk-i-have-a-room-of-my-own-where-i-can-have-my/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [I hope never to retire. I write so many because it's the thing I like to do most - to write. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-hope-never-to-retire-i-write-so-many-because-it-s-the-thing-i-like/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [I have written about 240 books and some short stories, too. It's taken me many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-have-written-about-240-books-and-some-short-stories-too-it-s-taken/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [Titles are very hard. Sometimes a title comes before I start to write the book, but often I finish the book, and I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/titles-are-very-hard-sometimes-a-title-comes-before-i-start-to-write/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [I always have strong feelings when I'm writing a book. Sometimes when I'm writing a book, I even cry when I'm writing. Once I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-always-have-strong-feelings-when-i-m-writing-a-book-sometimes-when/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [I write every day. I don't have a writing schedule. I write when I feel like it. Fortunately, I feel like it all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-write-every-day-i-don-t-have-a-writing-schedule-i-write-when-i-feel/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [I love being an author. I love actual writing, and I love communicating with children. And it keeps me young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-love-being-an-author-i-love-actual-writing-and-i-love-communicating/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [Yes, I have two books that are about me: one of them I wrote, and the other one was written about me. One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/yes-i-have-two-books-that-are-about-me-one-of-them-i-wrote-and-the/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [It is easier to look the other way. But if you do, terrible things can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/it-is-easier-to-look-the-other-way-but-if-you-do-terrible-things-can/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [I write every day. I don't have a writing schedule. I write when I feel like it. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You need a theme in a picture book just as much or maybe even more than you need it in a novel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eve Bunting" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just-as-much-or-maybe-even-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just-as-much-or-maybe-even-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/eve-bunting-38572_book_you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just_1318128.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You need a theme in a picture book just as much or maybe even more than you need it in a novel.” — Eve Bunting", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eve Bunting", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You need a theme in a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just-as-much-or-maybe-even-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/you-need-a-theme-in-a-picture-book-just-as-much-or-maybe-even-more/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```