Picture books today and into the future

As this morning's Children’s Books Editors’ Panel wound down, publishers predicted the future of picture books. Publisher Justin Chanda, who once declared that the picture book is dead, now says that picture books are on the upswing. Here are a few bullet predictions:

• Shorter, funnier picture books texts. Authors need to cut, cut, cut their texts! Picture books are are also aging downwards. Think: ages 4 to 6.
  
• The title of a book can make a huge difference in its success. Go with simple titles that are easy to remember. Publisher Justin Chanda says: “Dare to be obvious.”
  
• Sweet, funny, not too edgy.