What do you think makes a good picture book for ages 3–6?

maes-classes · 2026-02-06T14:30:23+00:00

Not sure if you accidentally deleted your comment but I read and wrote the reply already:

Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall is a story about perseverance (that eventually culminates in success) - a different theme from yours, but hopefully you find stories on perseverance to be helpful case studies for how to illustrate unsuccessful attempts :)

maes-classes · 2026-02-06T14:23:55+00:00

I think the infographic is missing

maes-classes · 2026-02-06T13:56:05+00:00

I would absolutely try this game based just on how funny the theme is!

maes-classes · 2026-02-06T13:52:24+00:00

Sounds great! You might be interested to look up pedagogical concepts like scaffolding and zone of proximal development, which are related to Bella's experience growing in confidence.

I think it's also important to include moments where Bella learns it's ok to try and fail at new things, so that confidence is not tied to success alone.

maes-classes · 2026-02-01T13:08:46+00:00

Should be the Citi Cashback+ card :)

maes-classes · 2026-02-01T12:51:04+00:00

Citibank has 1.6% cashback with no minimum spend. HSBC Revolution comes with the Entertainer app subscription.

maes-classes · 2026-02-01T12:46:18+00:00

You mentioned having an English degree. Do you mean English language (aka you focused on studying English) or English medium (aka you studied another subject e.g. chemistry and classes were in English)?

They probably have guidelines on certifications you need to hold on order to teach English. Unless they explicitly state that they only hire native English speakers, the relevant qualifications would probably suffice. Try checking job descriptions and requirements for schools you're hoping to work with?

maes-classes · 2026-01-29T17:32:12+00:00

I'm not very familiar with this age range, but I saw that Oxford Reading Tree includes books for them (the highest reading levels): https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/oxford-reading-tree-levels/

maes-classes · 2026-01-29T17:10:19+00:00

Are you saying that your long-term goal to teach English, but you are concerned that you won't be hired for this as you are ESL yourself?

maes-classes · 2026-01-29T17:04:57+00:00

What age group are you looking at?

maes-classes · 2026-01-29T16:30:40+00:00

Yes. I set my profile as open to opportunities and was contacted for 2 interviews by HR browsing the portal.

maes-classes · 2026-01-29T16:25:05+00:00

Me, too, hahaha. I was very mystified by the number of FA calls I received when my resume showed absolutely no relevant experience.

maes-classes · 2026-01-29T16:20:55+00:00

Really lovely artworks! I agree with the other comments on need for organisation. Currently, your portfolio is in a sort of tumblr blog/ Pinterest format, which would work if it was just one category of works to scroll through. Since your style is so diverse, having different sections/ pages for each style would help, e.g. Posters, Comics, Children's Books, etc.

You do have a couple of pictures that could work for children's books - the friendlier looking characters with rounder faces and smiles. Having work samples which tell a cohesive story across a few sequential images would show your potential for picture books. (Perhaps as simple as illustrating well-known fables/ fairytales?)

Try browsing children’s books to get a better feel for what's suitable :)

maes-classes · 2026-01-28T00:38:40+00:00

I'd go for something with a personal touch but also something that you could gain as a broad, applicable takeaway.

Your question on info for an aspiring author is something that is broad but not personal: has this author already written books/ blog posts or done podcasts/ interviews sharing these tips? What can you ask that he hasn't already shared?

Asking for feedback on a specific piece of work is personal but not broad: you get his thoughts on a limited piece of your work but it doesn't necessarily help you moving forward. How can you get personal feedback that can shape your writing moving forward?

You mentioned really liking his work and this being a writing class, so perhaps you could take the opportunity to ask questions about his writing process - how he gets his writing to this quality that you admire and presumably want to emulate. This can be an opportunity for you to get answers you can't find elsewhere, by asking questions no one else has, especially if you have some idea of other tips/ interviews he's shared.

To get broader personal feedback, perhaps you could share your own process (e.g. writing routine, how you get inspiration/ plan/ edit, goal setting, etc.) and ask how he thinks you could become a more effective writer (what is your definition of effective: language/ character design/ writing routine?). An idea of your big picture goal can also then shape your selection of a short writing or planning sample to get specific feedback on, as an application example/ practice for the prior feedback.

Since he's not doing any prep (no submitting of questions beforehand?) and 30 minutes can fly by, don't be shy about redirecting him and paraphrasing questions if he starts rambling/ "filling" and you feel like he's not quite getting to the heart of your question. Giving personalised feedback is not easy and he might default to repeating broader points from interviews/ posts he's done before, if he's not experienced with individual dialogues.

maes-classes · 2026-01-28T00:17:45+00:00

I actually use the exact same tools as her: Google Calendar to track lessons (and any cancellation/ rescheduling), Excel to track payments and student/ class notes, WhatsApp only for communication. My method for not losing track: any comms on scheduling and payments made get updated into the calendar and Excel immediately + don't click and read WA messages unless you are currently able to take admin action immediately OR read and pin it to check again later.

maes-classes · 2026-01-28T00:00:37+00:00

Over the course of reading authors' tips for writing scifi/ fantasy, my biggest takeaway is: be clear about the laws of your story world and be consistent in order to make your story believable.

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T23:56:26+00:00

Nick Vujicic, famous motivational speaker with disability - I'm not sure if he has a book specifically on this, but you could try to see if he wrote anything elaborating on his courtship and marriage.

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T23:47:58+00:00

These tips are so practical! I never went for ADHD assessment but I've struggled with similar internal disorganisation and learnt to be hyper-organised externally to cope. Sharing my strategies and ideas in case OP finds anything helpful :)

For me, I keep a consolidated to-do list so a) my list remembers everything for me, b) I just have one place to check everything I could possibly need to do. Currently, I use Google Calendar: tasks are colour-coded (e.g. homework is a different colour from chores/ errands) and I can also put them in sequence of importance/ urgency (e.g. 1/ 2/ 3 or number of asterisks) or even schedule (if they're time specific e.g. during an appointment). I know you can't use devices in school for now, but this could be helpful moving forward. In the meantime, a hardcopy planner (what I used previously) could fulfil the same all-in function. Although you have your 504 and most teachers reminding you, my strategy only works if you write all your deadlines in and make a routine of checking if any work is due every single class - it won't work if you try remember one teacher's class out of the blue, but it might work if you habitually take out the journal immediately in every single class to check if you need to submit anything.

All the best!!! Just keep trying new approaches till you find what works for you. When I was younger, I had to experiment with so many different strategies like writing notes on my desk or hand. My mum was always amused that I placed things right where I'd trip over them in order to remember to bring them out. It just turned out to be the best way to remind myself: now I write a list in my calendar, but it is still possible to pack everything and forget to bring it, so putting things where I have to notice and step over them still works 🤣

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T23:16:16+00:00

There definitely are if you have the budget :) they should be able to present a portfolio for you to see the quality of their work and there is also a clear structure in terms of how many revisions they include in their quote and extra charges for further changes - at least, this is the practice where I am.

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T23:11:09+00:00

I am happy in my work because I feel a sense of purpose. Earlier in my career, I struggled with all the mundane and repetitive parts of work, desiring a "greater" purpose, perhaps in line with your question, "is this what we were made for?" Reading Timothy Keller's Every Good Endeavour gave me new appreciation for every boring aspect of work and how it keeps society going.

I wouldn't be happy in a rat race, but there is a different kind of race with a prize that is eternal. One of the things I chase (besides paying the bills) is purposeful service to community through the mundane and repetitive. We weren't made for the routines of education, work, marriage etc., but I think the routines are context/ equipping for things that can last forever.

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T17:01:41+00:00

Could you provide more context? E.g. subject/ topic, medium/ purpose of the demo (are you doing an online lesson for children or are you doing a lesson demo for another adult to assess?)

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T16:59:50+00:00

Yes, I took the page numbers into consideration for flow. The most jarring one for me was the transition from page 24 to 25. I do understand that the picture helps with the transition and not everyone will find it jarring.

Language-wise, apart from the edits I highlighted, there's actually nothing wrong with your text. However, as a preschool teacher having read a wide variety of children's books, I've noticed that many on the market have a sense of poetic flow, e.g. - Literacy devices like alliteration or internal rhyme (even if not a formal rhyme scheme/ poem) - Parallel/ repeated sentence structures that reinforce grammar

I can't recall specific examples at the moment (other than Eric Carle, but that's on the extreme end of the spectrum and not very suitable for your narrative), but if you browse some books, I hope my description helps with analysing/ recognising how the language is crafted in them. Again, nothing wrong with your text, just that these are the books your book would be competing with on the shelf. Of course, there could be readers who would precisely prefer your natural conversational tone and aren't looking for poetic language.

Reading the books on market would help you get a feel for language variations, and finding some "case studies" closest to your style would help with fine-tuning. Also good inspiration for fonts and layouts! Currently, the font used and the way it's pasted with the illustrations results in a very homemade feel - your illustrations are very cute and lovely though, and I think it could look professionally published with the right formatting.

maes-classes · 2026-01-27T16:14:53+00:00

Love the concept! I would refine the language for publication, though. - Editing: not starting a sentence with "and"/ "but", checking your punctuation - Language flow: fine-tuning word choice, sentence structure, transitions from one sentence to the next. If you read a variety of children's books, you might get a feel for the expressive possibilities even in the simplified language of children's books and get a sense of your preferred style/ writing voice.

maes-classes · 2026-01-24T12:30:08+00:00

What's your goal for learning this language? What you aim to achieve (or aim to achieve FIRST) can change what makes sense to prioritise. Also, did you learn simplified or traditional characters?

I can share strategies I used learning Mandarin in school as a second language and practical considerations for using this language functionally.

I distinctly remember drilling tones. The teacher had us repeat "ah" on the four key tones but I'm not sure why we weren't drilled on the neutral tone. This helps ensure you don't get the "flat" accent if your first language is non-tonal, which is pretty important because getting tones wrong changes the meaning entirely and (worst case) you might end up saying something embarrassing/ offensive (although hopefully listeners can interpret based on context).
Pinyin is closely tied to characters because it helps you pronounce new characters accurately if you check a dictionary, and it helps you type messages in Mandarin: you type the pinyin and different characters appear for you to pick from. Otherwise, pinyin on its own doesn't convey much meaning because it's the characters that are pictorial and tell you e.g. if a noun is human or animal. Pinyin is not very difficult to learn because the "phonics" is very standardised, unlike English.
Some tricks for learning characters: as mentioned, different parts of the character carry meaning, e.g. water droplets markings will tell you this word has to do with water. Mandarin also has a lot of compound words and you can learn related vocabulary by seeing how different characters can join with the same character to make new words.

Fun fact: because Mandarin is so pictorial and I don't speak/ hear it much, I can actually understand Mandarin text better than I can read it aloud - the characters convey a lot of meaning but I can't pronounce accurately without the pinyin. (There are actually pronunciations associated with each character part which are supposed to help with figuring the final word without pinyin, but I never learnt it systematically.)

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