Picture book ARC's

I have three picture book ARC's from the ALA conference; one has already been published, one will be published soon, and the third, according to Amazon, is not due for publication until April 2008. Where juvenile fiction novels and young adult novels in ARC format are completely ready for publication, editing and such not withstanding, the picture books are not bound. The books in question, The Lonely Moose, Nothing, and Grump Growl Groan all have loose pages within the proposed book cover.


It is intriguing to look at how the book is actually put together. When listening to illustrators speak, there is often discussion about double and/or full page spreads (apologies if the terminology is incorrect), gutter, and binding for their artwork. I have to admit, I have never given much thought as to how the pages would be assembled within the publication. I buy the book, the printer has everyting in the correct order, and I enjoy the illustrations. Looking at the loose pages in these three books has given me a different perspective regarding book layout ... especially if I had dropped any one of the books in question, losing the pages.

Next week I have a class tour scheduled in the resource center for a children's literature class. I am going to email the professor and see if he has any interest in showing the ARC's to his students. They research children's authors and illustrators and may like to see books in process, especially when I will probably be purchasing all three of the titles in question. Finding any differences might be fun.

Tags: ARC, Advance Reader Copy, Picture Books