Write about a topic that you enjoy. An author without passion for the subject will have difficulty writing for her or his intended audience. Take inspiration from the children in your acquaintance for topics.
Keep the manuscript short. Publishers usually want only 32 to 36 pages for the manuscript. Half of those pages will be pictures, so be careful about your word count. Use only 500 words for your text to keep your audience interested in the book. Do not use big words because you are writing for children who are usually in the preschool to kindergarten age range. However, do not make your manuscript intellectually condescending because picture books are not just entertainment but help children acquire the skill of reading. Read books from classic picture book authors like Dr. Seuss and Rosemary Wells to see how these authors use words to engage, inform, and entertain their audiences.
Keep the manuscript short. Publishers usually want only 36 pages for manuscript. Half of those pages will be pictures so be careful about your word count. Use only 500 words for your text to keep your audience interested in the book. Do not use big words because you are writing for children who are usually in the preschool to kindergarten age range. However, do not dumb down your manuscript because picture books are not just entertainment but help children acquire the skill of reading. Read books from classic picture book authors like Dr. Seuss and Rosemary Wells to see how these authors use words to engage, inform and entertain their audiences.
Research your topic if you are writing a nonfiction book. The process of research is interesting for the author. Fact check your book before publication and have your references organized in bibliographic form so that you can answer a publisher's questions about the accuracy of your research and manuscript. Write about subjects that you are familiar with and can write on with authority.
Write a fiction story that has a plot with a beginning, middle, and end. A story must have a main character with a conflict or a problem that you introduce in the beginning of the book, that you address in the middle of the story, and that you resolve for your character at the end of the picture book.