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Comment by freediver | Hacker News Reader

Very grateful to Eric Carle and his contribution to the world.

Alan Kay said "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.". Makes me think that people who are really serious about writing books for children, should do their own illustrations.

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While some excellent children’s books are one-person projects, most of my favorite children’s books have separate author / illustrator. There is no indication that they are less “serious”. You can find a large pile of terrible books with any possible authorship structure.

I do get the sense however that picture books are usually better when the author and illustrator collaborate closely.

Could be as well, but as an aspiring childrens' book author, this just made me think there may be one more skill I will need to acquire.

Though by analogy, people who are really serious about writing books for children should really make their own children, no?

It certainly helps with building a test audience.

Yes, although (thinking personally, right now my kids are still little): before you have kids, you lack the audience and the experience; once your kids have grown out of picture books, you've lost the audience; and while you're bringing up little kids, you have no time to write books!

I've considered book-writing on occasion, but never seriously considered childrens' books, mainly because I have no illustration skills.

There's something to that and getting experience with all components of your craft.

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