Storytelling and Symbolism with Kathryn Otoshi

You’ve probably heard that you don’t want to write “preachy” or “didactic” stories. Kids don’t like it when we write down to them to teach them a lesson. Actually, adults who work with kids don’t like it, either. They know that kids are smart. And “preachy” stories aren’t any fun to read.

However, as a writer for children, you might have certain themes or messages that you’d like to share with children. You may have noticed that a lot of books for children that sell well have messages. If you look at those stories closely, you’ll often find the message isn’t stated directly. Symbolism and metaphor make those stories more fun. 

Kathryn uses symbolism and visual cues to tell stories inspired by challenges from her life: watching a new student get bullied, a friend dying of cancer, a fight with her father. If she could turn those experiences into stories that kids want to read, then it’s worth taking a look at how we can use symbolism to tell our own stories. Right?

This is also a selling point for school visits. For example, Beautiful Hands was inspired by Kathryn’s friend Bret Baumgarten’s question, “What will your beautiful hands do today?” When she visits schools, the children would make handprints with their names on them and promise to do something kind for someone every day. And then she builds wire-frame birds with the handprints for feathers to give to the schools.