Want a FREE audio recording of a READ-THROUGH of your story? Click here.
Interested in a FULL CRITIQUE of your PB manuscript? Click here.
Having trouble getting started with your query? Click here.

July 2023

Welcome! I'm so glad you stopped by.
I hope you find this collection of picture book first lines inspiring and motivational.

If you'd like your book included in a future collection, click here.

Elements of a great first line

Song after Song

The Musical Life of Julie Andrews

words by Julie Hedlund, art by Ilaria Urbinati

Published by little bee books

First line: Julia Elizabeth Wells was born into a melody—her childhood attuned to the timbre of her tiny English village, where she heard music in the rhythm of the river, in the whistle of the wind, in the symphony of the songbirds.

Elements used: introduces the main character, establishes the setting of the story, engages multiple senses, and employs poetic devices

Hook: lyrical story of the early life of Julie Andrews and how she found her voice and love of music

Comp tags: music, singers, lyrical

To preorder this book, click here.

First Line Revision Journey

Here is the first line of the actual book:

Julia Elizabeth Wells was born into a melody— 

her childhood attuned to the timbre

of her tiny English village, where she heard music

     in the rhythm of the river,

          in the whistle of the wind, 

               in the symphony of songbirds.


The first line in my first full draft was: 

In a tiny English village, young Julie Andrews hears music everywhere.

In the rushing river,

the blowing breeze,

her father’s laughter.

This is one of the very few lines in the book that didn't change very much from first draft to final. I always knew I wanted to start with Julie's connection to nature and its musicality. Her father was the one who fostered her love of nature, but I moved that connection 

to the second spread in order to let readers feel the spaciousness of her village. I also chose to save the reveal of her name change until later in the story in the final version, because it's a significant part of her childhood. I told the early version in present tense and quickly realized it got in the way of the lyricism I was trying to achieve. But otherwise, the intent, feeling, and structure of the opening stayed pretty consistent throughout my drafting.

How Birds Sleep

words by Sarah Pedry, art by David Obuchowski

Published by MINEDITIONUS

First line: It’s Dusk. 

Elements used: establishes the setting of the story.

Hook: describes the different places and postures for onithlogical sleep

Comp tags: birds, sleep, settings, opposites

Destination Desert

words by Laura Perdew, art by Lex Cornell

Published by nomad press

First line: Good day, fellow explorers!

Elements used: engages the reader and makes the reader wonder something

Hook: narrator invites the reader on a tour of the desert

Comp tags: desert, exploring

Starflower

words by JM Farkas & Emily Vizzo, art by Jasmin Dwyer

Published by cameron kids

First line: Good things come in threes, like peas like wishes like sisters.

Elements used: employes poetic devices and makes the reader wonder something

Hook: poetic story of Poet Edna St Vincent Millay’s childhood

Comp tags: lyrical, poetry, poverty, illness, sisters, absent parent

Rose Spoke Out

words by Emma Carlson Berne, art by Giovanni Abeille

Published by Apples & Honey Press

First line: Rose loved school.

Elements used: introduces the main character

Hook: story of how Rose Schneiderman used her voice to convince leaders to make working conditions better for factory workers.

Comp tags: history, speaking out, factories, women, strike

Ice Cream Man

words by Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman, art by Keith Mallett

Published by Crown Books for Young Readers

First line: On a hot summer day in 1850, Augustus Jackson’s colorful hat could be seen from a block away as he strolled down Philadelphia’s cobblestone streets.

Elements used: Introduces the main character, establishes the setting of the story and makes the reader wonder something

Hook: life story of August Jackson and how he learned how to make ice cream faster and keep it from melting so fast

Comp tags: slavery, White House, ice cream, cooking, poverty, dreams

All About Nothing

words by Elizabeth Rusch & Elizabeth Goss

Published by Charlesbridge

First line: What do you know about nothing?

Elements used: engages the reader and subverts the reader’s expectations

Hook: unique examples of “nothing”

Comp tags: examples, negative space

Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine

words by Kate Hannigan, art by Sarah Green

Published by Calkins Creek

First line: Josephine Garis Cochran was a modern woman who wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

Elements used: introduces the main character and makes the reader wonder something

Hook: the invention of the dishwashing machine

Comp tags: inventions, women, patents, dishwashing machine, businesswoman, persistence, dreams

Make Way for Animals

words by Meeg Pincus, art by Bao Luu

Published by Millbrook Press

First line: The road is a visitor.

Elements used: subverts the reader’s expectations, introduces an unusual main character and establishes a unique premise

Hook: collection of stories showing how roads have impeded wildlife crossings and how countries are making changes to help the animals

Comp tags: wildlife, coexist, eco-construction, roads, 

This Is Tap: Savion Glover Finds His Funk

words by Selene Castrovilla, art by Laura Freeman

Published by Holiday House

First line: Livity, givity, lovity, dovity, Bring, Bring, Bring!

Elements used: uses poetic devises and engages multiple senses

Hook: lyrical life story of Savion Glover incorporating the rhythm and sound of tap

Comp tags: tap, lyrical onomatopoeia

Her Name Was Mary Katharine

words by Ella Schwartz, art by Dow Phumiruk

Published by Little, Brown, and Co

First line: Before America was even a country, a young girl lived in the colony of Connecticut in a busy port town with her parents and younger brother.

Elements used: esatblishes the setting of the story

Hook: the story of Mary Katherine Goddard’s involvement with the printing press and how her name came to be on the Declaration of Independance

Comp tags: history, women, Declaration of Independence, printing press

So Much More to Helen

words by Meeg Pincus, art by Caroline Bonne-Muller

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

First line: Asked of Helen Keller’s glory, most folks talk of this one story: DeafBlind girl—no one could reach her.

Elements used: references someone with universal appeal

Hook: collection of adjectives about Helen Keller accompanied by descriptive couplets and sidebars

Comp tags: Helen Keller, rhyming

Ribbit! The Truth about Frogs

words by Annette Whipple

Published by Reycraft Books

First line: Who’s hopping?

Elements used: engages the reader

Hook: collection of facts about frogs with sidebars

Comp tags: frogs, facts

A Life of Service

words by Christina Soontornvat, art by Dow Phumiruk

Published by Candlewick Press

First line: Even before she ever touched American soil, Ladda Tammy Duckworth knew that she would someday serve her country.

Elements used: introduces the main character and makes the reader feel something

Hook: story of how Tammy Duckworth came to serve in the Army and eventually Congress

Comp tags: Congress, Senator, military, Army, expat

Peculiar Primates

words by Debra Kempf Shumaker, art by Claire Powell

Published by RP Kids

First line: All primates climb and breathe in air.

Elements used: sets the tone for the story and states a universal fact

Hook: collection of rthyming facts about primates

Comp tags: primates, facts, opposites, rhyming

Annette Feels Free

words by Katie Mazeika

Published by Beach Lane Books

First line: The entire city was abuzz.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something and engages multiple senses

Hook: story of Annette Kellerman’s history with swimming

Comp tags: history, swimming, swimsuits, women, childhood illness, polio

Before Music

words by Annette Bay Pimentel, art by Madison Safer

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

First line: Music doesn’t come out of nothing.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something and references something with universal appeal

Hook: a history lesson about music 

Comp tags: music, history, natural instruments

We Go Way Back

words by Idan Ben-Barak, art by Philp Bunting

Published by Roaring Brook Press

First line: Hey, you! Yes, You!

Elements used: engages the reader

Hook: narrator addressing the reader to explain the origin of life

Comp tags: origin of life, unique formatting, unique structure, science

The Capitol

words by LIndsay Ward

Published by Harper

First line: WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL!

Elements used: engages the reader and references something with universal appeal

Hook: detailed tour of the Capitol following three kid visitors

Comp tags: US Capitol, tour

A Dupatta Is...

words by Marzieh Abbas, art by Anu Chouhan

Published by Feiwel and Friends

First line: A dupatta is shape

   Trimmed into a rectangle 

  Corners neatly tucked 

  Edged with lace 

 Or piped with ribbons

Elements used: engages multiple senses

Hook: all the uses of a dupatta

Comp tags: garments, tradition, culture, South Asia, family

Justice Rising

words by Katheryn Russell-Brown, art by Kim Holt

Published by Viking

First line: The US Civil Rights Movement, which lasted from the 1950s through the 1960s, was a time of great upheaval, protest, and change. 

Elements used: establ files of amazing Black women of the Civil Rights Movement

Comp tags: profiles, Civil Rights Movement, history, women, stories

Claude Monet

words by Amy Guglielmo, art by Ginnie Hsu

Published by DK

First line: On NOvember 14, 1840, on the fifth floor of a small apartment building, near the Seine RIver in Paris, Oscar-Claude Monet was born.

Elements used: establishes the setting of the story and introduces the main character

Hook: life story spotlighting Monet’s history with drawring

Comp tags: artist, history

Yoshi Sea Turtle Genius

words by Lynne Cox, art by Richard Jones

Published by anne schwartz books

First line: Inside the egg was genius.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something and surprises the reader

Hook: the life story of Yoshi the sea turtle who, after being rescued from a net and living in an aquarium in South Africa, swam 23,000 miles to return to her home beach to mate and lay eggs.

Comp tags: sea turtles, animals homing instincts, 

The Whale Who Swam Through Time

words by Alex Boersma & Nick Pyenson, art by Alex Poersma

Published by Roaring Brook Press

First line: This is a story about a whale who will live a very, very long time.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Hook: story of a bowhead whale, the longest-living mammal in the world

Comp tags: whales, mammals, long lifespans

Good Eating
The Short life of Krill

words by Matt LIlley, art by Dan Tavis

Published by Tilbury House Publishing

First line: Hey, egg. What are you doing?

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Hook: the life cycle of krill in second person, with a narrator addressing the krill

Comp tags: krill, life cycle, scientific names

A Is For Axolotl

words by Catherine Macorol

Published by Godwin Books

First line: A is for the Axolotl, who dives and dips and swims.

Elements used: establishes a rhythm that pulls the reade rin

Hook: ABC structure of unusual animals

Comp tags: unusual animals, rhyming, trivia

PLUTO!

words by Stacy McAnulty, art by Stevie Lewis

Published by Henry Holt and Company

First line: Nice to meet you.

Elements used: engages the reader

Hook: story of Pluto from the POV of Pluto

Comp tags: Pluto, planets, history, humor

Tree Hole Homes

words by Melissa Stewart & Amy Hevron

Published by Random House Studio

First line: Imagine this: One day while walking in the woods, you spot a towering tree with a hole big enough to slip inside.

Elements used: engages the reader and makes the reader wonder something

Hook: spare text descriptions of tree hole homes accompanied by side bars

Comp tags: tree hole homes, animals, opposites

Behold The Octopus!

words by Suzanne Slade, art by THomas Gonzalez

Published by Peachtree

First line: Amazing Octopus!

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Hook: single word main text with sidebars describing Octopuses

Comp tags: octopus, spare text, side bars

Yuck! You Suck!

words by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, art by Eugenia Nobati

Published by Millbrook Press

First line: Yuck, you suck.

Elements used: subverts the reader’s expectations and makes the reader laugh

Hook: Collection of poems about different creatures that suck their food

Comp tags: all kinds of creatures, eating, rhyming

JUMPER

by Jessica Lanan
Published by Roaring Brook Press
First line: What if you were very small?
Elements used: engages the reader and makes the reader wonder something
Hook: describing the life of a jumping spider alternating from the POV of the spider and inviting the reader to consider what it would it would be like to do the same things
comp tags: spiders, day in the life, signature action

Sign up for the PB First Lines e-newsletter

Never miss a post and get a  revising tip for your first line in every issue!