"Give me a really good first line, 

something I can sink my teeth into, that just pulls me in and makes me want to read more. For me, a really great first line raises a question in my mind, or, better yet, two or three, where I just have to read the book to find out. 

A good first line gives me context about the story and lays a roadmap for where we're going."

Jennifer March Soloway
Senior Agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency
During an interview on the Writers with Wrinkles podcast

November 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

Grandpa's Window

Words by Laura Gehl, art by Udayana Lugo

Published by flyaway books

First line: Daria’s grandpa had a window that looked out at the ocean.

Elements used: sets the scene of the story

Comp tags: imagination, grief, loss, intergenerational relationships 

First Line Revision Journey

The first line actually changed very little. The original version was


Daria’s grandma had a window that looked out at the ocean.


The final version was 


Daria’s grandpa had a window that looked out at the ocean.


The reason the line changed was that we (my editor and I) decided to make the grandparent in the book a grandfather instead of a grandmother. At the time we made the change, my kids were grieving the recent loss of their grandfather (my dad).

The idea for this book began with the window. There’s a story by O. Henry called “The Last Leaf,” where a character is convinced she will die when the last leaf falls off the vine on the wall outside her window. Yet somehow the leaf stubbornly clings to the vine much longer than expected, and the character gets better. At the end of the story, we learn that the last leaf had been painted on the building by an artist friend.  Inspired in part by that story, I had this vision of a window that mirrors a child’s emotions during her grandfather’s

illness, showing happy scenes of them playing on the beach together when she is hopeful, and then stormy scenes when the grandfather gets worse instead of better. From the beginning, my vision was that the end of the book would reveal that the “window” had actually been the child’s drawings all along. So there was never any question in my mind that the first line needed to introduce the window, showing a happy scene. 

Do you have any advice for figuring out where to start a story?

Just like every writer, I sometimes struggle with where to start a story. There are times when I have the perfect first line in my head before I even begin to write. And there are other times when I bounce all over the place, trying lots of different first lines, and starting the story lots of different ways. I guess my best advice would be that you don’t need to start at the beginning when you are writing a story. Trying to come up with the perfect first line, or perfect first few lines, can be overwhelming and can paralyze you with writer’s block. So if you have a fabulous first line in your 

head before you start writing, great. But if not, it can be easier to start in the middle of a story. There’s less pressure to dive into the middle than to come up with a brilliant introduction, and you can go back to the beginning later. (I just gave this advice to my son who is currently writing his college essays too!) I also think it can work really well when you have a first line and a last line that mirror each other. For example, in my book Saving Delicia, illustrated by Patricia Metola, which comes out next year, the first line is: “Every summer afternoon, Kari and Cookie sat in the shade of the beautiful delicia tree listening to Old Otis tell tales from way back when.” And then at the end of the book, that first line is echoed with “Every summer afternoon, Kari sits in the shade of the beautiful delicia orchard, telling tales of way back when.” So if you find writing endings easier than beginnings, a great last line can inspire a great first line! 

Hopscotch

By Marie-Louise Gay

Published by Groundwood Books House of Anansi Press

First line: From my bedroom window I see into the neighbor’s garden where a small white dog is tied to the clothesline.

Elements used: sets the scene of the story 

Comp tags: imagination, creativity, resilience, change, moving, new school

My Little Thief

Words by Augusten Burroughs, art by Bonnie Lui

Published by Christy Ottaviano Books

First line: Chloe didn’t like certain things, such as lightning storms, splinters, or bacon in cookies.

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

Comp tags: unlikely friendship, misunderstanding

My Elephant Is Blue

By Melinda Szymanik & Vasanti Unka

Published by flyaway books

First line: One morning I woke to find an elephant sitting on my chest.

Elements used: surprises the reader

Comp tags: emotions, sadness, coping, family, siblings

Cinderella—with Dogs!

Words by Linda Bailey, art by Freya Hartas

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

First line: Poor Cinderella, lonely and sad, was sweeping the ashes from the fireplace.

Elements used: references a beloved classic

Comp tags: fractured fairy tales, dogs, female empowerment

Night Market Rescue

Words by Charlotte Cheng, art by Amber Ren

Published by Rocky Pond Books

First line: When it’s summer in the city every day is hot and sticky.

Elements used: establishes the setting of the story and a rhythm that pulls the reader in, engages multiple senses, and makes the reader feel something

Comp tags: found family, adventure

A New Day for Umwell the Gray

Words by Nathaniel Jenks, art by Rebecca Evans

Published by Tilbury House Publishers

First line: William lived in a gray world.

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

Comp tags: a new perspective

Be Wild, Little One

Words by Olivia Hope, art by Daniel Egneus

Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

First line: Wake up early.

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

Comp tags: rhyming, adventure, magic of nature, lyrical

Maple & Rosemary

Words by Alison James, art by Jennifer K. Mann

Published by Neal Porter Books

First line: Once there was a tree who was very lonely.

Elements used: introduces an unusual main character and their problem

Comp tags: unlikely friendship, deciduous trees, nature, seasons

A Delicious Story

By Barney Saltzberg

Published by Hippo Park

First line: Hello!

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: dialogue only; spare text, Elephant & Piggie style

Percy's Perfect Friend

Words by Lana Button, art by Peggy Collins

Published by pajama press

First line: Percy was new.

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

Comp tags: imagination, making friends, being new

The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Anne Lowe

Words by Kate Messner and Margaret E. Powell, art by Erin K. Robinson

Published by chronicle books

First line: In a stately Alabama mansion, women in bright dresses twirl before a mirror.

Elements used: starts in the middle of the action, engages multiple senses, and sets the scene of the story

Comp tags: NF, sewing, Black history

Tiny Barbarian Conquers the Kraken!

Words by Amy Dyckman, art by Ashley Spires

Published by Harper

First line: This is Tiny Barbarian.

Elements used: introduces the main character and surprises the reader

Comp tags:  humor, swim lessons, conquering challenges

We Are Lions!

Words by Jens Mattsson, art by  Jenny Lucander

Published by Groundwood Books

First line: I am a lion.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: pretend, childhood illness

Wonder Dogs!

Words by Linda Ashman, art by Karen Obuhanych

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

First line: Between the poles, into the chutes, across teh bridges, through the hoops.

Elements used: starts in the middle of the action and makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: rhyming, dog jobs, the wonder of a pet

I See You, Sad Bear

By Vern Kousky

Published by Roaring Brook Press

First line: Sad Bear, why are you so sad?

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

Comp tags: reasons for sadness, empathy, dealing with sadness

The Brand-New Never Used Perfect Crayons

Published by Holiday House

First line: Violet was in the art supply aisle when she first spotted them.

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

Comp tags: crayons, sisters, perfection, imagination

Grandpa and the Kingfisher

Words by Anna Wilson, art by Sarah Massini

Published by nosy crow

First line: “Look!” siad Grandpa

Elements used: Makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: lyrical, nature, circle of life

The Brilliant Ms. Bangle

Words by Cara Devins, art by K-Fai Steele

Published by Feiwel and Friends

First line: It was the very first day of school at Belford Elementary, and the students were SO excited to be back.

Elements used: references something with universal appeal and establishes the setting of the story

Comp tags: reading, change, new teacher

Snug as a Bug?

Words by Karl Newson, art by Alex Willmore

Published by happy yak

First line: I’m as snug as a bug in a rug, I am.

Elements used: references a beloved classic

Comp tags: fractured nursery rhymes, escaping danger, adventure

Dancing Hands

Words by Joanna Que & Charine Marquez, art by Fran Alvarez

Published by chronicle books

First line: Our new neighbor’s hands are dancing.

Elements used: Introduces an unusual premise and makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: sign language, friendship

GROWL

By Jen Corace

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

First line: Gladys, I’m starving. 

Elements used: introduces the problem

Comp tags: generosity, new friends, midnight snacks

The Scariest Kitten in the World

Words by Kate Messner, art by Mackenzie Haley

Published by Farrar Straus Giroux

First line: WARNING This is a VERY scary story.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: humor, not-scary

How to Make a PB Sandwich in 17 Steps

By Bambi Edlund

Published by Owlkids Books

First line: YOU WILL NEED: [list of 17 absurd items]

Elements used: surprises the reader makes the reader laugh

Comp tags: humor, how-to

My Dad Thinks He's a Pirate

Words by Katrina Germein, art by Tom Jellett

Published by Candlewick Press

First line: My dad thinks he’s funny.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something and feel something

Comp tags: humor, parents, dads, word play, homonyms, puns

B Is for Bellies

Words by Rennie Dyball, art by Mia Saine

Published by Clarion Books

First line: A is for all the bodies you see.

Elements used: engages the reader

Comp tags: ABC book, parts of the body, body-positive

Wombat

By Philip Bunting

Published by Charlesbridge

First line: Wombat.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: wombats, humor, spare text

Grandma's Tipi

By S.D. Nelson

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

First line: “Oh, Clara, it’s so good to see you.”

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

Comp tags: indigenous culture, visiting family alone, extended family, tipis, cultural traditions

One Upside-Downy Day

By Renee Kurilla

Published by Appleseed Books

First line: Sluggish weepy eyes still looking sleepy.

Elements used: employs poetic devises, engages multiple senses and makes the reader feel something

Comp tags: bad day, rhyme

Window Fishing

Words by DK Dyson, art by RUdy Gutierrez

Published by Alfred A. Knopf

First line: The artist Rudeday sat at his drawing table and sighed.

Elements used: makes the reader wonder something

Comp tags: art, friendship, community

Greenlight

By Breanna Carzoo

Published by Harper

First line: Hi there!

Elements used: engages the reader

Comp tags: being yourself, spare text, humor

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