Show, Don’t Tell: Bringing Yabbit the Rabbit to Life Through Illustration
In children’s picture books, showing rather than telling makes a story come alive.
As authors, we often want to describe everything, but one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that great picture books leave room for the illustrator to enhance the storytelling. This balance allows the visuals to captivate young readers and deepen the emotional impact of each scene.
This tip came from Izzy of IzzyBBooks, whose advice has been incredibly helpful as I work on Yabbit the Rabbit.
Learning to Let the Illustrations Speak
I’m learning this lesson quickly. Rodrigo (my illustrator) and I sat down to read through the manuscript together, and we discovered several places where I was telling too much, writing actions that should be left for the art to show.
For example, instead of writing:
“Yabbit doesn’t like cabbage.”
I should write:
“Yabbit’s face puckered as a plate of cabbage was put in front of him.”
That one change gives Rodrigo space to imagine how Yabbit looks, acts, and reacts, while also making the story more playful for children.
🎥 Watch our creative discussion on YouTube Shorts
When Rodrigo reads this kind of descriptive action, he can visually “show” readers that Yabbit doesn’t like cabbage, without me ever having to say it outright.
Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Matters in Picture Books
For young readers, illustrations are the emotional anchor of the story. They make characters expressive and relatable, and they allow children to interpret feelings through visual cues rather than just words.
By writing text that sparks the illustrator’s imagination, rather than restricting it, I’m learning how to build a more collaborative creative process.
It’s exciting to see how the art transforms each line of text into something bigger than I could ever write on my own.
Final Thoughts
Every time I learn to step back and let Rodrigo’s illustrations tell the story, Yabbit the Rabbit feels more alive.
This approach has completely changed how I write. Instead of explaining what Yabbit feels, I now describe how he shows it, and trust the art to carry the rest.
It’s a simple concept, but one that can turn a good picture book into a great one.
