How to Make a Splash with Few Words like Tammi Sauer

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Twenty-five picture books later, Tammi Sauer is still going strong. But how do you keep people interested in your stories book after book? You make each word count.

Although Tammi Sauer has TONS of great books, today’s book review is going to focus on one of her latest top-selling picture books, Wordy Birdy. Watch the video to learn all about this chatty bird that’s swooping into homes everywhere.

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If you don’t listen, a bear will eat you!

That’s the lesson that Wordy Birdy learned in Tammi Sauer’s picture book — R.I.P. Wordy Birdy. 😢

Okay…maybe Tammi Sauer gave Wordy Birdy some friends that prevented her death from happening. That’s what we need from our writing friends. Someone who will help us listen to their sound advice that will improve our stories.

And if you don’t have those kind of friends, then use Tammi Sauer and her books to help you out.

Say what you need, but be brief.

A picture book manuscript should be less than 500 words in today’s world. (Have you ever tried to read a picture book from the 90s out-loud? There are SO MANY words! I don’t have the attention span for that. And neither do our readers.)

It might look like Tammi Sauer uses more than 500 words, but looks can be deceiving. In fact, most of her books come in under 400 words! Which just shows us you don’t need a lot of words to get your message across.

Instead, focus on your page turns. And look at how Tammi Sauer uses a combination of dialogue and narration to move the story forward. These are all tricks to remove unnecessary description that may be bogging your story down.

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If you struggle with getting your word count below the 500-word threshold, pick up Wordy Birdy–or any other book by Tammi Sauer. And learn from an expert on how to use fewer words to make a big impact on your story. (You can get your copy here.)

For more picture book reviews, check out these other articles:

• How to Think Outside the Picture Book Framework like BJ Novak
• How to Use Adjectives like Jory John
• How to Write a Popular Quiet Picture Book like Elmore
• The Wall in the Middle of the Book Review

Make Each Word Count like Tammi Sauer!