IF YOU WANT TO WRITE A STORY

Mack addresses his audience directly, writing in the second person; his suggestions are interpreted by the long-tailed protagonist, clad in green footie pajamas. The first requirement is an idea: The writer is advised to “look around” and “pick one.” A beginning is born when the mouse chases the idea (a stuffed rabbit, sprung to life) outside to a cardboard box turned spaceship. In what is likely a nod to 1985’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (as are the choice of lead character and the titular phrasing), the hero and pal blast past heavenly bodies depicted as chocolate chip confections, landing on an orange surface. Mack adds excitement in the form of a problem (a villainous alien who steals the rabbit). He notes that writing can be overwhelming, but he urges aspiring authors to be open to changing direction. He controls pacing by varying his digital compositions from sequential panels of different shapes and sizes to double-page spreads that bleed off the page. Mack offers an immensely entertaining tale while explaining various processes in clear, practical steps. The book ends with the mouse returning home to read the completed story to interested parents; Mack leaves readers with questions (“How does it sound when you read it out loud? Would you change anything”) that might encourage them to do a bit of editing.