Initial story ideas, and related research

For my book, I have been doing some brainstorming, and ideas I can put forward to the final book.

A brainstorm in my development journal.

For starters I want my story to be aimed toward the children's illustration sector, the reason why I have chosen this sector, is due to the fact that the children's book sector is a booming market, that seems to be increasing year on year. I also want my story to be simple, yet deliver a clear message.

Because the theme of the story has to be based around 'exclusion', I have a initial base to start with.
I would like to incorporate animals into my story, and allow them to be my key characters. I love working with the theme of animals, and this has clearly been reflected in the past in module one, in the reportage, animal, digital manipulation, and the book of drawing units. My favourite unit from last module was the animals unit, as a side note. I do enjoy working with canines and rodents, so I may progress the idea of using these types of animal for my story further.

My graphic piece will be entirely thought up by myself, as well as being fully written and assembled by me, but I will research other books that feature a similar theme of exclusion, and are in the children's genre of book publishing also.

A draft few ideas floating around my head, is perhaps a story in which a small mouse (or rodent) is excluded from everyone else, maybe due to an unlikable trait, or another issue such as size. This character (who would be the protagonist), must try to find the way to be accepted into the pack.
I could tweak this idea, with using a different plot. An alternative plot could bring in the themes of friendship, or maybe bullying. An anti-bullying children's novel is a good idea, this is something I may look into. I could create a story in where the protagonist is bullied, and runs away.*

*: This idea has been taken through to a final draft, which has been tweaked slightly. I have decided to make the protagonist have a smaller statue than all the canines, and this is how he is excluded from certain activities. Instead of the character running away, the protagonist and the major character try to find a way to overcome his size. Eventually the protagonist overcomes this, by the pair assembling a pair of stilts, and because of this, he becomes the tallest in the land, and is no longer excluded.

I will be writing in the third person.
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Book Research: 1
I have been thinking for days, of a story that is based around the similar theme of exclusion, and that story is called The Ugly Duckling. This story is about a duck, who is excluded from a group of other ducklings, due to the grey colour of his feathers.
The Ugly duckling was originally written by Hans Christian Anderson, in 1843. It is a literary fairytale, and was originally written in the Danish language, before being translated to English.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9fZM-61R7LF2CP0hBvqEtMygkqd978L5GnZCX3edMoFs84kGLAoIUYzCTiCAppzZlyGj2roT7cpa2_igkzEmsKPQBRPIpJRCn707jB6aXaFdBfa1aJe-ovsyEhhNFx-lebmq0Lw7C2Y/s1600/ugly_duckling_lg.gif < image reference at this link.

This book also contains a theme of animals.


Book Research 2:
Another book that contains a similar theme to exclusion, is Rapunzel. Rapunzel is a story by the brothers Grimm, and is considered a fairy tale, very much along the lines that little red riding hood, three little pigs, and Cinderella follow. Rapunzal (the antagonist, is excluded from normal life, due to her powers). The copy I have, is very structured in a way that appeals to the children's market, and seems to appeal more to little girls, than that of both sexes. This particular book is illustrated with simple images, by Emma Lake.

Book Research 3:
The Witches is a children's book that is written by the author Roald Dahl, and illustrated by Quentin Blake. The illustrations in this book ha a very rough and scratchy style, this is a path I may wish to go down, and incorporate a similar style in my own illustrated book.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9IY9ALBOn6ZTDAVWX2T8BYSZPQ_tUkV9y-HdXZx36HFBUvPtoKIXJdZ-sm2VIAB9JjyoOqVBkvtzMxZyAjlFMOww1dXM7mH-8Ul-Jy59pCQTnCLhidRN_dGc9kMJ5ok6wOvD3c_aa0EU/s1600/the+witches+kids+2.jpg < image reference at this link.

Thomas.