Need Input About Children's Book Plot

[milosmomma]

Hey ladies, I wanted to get some input.

In a children's book (picture book) being written today, do you think that the use a of a newspaper (as in, somebody looking something up in a newspaper) is still relevant and appropriate? I have a solid idea that I'm getting out on paper, but I'm wondering if using a newspaper might seem dated in the (near)future. I can see both sides and my opinion changes by the minute.

I just need some fresh views.

Thanks!

[Oriole]

I think it will depend on what it is that they are looking up.
I think newspapers are very relative to local news and ads, probably not so much for world news. That's just my humble opinion.

[midnightwriter]

Originally Posted by milosmomma

Hey ladies, I wanted to get some input.

In a children's book (picture book) being written today, do you think that the use a of a newspaper (as in, somebody looking something up in a newspaper) is still relevant and appropriate? I have a solid idea that I'm getting out on paper, but I'm wondering if using a newspaper might seem dated in the (near)future. I can see both sides and my opinion changes by the minute.

I just need some fresh views.

Thanks!

Hmm...I rarely read newspapers (other than on-line), but I can clearly see a newspaper in a picture book! I think it can totally work. I wouldn't worry about "dated."

[monkeymommy3]

I would agree with the PP. It depends what you are looking up. What? No laptop? No google? I also would say that it depends on who in the book is doing the looking up, is it a parent, child or grandparent?

[lostcheerio]

I think a newspaper could definitely work. The only reason to not include something anachronistic is if it's unidentifiable. I think everyone still knows what a newspaper is and probably will for a very long time. Even having Dad read the paper after work instead of getting his news via blogfeed during the day... that would not be unusual. I think it's a very small part of the world that's really abandoning newspapers.

Sounds like you might be getting bogged down in a side issue -- focus on the story and let these details work themselves out.

[milosmomma]

Thanks Mommas!

The newspaper is actually pretty pivotal to the plot....and would work so much better than looking something up on the internet. I'm feeling so much better now. I work in television news (as do most of the people I've been asking) and we're admittedly biased.