My conclusion, after looking through a hefty stack of picture books (both old favorites and newer books pulled at random from library shelves at heights that did not require me to bend down), is there are four and a half distinct ways of bringing a picture book to an end.
The CODA
Coda style endings are the most prevalent. Like a musical coda, these endings sum up the plot and tie it in a neat little bow. Action is resolved; lose ends tied up; and in the world of the story, everything is as it should be. Examples of this satisfying brand of ending are:
Uncle Andy’s Cats by James Warhola
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Stina by Lina Anderson
Swimmy by Lio Lionni
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
The Lonely Book by Kate Bernheimer
Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss
One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli
Amanda Panda Quits Kindergarten by Candice Ransom
The EPILOGUE
The action in these endings is not final. Like an unresolved musical chord, there hangs in the air the possibility of further adventure. The hint that there is more to the story may be in the text, or in an ending illustration.
The Journey of Bangwell Putt by Mariana
Math Curse by John Scieszka & Lane Smith
Minerva Louise and the Red Truck by Janet Stoeke
The TOPSY-TURVEY
The topsy-turvey ending flips the narrative. It might be an added “ending after the ending”, or it might be a reveal that gives the reader a dramatic shift of perspective. (Sometimes quite literally.)
I’m Coming to Get You by Tony Ross
Beverley Billingsly Borrows a Book by Alexander Stadler
The WHOOPS
These endings reveal themselves most commonly when being read aloud to a room full of children. You are rolling along through the narrative, neatly cornering the twists and turns of the plot, your voice swelling dramatically to deliver the great ending line…. Only to realize that there’s another page.
The Whoops delivers the same awkward moment you experience after walking out of a restaurant having delivered a withering and witty exit line to the significant other who just dumped you, only to realize you left your car keys on the table, and have to go back for them.
[Examples omitted to avoid awkward hallway encounters at conferences…]
The Fourth-and-a-Half Way to end a book
To my mind the least satisfying end is where the author asks the reader point blank to draw a conclusion. “But what do you think?” It gives the reader the feeling that the author couldn’t come up with a solid ending, and just punted. I didn’t run across any of these in my random sample, but they’re out there.
Can you think of any?