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| Photo from the back matter in Waddles the Duck: Hey, Wait for Me, taken when a family of mallard ducks took up residence in our family pool |
By Linda Wilson @LinWilsonauthor
You’ve done your research and put your heart and soul into your book. When it’s done, does your file still bulge at the seams? You can elaborate on the main content by including a section of back matter. Some back matter topics include acknowledgements, appendices, glossaries, bibliographies, suggested reading, and author notes. As a self-published author, I include Meet the Author, Meet the Illustrator, blurbs of my additional books with photos of the covers, and supplementary material with sources, for more information.
Examples of Popular Children's Books that incorporate Back Matter
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle: Back matter often includes facts about the butterfly life cycle and other interesting details.
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter: A glossary of terms, information about rabbits, and an explanation about the illustrations are often included in back matter.
- Anne of Green Gables, by Montgomery: Back matter often includes information about the author's life, the historical period, and a discussion of the story's themes.
Combine Research with Helpful Suggestions
In the four picture books that I’ve self-published, two offered in English and Spanish, three of them contain back matter with information from my research and suggestions for my readers.
- Tall Boots, illustrated by 1000 Storybooks:
Ashley wants to win a blue ribbon at the 4-H Horse Show—but there’s one problem. She has to wear her old red rubber riding boots. Her mother is willing to invest in knee-high riding boots, but first Ashley needs to prove to her that she’s committed to riding.
Back Matter: I wanted to see if the 4-H organization would endorse use of the 4-H logo and information about how to join. The national organization has certain requirements, which I followed. As a result, after the last page of the story, the back matter begins with a paragraph titled, “How you can Join 4-H,” followed by, “What you need to get started.”
- Waddles the Duck: Hey, Wait for Me! illustrated by Nancy Batra:
Waddles the duck peeked out of his shell. His brothers and sisters were already following their mama across the grass to their neighbor’s pool. Last to reach the water, last to find food, last to find safety at the nearby pond, Waddles hurried to catch up. Hey, wait for me!
Back Matter: The story of Waddles the Duck is based on a family of mallard ducks that came to live in our pool when my family lived in Ohio. Included after the last page are three cameo shots I took of the ducks at the time: the first when we found them swimming in our pool one morning, the second when nine baby ducks stood on the top run of our ladder, and the third when we led them back to the pond, with the mother duck with her babies following behind her. I tell readers that we think the mother duck came to our backyard so that she could lay her eggs in a quieter place than the pond. Next is a section titled, “Meet the Mallards,” which offers information about mallard ducks. Here’s where I went all out. I included an explanation of the natural types of food people can buy to feed waterfowl, such as waterfowl pellets, which can be purchased at Tractor Supply Co., Walmart, or pet stores. Also fun is for readers to collect tadpoles and frogs, salamanders, worms, and snails to feed waterfowl. A list of sources is included.
- A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift, illustrated by Nancy Batra
On this cold winter's holiday eve, Thistletoe Q. Packrat sat in the parlor, his chin in his paws. The cupboards were bare. Poor Mama. There would be no holiday feast this year.
Back Matter: I first learned about packrats on a white-water rafting trip I took with my family at the Grand Canyon. At night we slept in sleeping bags under the stars. There were no insects to bother us—it was too dry. But there were tiny footprints scattered in the dirt all over our camp. Our tour guide told us packrats had scoured our camp for any leftover food and also shiny objects to take back to their den. I was fascinated. When I returned home, I researched packrats and created the story. The back matter includes a section, “What are Packrats Really Like?” and a glossary of American Southwest topics shown in the story, including the words to the song “Home on the Range,” with sources cited.
- Cradle in the Wild, illustrated by 1000 Storybooks:
Kaylee and her little sister Madison find a bird nest on their front porch. It had fallen from its place nestled against the porch light. The birds have lost their home, unless . . . the sisters can come up with a way to help them build a new nest. But how?
Back Matter: This book contains only blurbs for readers to learn about my other books.
Sources: https://guide.pressboards.com/chapter/create-and-edit-back-matter
A Google search for back matter in popular children's books
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| Last weekend I sold books at a spring fair in Los Lunas, a rural town in New Mexico. One of the perks was to pet a couple's farm animals. |
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