Generating Picture Book Ideas

Reading Rob Sanders' Character/Situation Mash-Up reminded me of a tool I used to use to generate ideas for picture books. I took 3x5 index cards (cut in half because I write small, and they don't require many words) and divided them into three catagories, Who, What, Where . . . kinda like the board game Clue (the butler in the dining room with a candalabra). On the 'Who' cards I'd write a character, person, animal, etc.. Examples might be Chicken Little, Cow, Duck, Magician, Teacher, or Mad Margaret. On the 'What' cards I'd write a situation or event, examples might be Appreciation Day, Jump-Rope-athon, or Grandma Serving Tea. On the 'Where' cards I'd write things like Under the Table, Backyard, Crowded City Street, or pumpkin patch. Then shuffle each catagory and draw a card from each stack. I'd end up with something like: Rhino, At the Breakfast Table, Alien Invasion . . . just enough to tickle my imagination (oh yeah, a tiny flying saucer zips through the window and makes a splash down in my bowl of cheerios) and let my pen start scribbling!