I Always Wanted to Write a Children's Book

This week I’m back on my reading kick again with my views about writing children’s books and reading to children from an early age. I also offer a separate blog of award-winning children’s books you may want to start with when you read to your child.

Whenever I tell someone I’m a writer, I inevitably get the reply, “I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book.” It seems like it should be an easy thing to them. It’s not. Next to play writing, writing a children’s book is the hardest kind of writing to do. It is not the way to go to introduce yourself to the literary world as a writer. Learn your craft first. I had to.

Here’s the real world when it comes to this genre. If you’d like to write a picture book for small children, first of all you have to be a professional illustrator or know one who is willing to collaborate with you. There is stiff competition for shelf recognition and children’s publishing companies are not going to take a chance on a sub-par work.

In today’s world, children are used to action and action figures. Stories about cute little talking bunny rabbits are not going to capture the short attention span of these small readers.

Remember who buys children’s books: librarians and parents. Four-color printing for these books is very expensive and that cost is passed on to libraries on a tight budget and likewise to parents in the same boat. They are both going to be very particular about what they buy for the children. 38% of children’s books are bought from a bookstore because the parents like to look through the whole book before they buy it. Therefore, your book must stand out in order for it even to be picked up by parents.

If all these facts aren’t enough, you also have to contend with publisher’s word lists, or the vocabulary that is accepted for your book to be printed. If you are thinking of writing a children’s book, therefore, stick to those without pictures for kids in the 10-14 year-old range. The separate blog will give you some good ones to think about.

When I was in college for my education degree, I took a course we called “Kiddie Lit” or Children’s Literature. I learned to love and appreciate the beautiful full color children’s books I came across in this course. Years later, when I participated in Ruby Zagoren Silverstein’s writing workshops at the University of Connecticut extension, I thought about writing a children’s book. It would be a “tween” book, for those 10-14 with no pictures. It was about a city boy who was forced to spend the summer with some folks in Maine for the summer.

It was a good idea, a good premise, but nothing came of it. I think I still have some of that manuscript lying around somewhere. After many years of studying my craft, I found my niche in adult fiction. I think The South End came out pretty well.

Another topic concerning children’s books I’m happy about is the fact that parents still want their children to read paper copies of books and not as an e-book. Even though the parents may download books to read themselves, they insist that their children read paper books. There are several reasons for that.

Sitting down to read with and to your child is an intimate moment which can become less so with the introduction of an electronic device. Children see them as toys and expect to play games on them, not read.

Sometimes even the physical makeup of the book enhances the story. Wider pages make for wider landscapes and taller ones for taller objects that may be in the story. When a child reaches out to touch that page and helps you turn that page to the next picture in the story, you have a unique bonding moment to share.

Sales of e-books for children has been slow and rightly so. Let’s keep this one area of their lives electronic free for just a while longer, please.

I urge parents to go to the library with their children. Help them pick out books to bring home for you to read together. This practice helps in the development of the child’s love of reading. It won’t be long before they are old enough to go to the library and pick out their own books to read. You will find books for the 10-14 age range in the other log.

The next time you are thinking of writing a children’s book, pull out this blog and read it first. If you do get into the game eventually, be sure to see what’s out there, what the trends are as far as subject matter goes, and good luck.

Thanks for listening.