Introduction
Children’s books are a fascinating genre. The best children’s writers can take us back to the feeling of being a child, and make us realize what it was like when we were young and full of imagination. They can also give us new perspectives on the world around us, even as adults.
In case you are wondering how I like to write children’s books, here are some things that I think about.
Imagination constantly working.
You need to be able to imagine the story in your head, see the characters and scenes come alive, and know how the story will play out. You also need to be able to see what children will think of it.
How will children like my next book?
Children like different things.
Children like things that are familiar to them.
Children like things that are new to them.
Children like silly things, serious things, funny things and happy books with lots of color and pictures of themselves in it (and sometimes doing something they would never do). Their imagination is unlimited so you can write about anything!
Is it too silly?
Is it too silly?
Silly is good, and children like silly. In fact, they often learn best from the things that are silly. A child will learn more from a funny story than one without humor because he or she will remember how much fun it was to read that book! In addition to being fun for kids, silly stories also help develop creativity in young minds--and who doesn't want their kid to grow up creative?
Are the illustrations how I pictured them?
Well, this is the most important question of all. Readers are looking to see if the illustrations are how you pictured them in your mind when writing children's books. They want to know if they agree with you on what a character looks like, or if they can picture themselves as one of the characters in your story. I am always talking about my illustrator Lola Svetlova. The connection we share makes the words in the story flow across all her illustrations.
If there is any doubt in children's minds about how something should look or feel, then all bets are off--they won't be able to enjoy reading it as much! The connection I share with Lola is the connection that we want to have with you, the reader.
Conclusion
Whether you are a writer or illustrator, it takes time and dedication to create a children's book. You have to be willing to spend hours upon hours of your time working on these projects before they even get published. I hope that after reading this article, it will inspire you to create something special for children around the world!
Comments