GOBBLE UP BOOKS

If the answers to these questions do not come easily, or if your answers reflect that your reading of children’s books stopped around twenty years ago, start reading. Gobble up all the books you can handle. It’s okay to read books published when you were a child, but read those published recently, too. If you need help in choosing titles, there are some excellent book lists available in appendix IX.

Read old books and new ones, popular stories and literary classics, good books and bad ones. Choose stories from various genres: adventure stories, picture books, teen romances, mysteries, historical fiction, nonfiction, poetry, funny books, and contemporary stories. If the person next to you on the bus is reading a steamy adult bestseller while you are laughing over a funny story for middle graders about an eccentric couple who keeps penguins in their apartment, don’t worry; you will get used to it. Soon you will be so absorbed in what you are reading that you will hardly notice anyone else on the bus (and you may even miss your stop). Besides, isn’t it reassuring that a book like Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, published in 1964, or There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar, published in 1987, is still in print and popular, while many adult bestsellers are forgotten in a year?

Sometimes you will like a book but feel that it is not right for children. Or you will find that you don’t care for a book that others find funny or clever. Whose work represents most closely the work that you admire? Are you repeatedly drawn to the books of one publisher? Your attraction to one or three or even six is significant; you clearly recognize something in the books published by those houses that is especially right for you, and this kinship will probably lead you, one day, to submit your own manuscripts to them.

Dig deeper and deeper as you read, and pose difficult questions to yourself. Start with picture books. When does a picture book seem too long? How important are the illustrations in picture books? What makes Goodnight Moon or Curious George remain popular over the years?

Move up a notch to books for children just beginning to read on their own. How does Barbara Park, author of the Junie B. Jones books, hold the attention of the six-year-old who grew up on a steady diet of TV?

When you get to books for the middle grades, note how the subject matter and style increases in sophistication. Jack Gantos wrote about a boy on medication for mood swings in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, and Christopher Paul Curtis balanced serious subject matter with humor in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.

Young adult (YA) books are more popular than ever. Why do you suppose teenagers who are reading on an adult level choose to read these books? Why are so many of them, like Caroline Coman’s What Jamie Saw, or Walter Dean Myers’s Shooter, or Norma Fox Mazer’s When She Was Good, considered “edgy”?

Not all YA novels are dark. What drew so many teenage girls to Ann Brashares’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the story of four girls who shared a pair of pants while they were separated over the summer, or Janet McDonald’s Twists and Turns, a hopeful story with lively dialogue and humor about two “project girls” who start their own hair-braiding business?

What about sensitive subject matter? How have the finest children’s authors handled anger in a child? Loneliness? Fear? Guilt? In The Great Gilly Hopkins, how does Katherine Paterson write about a child who has been abandoned by the mother she adores, and who is angry at the world, with a fair amount of humor and great compassion?

Studies like these will help to sharpen your critical sense, which will later enable you to judge your own work more effectively. At the same time, you will become much more aware of good writing.

Incidentally, don’t avoid reading books that you don’t like, at least for now, while you’re studying. In the past you might have just put down a book that did not interest you. Now, examine why you wanted to put it down. You can learn a great deal from this critical look. Why did the author fail to sustain your interest? What could she have done to keep you turning the pages? Perhaps you will uncover a weakness in your own work as you detect it in someone else’s writing and will be able to avoid that weakness in the future.

Are you up to date technologically? If not, you may be left behind. Publishers continue to move toward easier and faster methods of production. Some accept queries and manuscripts electronically, and quick communication by e-mail is often necessary in the editorial process. The Internet is invaluable in research. If you do not have a computer in your home, you will probably find one at the public library, where it’s free, or at an Internet cafe, where you can plug in for an hourly fee.

What have you already accomplished toward becoming a children’s book writer? Consider your educational background and outside interests. What was your favorite subject in school—English? psychology? history? What are your hobbies—playing the guitar? collecting antiques? running? making jewelry? What jobs have you had—mom? firefighter? teacher? babysitter? dog breeder? pilot? speech therapist? cheese maker? crossing guard? popcorn vendor? Any background gives you a closer look at some special area, its people, atmosphere, and peculiarities. Some may be especially helpful because of their relation to children or books, but all will give you insights into human behavior.

Life experiences are your training ground for writing. Anything you see and absorb now may one day be recalled for a location, a character, development in a relationship, a motivation, or a supportive detail. Your perception and judgments, based on a lifetime of knowledge and practice, will have a direct bearing on what you choose to write about, and how you write it.

Do you have the patience to learn, the stomach for criticism, and the tolerance for difficult times? Are you willing to wait as long as it takes until you are ready to be published, to learn the skills you need, and to put in the necessary time in order to gain insight and experience? And then, do you have the stamina to persist, undaunted, through many rejections, before your work is accepted? These, perhaps, are the most crucial issues to confront, for if you come up positive in every other way but have not allowed for the patience and foresight to train yourself or to be trained well, you will lose heart at your first rejection and go down defeated before you have had a chance. It happens to many people because they are not realistic about the necessary hard work and persistence that it takes for the success they are seeking.

SUGGESTIONS—CHAPTER 1

1. Check the book lists in appendix I and the books listed in appendix VIII, and the titles that follow these suggestions. Select two or three books that sound interesting and start reading.

2. Think about what you read. What stands out? Is the subject matter appealing? Are the characters interesting? Can you easily distinguish one character from another? Is the plot clear? Does the ending satisfy? If it is a picture book, what do you suppose the editor saw in the text to know it would make a good picture book?

3. Think of a life experience you have had that could serve as background material for a children’s book.

BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

From Childhood to Childhood, Jean Karl

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle

Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh

There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom, Louis Sachar

Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown

Curious George, H. A. Rey

Junie B. Jones, Barbara Park

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Jack Gantos

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, Christopher Paul Curtis

What Jamie Saw, Caroline Coman

Shooter, Walter Dean Myers

When She Was Good, Norma Fox Mazer

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares

Twists and Turns, Janet McDonald

The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson

What Is a Children’s Book?

The Variety of Books Published Today

When you say “children’s book,” what pops into your mind? Do you have an image of a big, colorful picture book that you can read to a child sitting on your lap? Do you think of a fat mystery or an adventure book—perhaps a Nancy Drew or a Harry Potter story—that is perfect for a rainy summer afternoon? Or do you think of a how-to or a what’s-that kind of book that shows you how to build your own science lab, or tells you that sharks grow two sets of teeth, or discloses where you can find buried treasure? Are children’s books, to you, bits of fluff, cute little pastimes wrapped in a pretty package?

Chances are, no matter what your personal image of a children’s book is, you are not thinking of any of the following:

• A picture book about a little girl visiting her father in prison

• A biography of Hitler

• A teen story about a girl who cuts herself

• A nonfiction picture book about poop. That’s right. Poop.

All of these are real children’s books and can be considered representative of the breadth of the current children’s book market. Not everyone will find their cup of tea in this selection, but the fact that these books are in bookstores and on library shelves tells you something about where we are in the publishing of children’s books today and the sophisticated tastes of young readers. It also tells you that the image of the “cute little book” for children is not accurate.

We are in the information age. As we read books that stretch our imaginations and tell us of other times and places, we also read about the family of humankind and the social issues that beset our age. There are many kinds of books for children, with a depth and scope never before imagined, so it is truly impossible to fix on only one kind when you discuss children’s books. You can check this out by visiting any bookstore with a well-stocked children’s department.

You are entering a field that is small enough to know intimately, yet is vast and diverse in its range. Although you may have one kind of book in mind that you want to write, it is important that you are aware of all types of books. You will need this knowledge in communicating with other writers and editors. Following is a brief rundown of the kinds of books published today. Note how one category often overlaps another.

BABY BOOKS (0 TO 15 MONTHS)

Many parents and educators believe that exposure to a wide choice of books practically from birth will have an influence on a child’s healthy intellectual development. Thus, there has been a great surge in books produced for infants. These books are probably heard more than seen, as they are read to the baby over and over again (sometimes in utero!), often crooned at bedtime for a soothing transition into sleep. Many of these come from the oral tradition of nursery rhymes, lullabies, and simple lap games shared between reader and baby.

BOARD BOOKS (1 TO 3 YEARS)

These chunky books, with their heavy cardboard pages, are a practical way of introducing books to toddlers. Little fingers can handle them roughly, turning thick cardboard pages that cannot be easily destroyed. Made up mostly of bright pictures, with as few as twelve pages, and only a few words on each page, these books are popular with parents as well as small children.

Coming up with texts for board books is quite a challenge, given the spare use of words. It’s clear that the success of board books is writing about the familiar, subjects close to home. The hard part is keeping to story structure, just as you would for older books. For this reason, you will find many board books dealing with concepts, rather than stories, although some authors manage to get to the heart of babyhood in tiny little stories that please toddlers. Study those listed in appendix VIII to learn from the pros.

Some of the most beloved picture books, like Goodnight Moon are now available in board book editions, and work well, but sometimes the streamlined versions of the original stories lose their vitality and charm. Make your own comparisons to see the difference.

PICTURE BOOKS—FICTION (2 TO 7 YEARS)

The term picture books traditionally encompasses all books written for children from babyhood to about age seven, with plenty of illustrations. As a genre, these books expose children to a wide variety of ideas that expand their knowledge of themselves and the world around them, and stimulate their imagination.

Once a book has been read to a child and he likes it, it becomes part of him. He will return to it many times, because it is familiar and comfortable, like a favorite stuffed toy. He will go back to it on his own, using the pictures to provide clues to the text if he cannot yet read it on his own. With the reinforcement provided by many readings, children begin to pick out words and “read” their favorite picture books.

Children from one to three years old are beginning to explore the world around them. Attention spans are short as toddlers zip from one activity to another, so books for them must be simple and compelling. Concepts such as the difference between big and small, or fast and slow, are presented, as well as alphabet or counting books and books that name familiar objects or animals. Stories may be about simple day-to-day experiences: going to bed, taking a bath, losing and finding a favorite teddy bear, or the arrival of a new baby brother or sister.

As children grow, so does their need for stronger stories. At around age four or five, children can handle stories that make them think, feel, and understand. They like solid characters and simple plots. Examine a few picture books with stories. Imagine them without the pictures, being read over the radio. The stories should stand on their own. Illustrations, however, add to a child’s reading development and pleasure.

Characters in picture books can do far more than readers can: they can sail away to far-off places, or (in the guise of animals) drive cars, or even have homes of their own, where they are in charge. Some picture-book heroes may get into hilarious fun and mischief far beyond anything the reader is likely to experience. This is heady adventure for children who can’t even go outside without a supervising adult. Children read for the vicarious pleasure of imagining someone else’s life as their own—just as adults do. They look for characters and situations that leap off the page with excitement, and stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. You will learn which writers have mastered the art of writing picture books as you continue to read in this genre.

PICTURE BOOKS—NONFICTION (2 TO 7 YEARS AND UP)

In recent years, baby nonfiction has become enormously popular. Difficult concepts are explained in simple terms, and illustrated in great detail for clarity. The text is kept to a minimum while the illustrations “explain” the complicated aspects of the subject. Some of these books are even useful to children in the upper elementary grades.

At the youngest level, there are books with just enough information to satisfy a child’s curiosity: the names of animals, colors, and objects, for example. When children are a little older and can handle more detailed information, they prefer specifics to generalities: where animals live, how food gets to the market, or how a seed grows.

A five-year-old may enjoy a book showing pictures of different types of whales. That doesn’t mean he wants to know all there is to know about whales. Never underestimate the eagerness of a five-year-old to have his questions answered, but don’t expect him to appreciate a lengthy answer when a short one will do.

The format of the picture book, with equal emphasis on pictures and text, is ideal for certain subjects, particularly in the sciences. Children who are reading higher-level books may go back to an occasional picture book to understand basic concepts about a subject or to see details illustrated. Sidebars and humorous touches, like cartoon characters and dialogue balloons, might provide readers with additional insights.

PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS (7 TO 12 YEARS)

Another recent development in publishing is the picture book for older children. In this golden age of the documentary in film and TV, it is not surprising to find strong visual accompaniment in books as well. These books are often beautifully designed, with illustrations, paintings, collages, and photographs accompanying the text. The visual experience often accelerates understanding of a subject, much as an article in National Geographic magazine will do, but never waters down the content of the book. Biographies of important people have been done in this manner, as well as books on scientific subjects, the arts, and historic events. Information is solidly presented, with more text than is found in younger-level picture books, written at the more sophisticated level of the older reader.

EASY-TO-READ BOOKS (5 TO 7 YEARS)

Books for children learning to read on their own are available in a variety of categories—history, science, biography, and fiction—and for different beginning reader levels. The type is large and there is a lot of white space on the page, so new readers have an easier time reading. Great care is taken to give these books a more mature look, distinct from picture books, although illustrations still appear on every spread. The books are often divided into sections or chapters. Their resemblance to books that are read by older children is part of their appeal to beginning readers.

EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS (7 TO 10 YEARS)

The term chapter book is misleading, as we have always had books with stories divided into chapters, but that term has come to mean something else. These are books for the child who has outgrown the simplicity of easy-to-read books, and is ready to handle more fully developed stories, but is not yet at ease with the complexity of traditional middle-grade fiction. Early chapter books are illustrated, and the text is featured more than, rather than equal to, the illustrations. Humor is often, but not always, the driving force of these books, and lots of action and dialogue are essential. Early chapter books range from short (48 pages) to over a hundred pages. What makes them easier to read and understand are their simple plots, numerous illustrations, short chapters (two or three pages per chapter is not uncommon), and larger type and leading.

MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION (8 TO 12 YEARS)

This wide span accommodates the hungriest readers, whose interests range from adventure and fantasy to family stories, history, horror, and silliness. This group needs action and a solid story with good tension and a logical development of events. Children of this age are reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on their own, as well as Jean Craighead George’s survival story, Julie of the Wolves, and Christopher Paul Curtis’s story of a boy looking for his father in Bud, Not Buddy. You can’t cut corners or put anything over on these readers. They will question glitches in plot and logic or weak endings, and will even write letters to authors who disappoint them or to ask them why they did what they did with a story. They can also become devoted fans and will read every book an author has written if they really like the first one they’ve read.

This is also where true literature enters the lives of young readers. Although one can argue that there are true literary works to be found in books for the youngest readers (for example, Goodnight Moon, a brilliant book for a child barely out of his crib), the real appreciation of literature forms in these middle elementary years when the world is expanding rapidly and social contacts and relationships may be forever. Writers for this age group are among the most beloved in a reader’s lifetime. While pictures sometimes enrich stories in middle-grade fiction, they are less important to the success of the story than in books for a younger child.

MIDDLE-GRADE NONFICTION (8 TO 12 YEARS)

The middle-grade reader has an enormous appetite for straightforward information on all subjects, spreading far beyond the school curriculum. The child who, at five, is happy with a picture book of all kinds of whales and a little information on each, at nine is thirsty for knowledge. He may pick up a book on whales, but it has to tell him what kinds there are, where they live, what they look like, their eating behavior, migration patterns, how they reproduce, and what scientists make of the interesting sounds they produce.

The text must be lively and well organized, whether your subject is whales, a biography of George Washington, or the story of the space exploration of Mars. Concepts should be within the understanding and experience of the reader, but not made too simple. Assume the reader has little or no previous knowledge of the subject and explain new terms or ideas. Accuracy is essential; therefore research must be thorough, sources reliable, and facts double-checked. Pictorial material and good page design are essential to clarify subject matter.

TEENAGE OR YOUNG ADULT FICTION (12 YEARS AND UP)

More advanced in style and plot than fiction for younger readers, with more attention to character and detail, YA fiction, as it is called, deals with more complicated relationships, values, and emotions. Stories are similar to adult fiction, but the heroes and heroines are teenagers. Fiction for this age group shows more introspection, passion, and unusual behavior, and employs sophisticated methods of storytelling, such as flashbacks and alternating viewpoints, than does younger fiction. Subject matter ranges from screwball humor to deeply moving issues affecting young people.

Although teenagers can and do read adult books, YA fiction appeals to them because the age of the protagonist is more in line with their own. They plug in easily to stories about young people like themselves, with recognizable concerns and experiences. They are searching for the truth and won’t settle for less, which explains the recent upsurge in tougher YA books that show life as it is, not how we wish it could be: stories with an edge. Much of this genre addresses teenage concerns of the everyday variety—love, romance, adventure, mystery, relationships, history, peer pressure, independence, death—but themes and emotions can match adult books in strength and passion.

TEENAGE OR YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION (12 YEARS AND UP)

Teenagers read adult books on all subjects, but there are some books in this category that satisfy their need for knowledge yet still relate to them as teenagers. Readers are now old enough to be stimulated to probe and understand major ideas such as art, religion, politics, and war, and are drawn to closer inspection of the subjects that interest them. Whether readers are going on to college, they will have to make their way in a highly technological world and deal with major social and political issues. This age group has a wide range of interests beyond the demands of school.

NOVELTY BOOKS

This category refers to books that involve some unusual design, such as miniature books in boxed sets; pop-up books designed by paper engineers; activity and shape books; books that open into toys; books that can be zipped, patted, scratched, and sniffed; or books that float in the bathtub. Some of these are produced by book publishers, others are manufactured by toy companies. All go under the name of “book” if they can be read in the traditional way.

POETRY

Poetry is popular with children of all ages. It is a form of writing that cuts through the excess to the essence of ideas, capturing thoughts in capsule form. Perhaps it is this zeroing in, this getting to the heart of the subject without fluff or pretense, that is so appealing to young people. Poetry is also easier to read by those with “page fright”; children often do not read books appropriate to their age level because of the density of the type. Poetry provides short lines and a lot of white space. (This is the same psychology that created easy-to-read books.) Some delightful anthologies abound that gather many poets and styles into one volume. Collections by individual authors, speaking about many things through one voice, are also enormously popular. And, of course, there are many picture books in verse.

PLAYS

Children are always eager to act out plays, but too few authors write plays that children can enjoy reading as well as performing. For some reason, most accomplished writers never think of writing plays for children, although there are several collections of plays written to be performed by adults for the young audience. However, few plays exist, intended to be read and enjoyed as literature but also to be performed by children using simple props.

You will surely think of still other categories of children’s books. If your view of children’s books is slightly shaken, don’t be alarmed: the field has simply exploded since your parents were young readers, and expanded even more since you were a child. Most people who are not intimately involved with books every day are surprised at the range of books now available to young people.

It’s heartening to know that, in spite of advances in technology, the book business grows and thrives; editors still try to satisfy the sense of wonder and delight in the youngest readers and the curiosity in older ones, and to maintain the trust of all readers by providing the finest writing available. It is not an exaggeration to say that some of the finest books of the past few decades have come from children’s literature.