Any tips on how to write children's book?

Question

For 0-2 years old set. Thanks.

Answer 1

I have a daughter who just turned two so I can tell you that the attention span is short. The favorite books are picture books that focus on counting, shapes, animals, basically series or groups of common, everyday things like parts of the body, fruits and vegetables, simple things that are found in and out of the house and in the world.

If you're set on telling a story, try to keep the sentences short and simple, the imagery is the most important aspect. The favorite story books in our house, to give you some ideas to look at, are The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and Goodnight Moon By Margaret Wise Brown. Follow the amazon links below and you can search inside the book to see examples of imagery.

Another thing I should mention is that kids are pretty rough when they are young so board books (stiff cardboard instead of regular paper) are a must. Sensory books are the best also: touch and feel cloth books with lots of things to pull and filp, and books that are cut differently. For example, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is an interactive book from the way it is cut. It enhances counting, categorizing, and there are little holes punched out where the caterpillar has eaten through. Kids love to poke their fingers in there.

Also I read about a recent study that suggested that the younger children are the easier they learn from realistic pictures as opposed to symbolic representations. This has been my experience with my own child. I believe that colorful photographs or realistic drawings are a lot better than stylized cutesy cartoons. In fact, these types of pictures are frustrating because they do not accurately represent the real world and make comparisons and connections difficult.

For instance, my daughter sees ants outside all the time. When we see a photograph or realistic drawing in a book, she can identify them. We have another book, a cutesy one about bugs that has highly stylized cartoon bugs. It is fun graphic design, but my daughter has no idea what she is looking at. At most, she enjoys pointing out the colors and counting flowers in the background. Let me link you to this book so you can see. The book is called, Who's Bugging You by Charles Reasoner. We have several of his books and they all represent the same problem. The one thing that does work with these books is the sensory aspect of it. They are board books that have pull out interactive pages.

Answer 2

I like the idea of using the penguins "tuxes" as a jump off point- either penguins teaching ettiquite, or penguins helping polar bears learn to be less grouchy- or penguins planning a party- Good Luck!

Answer 3

simple stories with short, very short sentences. You may also use short poems - children like memorizing them. but never use "adult" words. listen to how children talk in this age - they will you give you the best tips

Answer 4

concentrate on images