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How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps (From an Editor)

As a children’s book editor, I’ve helped hundreds of authors write, edit and publish their children’s book.

Anyone can sit down and dash out a children’s book, and with a little help and guidance, yours can be good enough to earn the attention of thousands of children.

And nothing beats the feeling of holding your printed book in your hands and reading it to a child for the first time.  Follow these 12 steps and you’ll get there in no time.

In this article you’ll learn:

• How to generate a concept that works
• How to create a main character that children love
• How to write the right length
• How to structure the plot
• How to work with an illustrator
• How to revise
• How to publish

I also help authors with:

• Publishing their children’s book (with Bookfox Press)
• Editing their children’s book (big picture feedback, not just correcting commas)

Lastly, you can read this whole post and get a decent understanding of how to write a children’s book, but if you want the full, in-depth experience with even more information, videos, PDFs, quizzes, and exercises, you can take my 30-video course on how to write a children’s book:

Online Course: “Two Weeks To Your Best Children’s Book.”

Okay, buckle up and get ready! These are the 12 steps to writing a children’s book.

1. Find Your Best Idea

You probably have an idea already, but you should work on refining it. Here’s how:

• Google “children’s book” and a phrase that describes your book.
• Once you’ve found books that are similar, look at the summary of those books.
• Figure out how your book is different than the published ones.

This might seem commonsense to check what’s already out there before putting all your time and energy into a book, but so many authors don’t do it! This is just basic research that you can do in 2 minutes that will give you a sense of competing books.

When I lead most authors through this process, they discover that their idea has already been written about. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — actually, it’s proof that children want to read about their topic!

The trick is to have one twist for your story that makes it different. If it’s a story about bullying, perhaps your book tells the story from the point of view of the bully! Or if it’s a story about a dog, make this dog a stray or blind in one eye.

Maybe your story is different because you have a surprise at the end, or maybe it’s different because it’s for an older or younger age group, or your character has a magical guide like a fairy or elf to lead them through their journey. Just add one twist that distinguishes it from other books.

2. Build the Character

I edit hundreds of children’s books every year, and the best books have unique characters. They are quirky in some way. They have a funny habit. They look strange. They talk differently than everyone else.

But when I see a book where the main character is indistinguishable from every child, that worries me. You don’t want a character who stands in for every child, you want a main character that feels REAL.

My advice would be to go through a Character Questionnaire and figure out how much you know about your character:

• What does your main character desire?
• What is their best/worst habit?
• Are they an extrovert or introvert?
• How do they speak differently than everyone else? (cute sayings, repeated phrase/word, dialect, high/low volume)
• Do they doubt themselves or do they have too much bravery?
• Do they have any pets? (or does your animal character have human owners)
• What makes your main character feel happy?
• Do they have any secrets?
• What would this character do that would be very out of character?
• What is one thing this character loves that most people dislike?

Now score yourself on how many you knew right away:

8 – 10

Congrats! Your character feels like a real person to you!

6 – 7

Pretty good! You have thought deeply about your character.

5 and below

Take a few more character questionnaires before you start writing.

If you’d like more questions, I have an expanded version of this questionnaire in my  course . 

I also have another post on the 10 steps to writing a memorable character .

3. Find the Right Length

What’s the right word count for your book?

This is probably the most common question I get asked, and it’s also the one that most writers get wrong.

Ultimately, you need to figure out what age range you’re writing for, and then write within that word count.

Most writers are writing picture books for ages 3 – 7 — that’s the most common category. If that’s you, then shoot for 750 words. That’s the sweet spot.

If you write a picture book more than 1,000 words, you’re sunk . You absolutely have to keep it under 1,000 words. It’s the most unyielding rule in the entire industry. Seriously, take out all the red pens and slash away until you’ve whittled it down.

4. Start It Quickly

Many unpublished children’s books fail to grab the child’s attention (and parent’s attention!), and that’s because they start too slow. If your story is about a child joining a circus, they should join on the first or second page. 

Don’t give backstory about this child’s life. Don’t set the scene or tell us what season it is.

Just have the circus come into town, and as soon as possible, have the child become a clown or tightrope walker or lion tamer. 

You have such a short space to tell your story that you can’t waste any time. The pacing of children’s stories generally moves lickety-split, so don’t write at a tortoise pace. 

For instance, look at the picture book “ HippoSPOTamus .” When do you think the hippo discovers the red spot on her bottom?

Yep, it’s on the first page.

And that event launches the entire story.

Start your book that quickly.

5. Create A Problem

Every character has a problem. It could be a mystery, it could be a person, it could be a crisis of confidence. That problem is what they will struggle with for the entire book.

The majority of the book will be obstacles the main character has to hurdle before they can solve their problem.

Here are the main mistakes beginning writers make with their character’s Main Problem:

• The character solves the problem too easily . Make your character really struggle and fail. Ideally, the main character should fail at least three times before solving this problem, and perhaps fail as many times as five (if you’re writing for older children). 
• There are not a series of obstacles . On the character’s way to solving the problem, the main character should run up against a whole bunch of obstacles. Don’t have him defeat a single obstacle and then voila, problem is solved. To build a rocket ship to fly to space, the main character should lose some parts, his mother should call him for dinner, his friend should tell him it won’t work, it should rain, etc. 
• The character doesn’t care enough about solving the problem . This has to be a HUGE problem for the child — they have to feel like it’s a matter of life and death, even if the actual problem is only a missing button. As long as the child feels like it’s a huge problem, the reader will feel like it’s a huge problem. 

6. Use Repetition

Children love repetition! Parents love repetition! Publishers love repetition!

Everybody loves repetition! (check out my post on  17 fantastic examples of repetition in literature).

If you’re not repeating something in your children’s book, it’s not going to be a great children’s book.

I mean, all of Dr. Seuss is basically built on repetition (and he’s pretty much the godfather of children’s books).

Here are three types of repetition that you can use:

• Repetition of a word or phrase on a page
• Repetition of a word or phrase across the entire book
• Repetition of the story structure

Any book that rhymes is using repetition of similar words, and I would argue that story structure repetition is even more important than language repetition. 

Click on the image below to learn more about my children’s book course:

7. Write for Illustrator s

One of the main jobs of the writer is to set up the illustrator for success. (and you can hire an illustrator from the SCBWI illustrator gallery )

But so many writers aren’t thinking about what kind of material they’re giving to the illustrator.

If you have a book that takes place inside a house between two characters, the illustrator is going to struggle to draw visually interesting images.

A good illustrator can radically improve your book, but they’re also working with what you give them. So give them more:

• Choose fun buildings for your setting (put it in a greenhouse rather than a school)
• Think of funny-looking main characters (a lemur is much more fun to draw than a dog)
• Get out in the open rather than being inside (wheat fields are more entertaining than a bedroom).

Inside locations like a school limit illustrators:

While illustrators have much more freedom with fun outside possibilities:

Remember, a publisher isn’t only evaluating your book on the words alone. They’re thinking about the combination between your words and an illustrator’s pictures. And if you don’t provide a solid half with the words, they’re going to say no. 

And if you’re self-publishing, good visuals are much more fun for the child!

Also, if you’re exhausted by trying to find an illustrator that you can trust, and is affordable, let Bookfox Press do all the legwork for you. We have trusted illustrators that we’ve worked with before, and who do incredible work.

8. End the Story Quickly

Once the main problem of the story is resolved (the cat is found, the bully says he’s sorry, the two girls become friends again), you only have a page or two to finish the book.

Since the story is done, there’s no longer any tension for the reader, which means they don’t have an incentive to keep reading. So do them a favor and end the book as quickly as possible. 

Basically, you want to provide a satisfying conclusion and wrap up all the storylines. 

One of my favorite tricks for an ending is a technique that stand-up comedians call a “Call Back.” This is when they reference a joke from earlier in their set to finish out their routine.

You can use this in children’s books by referencing something in the first 5 or 6 pages of the book. For instance, if the main character was so focused on a purple lollipop that they wandered away and got lost, then after she was found the final page of the book might say: “and from then on she only licked red lollipops!”

9. Choose Your Title

Now you may say: why are we figuring out the title after we do all the writing? Good question.

The truth is that many writers don’t know the essence of their story until after they write the book. So you can have a temporary title, but just know that you’ll probably revise it after you finish.

And revising is fine! Everybody revises. Don’t be afraid to change your title multiple times until you hit the exact right one.

Also, the title is the number one marketing tool of your book. Most readers decide whether or not to pick up your book from the title alone. That means choosing a title might be the most important thing you do (although it’s probably a tie with choosing an illustrator).

• Don’t Title: “Amy’s Adventure with Poppies.”
• Do Title: “The Mouse in the Meadow.”
• Don’t: “The Vast Library.” (Boring)
• Don’t: “The Library Hunt.” (This is better. “Hunt” is a good word, and the combo with library is intriguing.)
• Do: “How to Live Forever.” (This is the actual title, and it’s great. This is the name of the book the boy is searching for, and it lets the reader know there will be some deep topics discussed.)
• Don’t: “Johnny’s Wonderful Day.”
• Do: “Captain Johnny Defeats Dr. Doom.” (Captain Johnny makes it more playful, we have the active verb of “defeat” and Dr. Doom uses alliteration.)
• Don’t: “The Bird in the Window.”
• Do: “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” (What places?)
• Do: “Olivia Saves the Circus.” (How? We want to know.)
• Do: “How to Catch an Elephant.” (Tell me more!)
• Google “Children’s Book [Your Title]” .You want to see if the title is already taken (or if there is a title that is too close). Now say your perfect title is already used. Can you still use that title? Well, yes. People can’t copyright titles. But you’ll have a hard time distinguishing your book from that book, so it’s not always the best idea.
• Test Your Title with Children and Adults . It’s important to see how children react to your title. Are they excited? Do they seem bored? But remember that children aren’t the ones buying books — parents are. So make sure to bounce it off some adults as well and get their reaction. 

10. A Revision Strategy

Most unpublished picture books are far too wordy.

In fact, if you talk to publishers and agents, they will say that children’s books being too long is one of the main things that makes them reject a book.

Here is a revision technique that will help solve that problem. Make every single word, every single phrase, every single sentence “Walk the Plank.”

In other words, you highlight it and hover over the delete button (this is the “walking the plank” moment) and ask yourself: if I cut this, will the story no longer make sense?

If the story will still make sense, then PUSH that phrase/sentence off the plank and delete it.

If the story will not make sense, then that word or phrase or sentence gets a reprieve (at least in this round of editing!).

In general, the shorter your children’s book, the better chance that publishers/agents will like it and the better chance you’ll have of pleasing children and parents (not to mention shorter books are cheaper to illustrate — and illustration is expensive!).

11. Find an Editor

Once you’ve written your book, you really need to get an expert’s opinion to help you improve it. An editor will be the best investment in your book. After all, I know you love what you’ve written, but there are so many tricks and techniques to writing that can improve the experience of the reader.

There are two different types of children’s book editors.

• First, there are developmental editors (also called content editors). These editors help you improve the story concept, the plot, the characters, the pacing, the dialogue, and whatever else needs to be improved. They look at the big picture and help you revise your book (this is what I do!).
• After you use a developmental editor, then you would need a copy editor . This is the editor who fixes all the formatting, grammar, spelling, verb tenses, style, and all the other small details. They make your book look professional.

Sometimes you’ll find an editor who can do both, but you can’t do both at the same time — you have to make all the big picture revisions before you start tinkering with all the small details.

Here is a handy checklist when looking for an editor.

• Your editor should be someone who has been in the industry for a while.
• Your editor should have examples of published children’s books that they’ve edited.
• Your editor should have testimonials from satisfied writers.
• Your editor should be a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).

The cost of editors vary widely, but if you’re not paying at least $400 – $600, you’re probably getting an amateur without a lot of experience in the industry. And you don’t want a beginner messing around with your book.

If you’d like to hire me as an editor, check out my children’s book editing page .

12. Find an Illustrator

This is the most important step of the post-writing process.

An illustrator will be the most expensive step of publishing a children’s book, but also the most essential for a successful book. The more you spend on this step, the better your book will look. I mentioned the SCBWI illustrator gallery above, but I also wanted to recommend Fiverr as an inexpensive place to hire an illustrator. 

If neither of those work out, check out the website Children’s Illustrators or for another option, Illustration X .

When you’re considering an illustrator, this is what you should ask for:

• To see examples of previous work (do you like their style?)
• To see a copy of the contract (do they keep the rights or do you?)
• How long it will take (look at the graphic below for average times)
• Whether they also do layout, type, and book design (otherwise you need to hire a book designer afterwards)

Make sure you’re really in love with the illustrator’s style, and that it matches your vision for what you want the book to look like.

WHAT FOLLOWS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

You can’t just throw words up on an illustration and expect them to look good. It’s essential to have a happy marriage between text and image. You want to think about:

• The font . This is incredibly important. I see a lot of self-published children’s books that selected the wrong font, and it’s glaringly obvious. You need an illustrator to help you choose exactly the right font to match the illustrations.
• The size of the font . This is important as well. It should be consistent across the whole book and should pair well with the size of objects in the illustration.
• The placement of the words . If you put the words in the wrong place on the image, you basically ruin the entire illustration. It needs to be carefully balanced and follow good composition guidelines like the rule of thirds. Ideally, the words should enhance the illustration rather than detract from it.
• Page breaks . What words should go on which pages? This is something you need to discuss with your illustrator before they begin. They need to have a say in this — don’t just tell them how you want the pages to be broken up. For instance, they might have the idea to have a two-page spread without any words at all, or to separate a single sentence across several pages, or to have one page with a few sentences on it and the next page with just a short phrase for emphasis. This is the number one mistake I see beginning writers/illustrators make: they have the same amount of text on every single page (usually a single sentence). 

So either hire the illustrator to do book design, or hire a book designer. But just don’t choose the fonts and placements and font size on your own — get a book designer to help you .

If you want to learn more about how to work with an illustrator, check out my post, “ 12 Tips on Working with a Children’s Book Illustrator .”

Common Questions

Q: should i copyright my book.

There are differing opinions on this, but in general I would say NO. You don’t have to worry about someone stealing your book. If you go the traditional publishing route, the publisher will copyright it for you. If you go the self-publishing route, you already own the material the instant you wrote it, so getting copyright only gives you added protection.

If you need more advice on this, read my post, “ Should You Copyright Your Children’s Book .”

Now if you’re going to chew your nails down to the nub worrying about this, then set your mind at ease. If you live in America, go to the U.S. Copyright Office website and you can register for under a hundred bucks. I walk you through the steps on how to do this in my children’s book course .

Q: Do I need illustrations before sending my book to editors, publishers, and agents?

This is a hard and fast NO.

Editors want to work with the language alone, so unless your book requires the illustrations to make sense, you don’t want to send the illustrations. Even then, you can easily put the illustration explanation in brackets [like so].

Publishers always always always hire their own illustrators, so save yourself the money and submit the text alone. This is because choosing an illustrator is a marketing decision (that they need to make, not you) and because a good illustrator can cost $20,000. You probably don’t have that kind of money lying around.

Now what if you’re the illustrator? Well, then you DO want to send the illustrations. But if you get a rejection, it could either be because of the story or because of your illustrations, and sometimes you won’t know what the weak link is.

In general, though, agents are looking to represent illustrator/writers much more often than they’re looking to represent writers alone. That’s because children’s book illustrators earn A LOT more money than children’s book writers (sorry, that’s just the way it is).

Q: Should I ask for a non-disclosure agreement? (NDA)

If you want to you can, but you have a better chance of a bear eating you than someone stealing your book.

Plus, if they steal it, you can easily sue them and take all the profits and more, so there isn’t much motivation for someone to steal your book.

The truth is that writers worry about this far more often than it actually happens. My advice would be to put all your energy toward creating the best children’s book you can create, and if you have a great book, the agent/publisher/editor will want to work with you, not steal from you.

Q: Will you be my literary agent?

No, I’m an editor, and the role of an editor and literary agent are very different. An editor’s job is to help you make your children’s book the best it can be. The role of a literary agent is to play matchmaker and find a publisher who wants your book.

However, if you sign up for my children’s book email list (via a pop-up on this page or at the bottom) I will send you a list of children’s book agents. Also, here’s another list of agents .

Q: Will you help me find a publisher?

That’s mainly the role of a literary agent, but I do have a list on Bookfox of 30 publishers who will accept submissions without a literary agent.

And if you hire me for editing , sometimes I’ll be able to recommend a few publishers where your book might be a fit, but it’s not like a handshake deal. Publishers get a large number of submissions and they have to take on the books they know they can sell.

Q: How many submissions will an agent or publisher get in a year?

A beginning agent might get 2,000 – 3,000 submissions in a year, while an established agent might receive 3,000 – 8,000 submissions.

Publishers who accept submissions get anywhere from between 2,000 submissions to 15,000 submissions, although almost all publishers who start getting too many submissions stop accepting submissions (because it costs too much to hire people to wade through all those submissions).

I don’t mean to discourage you, but just help you make an informed decision about whether you should self-publish or seek a traditional publisher. It’s really tough to land an agent or a publisher, and it can take a lot of time and work.

What’s wonderful about self-publishing is that within a week you can be holding your book in your hands.

Q: Should I self publish or seek a traditional publisher?

So for self-publishing, there’s lots of upsides : there’s no wait time, and you get complete control of the project (such as cover art and illustration), and there’s not that much of a cost if you do it all yourself.

But … you have to do all the marketing yourself, and you don’t have anyone to guide you through the process, and you don’t have the reputation of being published by a traditional publisher. You should do self-publishing if you’re a real go-getter and you think you can get the word out there about your book.

For traditional publishing, there are also many upsides: you would get an advance (money is nice!), they would handle all the proofreading, ISBN, illustrations, cover art, etc, and they would give you some guidance with how to do the marketing and promotion.

But … it can be very, very hard to get an acceptance from an agent or from a publisher. Sometimes you have to send the story out for a year or two, submitting to a hundred outlets or more. Go this route if you have a lot of patience and you want the book to reach a wider audience.

Read my post on “How to Self Publish a Board Book” if you want more info on that.

Did you want more advice on how to write a children’s book?

So let’s review the 12 main points:

• Find Your Best Idea
• Develop Your Main Character
• Write the Right Length
• Start the Story Quickly
• Figure out the Main Problem
• Use Repetition
• Write for Illustrations
• End the Story Quickly
• Choose Your Title
• A Revision Strategy: Walk the Plank
• How to Find an Editor
• How to Find an Illustrator

Please leave a comment below if this material was helpful and if you have any other questions.

Also, please check out my:

• Children’s book course — “Two Weeks To Your Best Children’s Book”
• Children’s book editing — let me help you with your book.
• Children’s book Publishing: Bookfox Press

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356 comments

This is a good article

Brilliant article. So much I never knew

The best article I’ve found on the internet on writing for children. Superb job!

This article is fantastic. Straight to the point and very clear. Thank you

I found the article to be full of good information, it gave me a lot of insight into writing a children’s book.

I searched Google on how to write a children’s book and this is by far the best information…Really helpful

Hello,I wrote a children’s book that will be a series. It’s a killer name and character.I need help and guidance cause I wrote a short story too and need a editor.

Thank you for the time you have taken to write this article. It is very informative and has given me some great tips for starting out.

The most profesional of all the articles i have read! Thank you!

Thank you…this helps me tremendously

This article has been very helpful.

Thank you for this article,it is very detailed and comprehensive .It gives a very structured insight on how a story becomes a book. The story behind the story.

Thank you a great article. I will try self publish Amazon, I have written this children’s book/true story and will illustrate as I’m a graphic designer… I can only try

Thank you. It was absolutely illuminating!

I am writing the first book of a series. Do you have any tips for this particular genre? Ie. Franklin the Turtle, Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

Wow! THANK YOU for writing this. I have always wanted to try writing children’s books. Now I know where to start. Thanks again, this is incredible.

This was so helpful for me. I am very interested in writing a children’s book. Thank you for the advice.

Professional advice for free. I am inspire, thank you for helping me structure my thoughts into something worth daring to start.

This article is so interesting and really helpful. I have a question though…. I’d like to write a book,my grandchildren are my inspiration for this!. Is it possible/usual etc to write a series of books for children to read at age 4 but grow with them til around age 10, so each book in the series is for the next age group, if that makes sense. thanks Clare

Great article I! Very helpful!!.. I have subscribed to your email list.

I agree. You gave me lots of things to think about from many different perspectives as I embark upon this adventure. Thank you so much!

Great article

Quite a good article for the beginners.

So incredibly helpful!! Thank you for your insight.

Great insight on the book writing process, from start to finish. Thank you.

Very helpful and well organized! Thank you for your insight on the writing process!

Amazing article! I’m in the process of editing my 4th draft; after that, I will be looking to hire an editor and illustrator. Thanks for writing this !

This was soo insightful and inspiring. Great guidance for my book writing

Oh, come on. Good article? No. It’s a GREAT article!

One of a kind that has quality and depth to it. This is advice borne from experience. I’ve written quite a few books for kids and this is the best breakdown of the picture book creation process I’ve seen in a long time.

Very generous too.

So sit down, get a cup of tea, and read this through – many times. Until it sinks in.

Then do what it says. (Essentially: Quality children’s books only get written when you, the author, have something worthwhile to say. And when you say it in a way that engages, inspires and entertains young readers.)

I agree -very generous, thank you!

Thank you. I have been hired to illustrate a book which is very challenging. I am also anxious to start my own. My ideas have been brewing and now it’s time to make them a reality. Your advice is great. I’ve been studying hundreds of children’s book illustrations. Some are incredible works of art! That’s the goal.

Thank you for this great info that makes me excited to get started. Im only at the idea stage so along way to go but I am excited!

Thanks for your good comments which was very helpful specially for anyone who is a begginer in this field.

This article is a godsend!

Yes, great article, inspirational and also a call to action…just what’s needed. Now, back to work people! 🙂

Thank you for this post. I am an author and illustrator who has published a kids book. And there is a lot of time consuming work involved. Word choice and the correct placement of illustrations is so important it’s not even funny.

I think that many people believe that children’s books are easier to write, because they’re for children but they’re not . Like you’ve shared, they should be written according to age group. And they have to be very engaging because they’re heavily illustrated and if the cover’s no good, no sale.

This is truly a great article to read and I was really hooked. Joslyn, I agree with you that if the cover and word choice are no good then it is a no sale. As a Librarian when selecting books to purchase for the library, it is compulsory to select covers which are eye catching. Additionally, children are excited when they see attractive illustrations with fantastic colour schemes, intriguing characters and unique settings. I am about to write my first children’s story book and I hope to draw from my experiences from spending 5 years living in Japan.

Thanks for sharing and best wishes.

Wonderful article! Extremely informative (I even took pen and paper notes) and it covers components I had no idea about nor would have even considered (first time writer here). Thank you for the point blank honesty and clear, detailed guidelines!

Wow! This was an amazing read. I’m so happy that I stumbled upon it because I learned so much! Thank you for being so thorough and transparent!

Great article thanks for sharing this info. Structure stuff is really interesting

Thank you so much. This article is very useful and informative. 🙂

This was very helpful. I have just written my first children’s book and found this article really insightful for what I need to do. Thank you

Goal: Have my HS kids write, edit, illustrate, publish a book in 180 days! Any further suggestions about pacing, clumping tasks, etc. would be greatly valued!

Absolutely fabulous article! Thank you!

Very helpful!!!! I’m starting with trying to self-publish a book my 10 year old granddaughter wrote, but after reading this and with your kind of help I may get inspired! Thank you!

I’m so glad I found your website! Thank you for this in depth post!

Lots of great info. Thanks! It really covers fiction well, but would love to see more info on writing (fun) non-fiction for kids.

very helpful

Great article. Although I have published 20 picture books, I still picked up many pointers. Thank you for your generosity. Beryl

Absolutely helpful, informative and I appreciate it.

Amazing Concept, Its very helpful for us.

This is amazingly beautiful, an article.

Thank you for sharing!

This is amazing information. I have thought about writing children’s books for years. Maybe it’s time I actually do something.

Hi, very good article, had a lot of information I never thought about before. I’m interested in writing my own children’s book but I’m 20 years old and probably won’t be able to afford agents, editors and publishers. Do you k ow how much these cost as most publishing websites don’t include costs. Also is there writing grants you can apply for? Thank you Clare

So agents are free up front (they only take 15% of whatever you make).

Publishers are also free — both traditional publishers (they pay you) and self publishing (it’s free on Amazon, and other companies that require money are kinda scammy).

If you want to get an agent or a publisher, though, your book has to be good, which is why you should save up for an editor.

Hi, I wondered what the format is for the video course. Is it in DVD or access to on line videos? Thanks, Ellen C.

Hi Ellen, the videos are all online. I don’t offer DVD access. Hope that works for you!

Excellent article, thank you

Thank you for the information. Much appreciated.

Very helpful indeed, almost finished my first childrens, was interesting to know how illustrations receive more money than writers, I’m doing both. Thank you. Dont have a website yet.

Excellent article. I am sure–without a doubt–your content will be helpful to a lot of writers. Thank you for being brave enough to share your wisdom.

This is a great article one that I need to be able to start writing a book intended for children. Thank you for sharing it.

I am getting ready to get the ball rolling on my first children’s book. I was amazed at all the things in this article that I hadn’t even thought about! What if your husband or son, who are fantastic artists in their own right, want to be your illustrators? Does that fall under editors wanting to promote illustrators/writers?

Sometimes they’ll take on a team of an illustrator/writer. You can always try.

Thank you for this article- very helpful. I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to attempt to self-publish while submitting to publishers and agents? Would a publisher not want to touch a project that is already being marketed in some other way?

Hi Benjamin, So once you self-publish, no publisher wants to touch it. It’s either/or — you can’t do both.

Excellent article and so generous that I just signed up for your video series which was reasonably priced. I’m a best selling author but my first time at a children’s book. I’m confident I will learn from you and may call on you for editing.

Thanks, Linda! Glad it was helpful and I know you’ll love the course, which includes so much more material beyond this little brief post. 🙂

Let me know when you’re ready for me to edit your book!

I am a big fan of your book, Solutionaries: You Are the Answer. Hence, I am reading John Fox’s article. I teach students with Autism and aspire to publish an educational book to create a positive impact in schools, at home, and in the community– one book at a time. Thank you for your beautiful mind. You’re an inspiration!

Sincerely, Flor G.

This article was so helpful. I’m based in Canada and I’ve just written my first children’s book…I’m definitely at the editing stage but I’m considering the traditional publishing option. I would love to work with a Canadian publisher. Can you recommend?

Hi Cindy, I don’t have a list of Canadian children’s book publishers specifically, but I do have a list of 30 publishers looking for unagented submissions.

I would love your opinion on writing an educational children’s book. Would all the same principles talked about in this article (which was WONDERFUL, by the way) apply? Thanks!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I would think almost all of them would apply, absolutely.

There are some additional considerations with an educational book — is the teaching too heavy handed, what about the balance between fun/learning, is there a moral in addition to the learning — stuff like that.

And you definitely have to nail down the age range for a book like this, and target it to exactly what they’re learning in school.

Hello John,

Do you think it is possible to get published in a traditional way in the US for someone who is not a citizen and lives elsewhere?

Thank you so much!

Yes! Definitely possible. But some of the time it’s better to look in your own country first.

Very helpful article. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I have written four books, but never a children’s book.

Great article, I’m going to read it again and again as it covers many helpful points, thank-you!

Hi. I am an author using Amazon/Kindle. I have 11 books in different Editions. https://www.Tom-the-Atom.com is my web site and amazon.com/author/tom-the-atom.com my author’s page. Looking for a publisher on-demand to publish my book in hardcover and thicker pages. Also looking for an agency that helps to promote my books, If you offer such services please contact me. My books are copyrighted, have a Serial number registered at the Library of Congress ISSM and an ISBN number given by Amazon. The Series is Non-Fiction Science Books for Children: parents, baby to 12 years old.

Hi , I am a daughter of Holocaust survivor and my father wrote a book about it. I would like to write a children’s book based on my father’s memoirs. My father saved my cousin from a ghetto, she was only 4 years old so there is a story to tell that might appeal. I need some guidance before starting this project … can you help?

Great article, thank you! I’m at the very beginning (thinking about it!) stages of writing a children’s book and this article has given me much perspective!

Great content and well articulated. Thank you for bringing it all together.

What an awesome article! I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a children’s book for years (I’ve had a title in my head for far too long) but never had the courage to attempt it – you’ve inspired me. Can I just ask, once a book is written, approximately how long does it take to go through the editing/illustrating/publishing? I know there’s a lot of variables, I’m just wondering if you could give me a ball-park figure?

A lot longer than you would think. If you’re referring to traditional publishing, it can be a year and a half. Self publishing can be much quicker.

I was thinking around a year, so I wasn’t too far off. Thank you so much for the excellent information you’ve provided here.

This was very helpful! I plan on printing it out so I can go back over it in depth. What are your thoughts about Amazon’s e-book publishing? Also your input on using Fiver?

Fiverr can be a great source for cheap illustrators.

Amazon’s book publishing is great, but only publishes soft cover books. If you want hardcover, you need Ingram Spark.

Wow! Thank you so much for writing this article, it’s honestly helped me see writing in a different form. There are so many articles out there that only enhance the fact of beginning, middle and end, but you have literally dot pointed how it works and how each individual piece should be written, you have really done an amazing job at dissecting children’s books into a more understandable format! Now off to writing!

Extremely helpful! I’m illustrating my grand daughter’s book for children. It’s not that easy. But with your guidance I think we can make it work.

This article is an absolute godsend for my UK Year 8 Creative Writing club. There is a wealth of good advice, generously given. Thank you so much.

Thank you for this post, it’s very insightful and informative! I’m more determined to start my book after reading this.

This was very very very helpful as I am a beginner in writing children’s stories! Looking forward to enrolling for your courses! Thank you very much!

Hi Faith, Great, glad this was so helpful!

The course includes a ton of information that I didn’t have time to mention here, so I hope you enjoy it.

Wow. Thank you so much. So helpful for me. Thank you again and again and again. Now I know why I always think I’m not ready to go beyond thinking and writing the first draft. I need to know more, but honestly it’s the best article I ever read about writing. Thankssss. God bless you.

Great information, thank you. But you do assume that every children’s book is going to be a fictional story. What about if it’s an educational book in some way? No need to answer, just something to think on. All the same, there was a lot I could still take from this.

Who says educational books have to be nonfiction? Fiction can teach quite a lot. And if they are nonfiction, you still need a structure for them, even if it’s not a narrative structure.

Great article, thank you!

Extremely helpful information! As a self published author who also started a publishing company, I can attest to the time, talent and treasure required to be successful in this arena. Thank You!

Wow this information was so helpful! I’ve been wanting to write a book geared towards medically fragile children. This article gave me the reassurance I needed to stop doubting myself and just get started! Thank you

It’s very informative and useful. Thank you for sharing! I’m on my way to the first children book with self-publishing. Been trying to offer it to publisher some last few months, but still no news yet. So, I’ll try self-publish this time. Thank you!

Thank you for all your hard work to keep us informed. I’m a French author for children and would like to sell my books in US. My publisher thought we could work with Amazon but they do not print landscape books. Any tips? You can see my work at https://marinaanca.wixsite.com/ancamarina

Try Ingramspark.

Hi, I’ve just read your great post and I have a question. You have stressed how important an illustrator is and while I am not a professional illustrator I am an artist and really want to illustrate the book myself with a unique multi media technique. What are your thoughts on this. Thanks, Wendy

Well, you can give it a shot. Worst the publisher can say is no.

Could I be my own illustrator or do I have to hire an illustrator? I have many ideas for the art in my book and I have a specific style I want.

If you’re good enough, yes, you can be your own illustrator.

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you for a thorough article. I am an English learner and my dream is to publish an educational book. I am sure you can help me achieve that dream. As per the article, I would need an editor/quality illustrator/publisher, but I am financially incapable to do so. Which one should I invest the most in? Any technical strategy on this? Also: – how many times can I resubmit my work to a publisher or self-publish the same book (after multiple no’s)? – If I submit my book to a publisher and not hear from them for over 2 years, can I self-publish instead or it will be revoked? – Say I received the manuscript from you with your corrections, is there any additional charge for resubmitting the revision?

You’re welcome for the article! Publishers don’t cost anything — you can self publish for free. Split your money between an editor and an illustrator. Find a cheap illustrator on Fiverr .

You can only submit to a publisher once. After they have passed, don’t send it again. (not answering means they don’t want it).

If you haven’t heard from them in 3 months, consider it a NO.

So when I edit, I give you a lot to revise and a lot to think about. But if you did want to revise and resubmit, I’d charge a discounted rate for another round.

Great Information there. I am from Kenya. I love children’s books and my 7 year old son loves to read. I have been having so many ideas about children’s books. Your article has really enlightened me. Thanks for sharing

This is the best information on writing children’s books that I’ve come across thus far. I am researching tips/ideas and am at the very start of my journey. Thank you so much, I really appreciate these awesome nuggets!

Hi LaTanya, great, glad you liked it! If you want a lot more information like this, my course doesn’t overlap with the information here and you get a lot more.

I’ve written a chapter book about 11-year-old characters. It’s almost 70,000 words. Is this too long?

Hi Lori, 11-year-old characters are MG (middle grade), while this length is more appropriate for YA (Young Adult), ages 13 – 18.

Ideally, a book for this age would be more like 40k to 50k.

I really appreciate this article.

Amazing article! So informative, helpful and easy to understand for first time writers. Thank you for taking time to write, this article and for providing comprehensive information without charge. I will definitely look to use your editing services and course when ready. Thanks again. 🙂

Great guidance and more than enough information to start a successful children’s book! Love you for this!

I have an idea for a children’s book series. Do you indicate that a series is the intent when you submit your work to potential publishers?

Thank you for all the great information!

Yes, I’d recommend that you include that information up front and if possible tell them you have the next two books written (if these are short picture books).

I am based in the UK – I am assuming I can still sign up for the course as the content will be transferable to those writing outside the USA? Thanks

Hi Kirstin, Yes, the content will work worldwide. There are only one or two videos that have US specific elements, but you can easily find the agents/agencies that are appropriate in the UK.

This is a fantastic post! Thank you so much!

Great article. Very informative and answers a lot of my questions. One element I’m still confused on is exactly who types the manuscript into the book? I have an illustrator who has done a lovely job of illustrating my idea. I’ve also hired a book designer who will create the fixed layout book for me to upload to distributors. I thought I was ready to send the book to them at this time but now I’m confused again. Should I ask the illustrator to insert the manuscript or does the book designer do this? I’ve written and published novels without illustrations in the past but a children’s picture book is an entirely new experience. Let’s get technical, please. (re the website – its a work in progress)

It depends on the agreement you have with illustrator or book designer. Most of the time illustrators will do it; it’s more rare for book designers to do it.

I was wondering, in general, what tense works best for a children’s picture book, Past or Present?

When in doubt, always use past tense.

You need a very good justification for using present tense.

This is such a helpful and realistic step-by-step article. I really learned a lot when reading it, so I know your course would be amazing. Looks like the next step after reading this is to take the course! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Yes, I hope you enjoy it! I made sure the course doesn’t just repeat this article — it provides a lot of info and techniques that I didn’t mention at all here.

This is absolutely an amazing article . It gave me a lot to think about . I love the step by step explanation, especially since I have never written a book before.

¡Bravo! Thank you for writing this organized, to the point, article. I learned a lot about working with my creative side and how to make a dream a reality. ¡Gracias!

Wow! Very insightful article and information provided. Thank you

The article is very, very helpful! I”m writing my first children’s book so i really needed this to help me get started.

For the 3-7 category (750 words), how many words should go on a page?

That’s a conversation you have with your illustrator. There’s no hard and fast rule. Sometimes no words at all. Sometimes a paragraph. Sometimes one word or a phrase.

It all depends on the vision your illustrator has for the pacing and images of the book.

This is absolutely a wonderful article . Thanks for sharing.

This is brilliant! The way you support your points by specific examples is eye-opening! Thank you so much! Love from Sarajevo!

I want to write a true story about my daughters dog and how the dog helped her with depression. However the dog’s name is Polly but we call her Popo. So is my title of “Popo saves the day” or “Better call Popo” going to be a huge red flag because Popo can mean police officer. Some site say it is derogatory but others say not. Its a catchy name.

I took notes for every paragraph I read. This article was very helpful to me and I can’t wait to finally begin my journey.

Great article. Very informative. I am an artist and I just completed my first children’s book. I am editing and doing the illustration work now, in watercolor. I don’t have the funds to go the expensive route, so I will probably self publish. Are there better methods or sources for self publishing.

Put it in a PDF and upload to Amazon. It’s free.

And let me know if I can help with editing before that point.

Excellent article. I appreciate it so much. I’m so glad I found it.

After reading valuable advice from this article, I wrote my first book https://amzn.to/2zovXxJ , the book is in a scientific version for children, but considering the beginning of my adventure, I am happy. It’s great that you share your knowledge.Thank you

Hi and thank you for this information! I hope this isn’t a repeat question but can you tell me if it’s best to have my book edited and then sent to a literary agent or can you go straight to a literary agent? I’m noticing all the publishers I’m looking at won’t accept unrepresented work, so it seems I have to use an agent. Would that be right?

The reason why authors get editing is because it’s extremely challenging to get a literary agent. You’re competing against hundreds of other writers for a single slot, and you want to make sure that your book is the best it can be.

Most big publishers only accept books from agents; small publishers accept work directly. Both are extremely competitive.

This is a very good and timely article. It will go a long way in helping me do my semester project work in the University.

My friends and I are all kids, and we’re in a club together writing books. I shared one of the images in your article with them (the main plot guide) and it’s been very beneficial to all of our novels. Thank you so much for writing this!

Excellent article! I was wondering if there is any sort of common understanding of the publishing industry regarding the particularities of the book for each age group. I’m finding it rather difficult to define an age group the book aim to reach. How precise should I be, and how should the language adapt? Should I try to use words and expressions already knew by the children, or can I catch their attention by using a few new words?

Most of the time authors use language the children know, but some authors want to stretch their vocabulary by pushing it. Either is acceptable, though it’s probably harder to pull off the high diction level vocabulary.

It’s not just about language, though. It’s about length, about the intensity of conflict, about the type of problem, and the complexity of the plot. So it’s more like art than science to figure out your age range.

Hi, great article, I just have a question I’m writing children’s book for my school project and it must be completely done by august, printing, writing, everything and I’m on the writing stage. Since its a school project, do I need to publish it and have an editor and everything, from what I know, I can just make my book by myself completely and print it out because its nothing fancy and I don’t plan on having it sold on markets and things. How long do you think this whole process will take? and how long does it take to get a book printed, I don’t need a lot of copies, just around 1-5 maybe. This article was a great read but I don’t which of these tips apply in my case because Im writing a simple children’s book for a school project.

Hi Miya, for a project like this that you don’t intend to sell widely, you probably don’t need to hire an editor. You can make your book yourself, and if you put it into a PDF and upload it to Amazon, then you can buy a few print copies from them.

Great help and advice I’m a grandma writing my first book, or trying to, so i found this information very helpful. Wish me luck, thinking going to need it!! … thanks again for all the info

I am also a grandma attempting to write my first book. Thank you for this information. It is helping me greatly. Please be in prayer for me as I follow God’s lead in His wisdom and guidance as I write this book. Thanks!!

Super helpful information – thanks for your generosity!

Loved this article. Well written and inspiring

Thank you so much! This was very helpful and informative.

Very helpful article. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I wrote my first book on kids

This is great advice for beginners like me. It’s the first link I clicked on when I googled ‘how to write and illustrate a children’s picture book 2020’ so you must be doing something right! Thank you so much 🙂

Hey, thanks a ton for sharing this amazing guide on the ways to write the books for the children. One of my friends has just started writing children’s books and I believe this post will be of great help to him.

This has proven extremely useful. The content is well-written and easy to follow. Thank you !

This article was awesome, very informative, I loved it. I’m ready to get started writing my book right now. Thank you so much.

Thanks, this is very well-written! Writing for children involves a lot of considerations: consider what children like; what they would feel; how they would read your book; and more.

Thanks for the great article, it really helped me focus on my idea

Excellent advice, and great that you are sharing it!

really a good article for beginners. Looking forward to finishing my first book and then will start the struggle to find a publisher. Thanks

Hi there, I’m wondering what the best format is to submit a childrens book to an editor is? How should it be laid out? In word? In powerpoint? Would love to get your input! Thanks 🙂

Word would be best. Keep it simple.

i love this. I’m a kid and i want to be a writer. i have written my first book and i need an editor so it can be published. I love this article so so so so so much

Hi, great article. Can you please provide advice/ tips on bilingual books?

Thanks for the article. It was really helpful. Is it possible to self publish first and then publish again with other publishers? I wanted to write a book based on a personal story and give as a gift, but I thought the story also has potential. I would like to do own illustration and design, and it sounded like self publishing will give more flexibility.

No, once you self publish you can’t publish with a publisher, unless you sell a gazillion copies and they come knocking.

Thank you for this comprehensive discussions. I learned a lot from it.

Great article.

One of my friends was recently seeking a new genre for writing and considered writing books for children, I am sure this article will surely help him in writing the best book fore children will surely share it with him.

Great article, very interesting and useful.

Just starting to write a children’s book. This was great article! Since this is my first time writing a children’s book I am trying to establish a timeline checklist. Please let me know if you have any advice or suggestions.

I just finished writing a children’s book and am now going through the process of assisted self-publishing, and wow I really wish that I read all of this beforehand. This information was so spot on and extremely helpful. I will be using this as a starting point/guide for my next children’s book. Thank you! #Mr.MoneyAdventures

Informative and insightful. Thanks.

Very helpful and valuable tips. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Grateful for the tips! Absolutely helpful for this African writer!

Thanks to the developer of this amazing guide. I’ve got just what I need to get started in my writing.

Very good material and most enlightening. Thank you for this journey to writing a great and exciting children’s book.

Thank you! really helpful!

Excellent post! Everyone can write a book, but not everyone can produce an amazing one. Whether fiction or non-fiction, it always takes knowledge, experience, passion, and attitude to create praiseworthy literature.

To the point. Relevant information and lots of it! I found it very helpful, thanks.

I have been writing children’s stories I call them bed time stories but I am in a country where they don’t take children’s stories as much important and I have never published any though I have written a number of them, I have no editor, no publisher so am just sitting with my stories though they may be good for children to read them and I would love to be part in children’s happiness all over the world, what should I do

Great info! Thank you so much!

Hi my daughter wrote a book 2 years ago, she is 12 years old now, she want to publish but she doesn’t know how to do? Please tell me what we do next?

I would recommend hiring an illustrator and then with the PDF they give you with the text included, uploading that to Amazon and self publishing. Self publishing is the best option for children who write children’s books.

Thanks so much for the information . I shall work do my best.

Plenty of info thanks a lot.

Great article with practical solutions that might otherwise be unclear even after an assessment. I was able to adjust my story and bring new ideas to it. Thank you

Thank you for putting your dedicated time into writing this article. I have written many books in the past but struggle to finish them because the starting is so long, but now I know to shorten things up a bit. Thanks!!!

The best interesting website I’ve visited in decade. Liked all the interactive content and ideas. Hopefully can make it for my son and daughter with all the share and knowledge you gave John. My best wishes to you and your family. Kind regards from Bali.

Such an insightful article. Thankyou 🙂

Great article, it’s very helpful. Thank you so much.

Amazing article! So helpful. Thankyou!

I found this information really helpful

when was this published?

Hello, I’m seeking an editor in Atlanta for my book. Do you have any recommendations? Your article gives a lot of insight.

I enjoyed reading the article above (Children books ), which explains everything in detail; the writing is fascinating and convincing. Thank you, and good luck with the upcoming items. Thanks, and Keep it up!

I found this site very informative and I have to say there seems to be a lot of work to getting your children’s book accepted and published. I find the tips on this site very helpful to the bigger picture of have a children’s book published and being successful. Before finding this site I thought long and hard about illustration as my book is based on a true story about a pet and his loving owner. I believe the the steps pointed out sound very good and if followed throughly I think anyone’s children’s could be very successful.

Hello, Let me start of by saying I’ve never written a book in my life, My inspiration for this children’s book is my granddaughter her name is Melanie Milagros, she is a true miracle, she was born at 15.9 oz and wasn’t expected to survive. But like a miracle she is now 5 yrs. old and going to school. My fiction book is about her and how she helped animals like rabbits, birds etc. with fairy, magic glitter, from helping a baby bird fly with its family, a bunny rabbit find friends, stuff like that. So the Story about Little Mighty Milagros and a sidekick a Lady Bug. Hmm? Still haven’t finalized that part. Again, I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t know how to find someone to make a cartoon of Melanie for the book.

Good article

FANTASTIC article! Thank you so much for this. I’m a filmmaker writing my first children’s book but I know nil about children’s publishing, so your article is amazing for me. Your generosity is MUCH appreciated.

great article & very useful

I loved all the tips you have shared, you are right when you said How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps . This article was informative that I can’t wait for your next blog.

This is an awesome informative site! thank you so much!

Great article !!

My husband and I really appreciated this article. It has been such an overwhelming experience trying to navigate certain topics and we found ourselves all over the place with what to do first and last. This article has put us on the right track of what we want to accomplish with our children’s books. Wish us luck. Maybe we will update our success or lack thereof, in about 1-2 years.

I appreciate your spelling out the major steps necessary and the payment chart for illustrators. Very concise and direct. Thank you!

Your post is very interesting. Books pick their writers; the demonstration of creation isn’t a totally rational and conscious one. Thank you for sharing your blog.

Hi, Now that I know you are an editor, I would like your assistance. Please contact me by email. Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to write this article for so many aspiring writers! I thought your 12 steps were great and to the point. Hopefully I will be able to put them to use!

It’s great to learn that you should use energy when naming a children’s book. My wife is wanting to write a children’s book and she was wondering how she could effectively name the book once she’s finished. I’ll be sure to tell her to add energy to the title.

I came across your blog and thanks for being spot on. I am a publisher and also a children’s book author/illustrator. I decided to go against the norm and keep my books as picture books even though they were meant to be Chapter Books. They are all around 3k words but I opted for keeping them as PB because I was highlighting the differences between all the characters and I thought visuals were essential. Many agents and publishers didn’t like this. You are 100% correct when it comes to word count and structure. I didn’t start out wanting to be a children’s book author nor illustrator, I was just trying to fill a void in children’s lit. Children need to see themselves in the characters they read about! Anyhow, good advice! And, may the muse be with all your readers!

I recently retired from my teaching positions and I have a lot of experiences I can use in my stories. I want my stories to help students with disabilities accept their uniqueness as a strength and not something to be ashamed of. I have always been interested in writing children’s books and after reading this blog, it has given me more insight on steps to take to master this writing process. Thanks goes to you J. Fox!

Great advice, thank you! I’m writing and illustrating my first children’s book and have minimal knowledge on any of it. I assumed it was the editor that did the word placement and font, (not the illustrator?) and now I feel very nervous and overwhelmed lol. So, let me back up a little and begin by asking… What’s the best way to scan my illustrations? Or is it better to hire a professional photographer?

I’m not sure. Most illustrators work on computers, and so already have a PDF file.

I think a scan would be better than a photograph.

Ok, Thanks for replying!

I’m really glad that I came across this article. I recently decided that I want to write a children’s book about children who may have a parent, sibling or family member with a chronic pain condition. I was inspired by my own chronic pain condition, connective tissue disorder and possibly arthritis as well. I found this article very helpful, thank you.

Have acquired a lot of knowledge and advice from the article. I have a long way to go and still mulling it all over.

Thank you for sharing all this. I am seriously considering the course.

Hi Bridget, Glad you liked the blog post! I’ve gotten a ton of great feedback about the course and am sure it would help you tremendously.

Very helpful…straightforward and informative

Helpful and informative.

Thank you it was very helpful to start writing a book.

Thank you for this really interesting and informative guide. I have made a start on an idea and will definitely follow your 12 steps and then take the next steps for editor and hopefully publisher!

Thank you for such an excellent article! I’ve always dreamed of writing a children’s book, but never thought I could actually do it. I’ve set a goal for myself to write my first book this year; so far, all I have is a very general idea. However, I know what my main character looks like. I don’t want to waste words describing her appearance in the story since the book will be illustrated. When hiring an illustrator, would I have any say-so in the illustrations? Specifically, would an illustrator honor my wishes in how my main character looks?

It depends on the illustrator, but most illustrators want some basic info from you about what the character might look like. Illustrators that you hire tend to want explicit direction from you, while illustrators that the publisher hires tend to want independence and autonomy.

Interesting, but I would have liked more info on writing middle grade.

Thanks! I will be looking to rewrite classics for preteen kids. Like O Henry or Poe stories.

This was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you…this has been something I have wanted to do….time to get to it and DO IT!

hello I would Like info on how to write a children book

See above. Also, click the link at the bottom to get on my email list.

Incredibly informative – my thanks for sharing so many of the steps to success. Its a detailed road for potential success. My thanks.

Wow! What are you supposed to say when you get for free an excellent article (like this) that you know you wouldn’t mind paying for? Two words: Thank you! My only regret is not reading this article before I purchased some ‘how-to-write-a-children’s-book’ books on Amazon. All the same, I got some great ideas on how to market a children’s book. Still, I just realized that I have got work to do on my three books, which I plan to self-publish all at once this summer. I have decided to hit the pause button and take your course first. I will contact you to edit my books after I’m done with your course. Again, thank you!!

This was so to-the-point and practical advice. I am a visual arts teacher and I will use this guide in my classroom for my budding artists and writers. I also have a community arts space, and I will use this there as well.

Every aspiring author will venture out writing children’s books first since they believe that this is the easiest to write among other genres. Writing children’s books enables you to enter a different world, one that is filled with joy, excitement, and splendor. Children’s books are the pathway into other cultures, ideas, and imagination for young readers. These books enable them to be at the feet of other people and travel places unimaginable.

Hmm. One thing that is incorrect is picture book length. The vast majority of publishers now want nothing longer than 500 words (unless it’s nonfiction) – and preferably even shorter than that. Many won’t even look at anything longer anymore.

Great Advice! structure is SO important!

Thank you for the EXCELLENT overview, extensive information and helpful hints. Here is my question: I’m interested in writing a series of “educational” books that focus on African American leaders and heroes for children to read as inspiration. I’ve done my homework in terms of discovering black children read 39% less than white children and that is due in part to not connecting with the content/subject matter. I have a PhD in Education and would like to create a series of motivational/inspirational books – if he/she can do it, I can to! Any suggestions? Feedback is welcome! Thanks~

Sounds great! Go for it.

Thank you so much for your helpful “push!” I have been struggling in getting started and remaining committed to my dream of writing for children 0-5 in age. I’m an assistant Early Headstart Teacher, and reaching the minds of our little ones early with reading, is a journey that I truly wish to be a part of! Is there any way I can print out this article? I like to examine things more closely and I use a lot of highlighters!! Thank you again for giving me a starting point, but more importantly, a new vision!

Start and end your children’s picture book story quickly — and make every word, phrase and sentence “walk the plank”. That’s excellent advice on its own. Thank you. Is it acceptable to submit the same manuscript to several mainstream publishers simultaneously and should you declare this? Is “spreading the net” likely to hinder your chances?

It is acceptable to do simultaneous submissions.

But most mainstream publishers only accept manuscripts from agents.

Also, beware that you don’t submit simultaneously to multiple agents at the same agency — only one agent per agency at a time.

This is so awesome and helpful. Thanks The John Fox!

This was a great article, lots of things I would not have thought of. Thank you

Hi, I am not sure if my story is right for kids? And I don’t know what age group it is?

Thank you so much for the information. Now I have ideas on how to go about writing children’s books. I am new in this and I believe the information will go along way in building my competencies in creating readers for Children.

I respect everything that you have written in this blog. Please continue to provide wisdom to more people like me.

Thank you so much everything you talked about is very helpful. I have someone that can help me with getting my book out there, but one question is what if you write a children’s book and you can make it into a few books to continue the story, even if the main character is not in the rest of the story. Do you just keep going with the story or Do you just start the next book as if it were a new book not of the continuation

Some series can be thematic or located in a certain place, and yet feature different characters. So I would recommend you still call it a series.

I would love to do your course to get insight into my children’s book. I want it to be perfect.

Thank you so much for this invaluable information! I’m considering my first children’s book and I am an artist so I’ll do that part but I’m just starting out and I’m excited now to begin.

Amazing Amazing article! I literally jot down points and learned so much from this article. I wish to buy the children’s book course too. He is so talented and talks right on the point.

any ideas on how to write a childs forever home

An amazing post with great tips as always. Anyone will find your post useful. Keep up the good work.

Hello, I would like to know where your company is located. I am interested in taking one of your courses.

Hi Cynthia, I’m located in California. But you can take courses from wherever you are in the world — I’ve had students from nearly a hundred countries.

Thank you so much John for sharing your knowledge and insight! This is great information and extremely helpful. I do have a question. I’m working with an illustrator on Fiverr. Is it still necessary to ask if they keep the rights or do I? I would assume yes, but not sure if you recommend that based on the structure and operations of Fiverr. Thank you again!

Yes, that’s a good question to ask them. Most of the people on Fiverr would agree to giving you the rights, I believe, while the higher end illustrators hired by a publishing company generally keep the rights.

this article is gold!

This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening.

Great BOOKFOX informative and useful. Thanks.

Both the quality and quantity of the words you speak to your child matter when it comes to early literacy and language abilities. Books are a fantastic way to start chatting, telling tales, and interacting with your child. Thank you so much.

This was the exact information I was looking for as I begin my career as a writer. I appreciate all the time you have put into this amazing article regarding how to write a children’s book.

Hi! I’m curious about your course. How long are each of the videos? Or how long is all of the content put together?

Hi Andrea, most of the videos in my children’s book course are about 6 – 7 minutes. And there are 30 videos. I’ve worked hard to compress all the information you need into compact form — I don’t want to waste people’s time.

Wow! This is a great article. Do you have an article on how to write dialogue? I’m just starting my first book and I have written (and deleted) small stories for fun, but there was more action than words so the conversations were kind of boring. The main character in my book is 12 years old, so I was wondering if I should add words like, ‘literally’ or ‘like’ a lot, because the main part of my story is dialogue (my character is telling a story to her siblings.) Also, I’m a younger writer and closer to the age of my character, and I say those kinds of words frequently, but it honestly might be overkill to write them that many times in a book *if there was a laughing face emoji available I would put it here*. Your response would be greatly appreciated, Holland J

Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom and experience, John! This is excellent information that will be really useful. Anyone can sit down and scribble a children’s book, and with a little help and direction, yours could be good enough to capture the attention of thousands of kids.

Thank you so much. Based here in Ireland and I have a book idea the last 2 years and I really need to get it ready and started as I think it could be huge

Great article! I do have a question. You are speaking to picture books – where the pictures carry the story of the book and not the words. But what about if the writing carries the story and the pictures help to illustrate it? The majority of what you state would stay true but the word count would not be the same?

It’s really nice and educational for a beginner writer.

Books can encourage children to explore what they truly want to do in life. Your book could be a tool for self-discovery.

I loved reading through this. I’m working on my first children’s book series and this article brought up so many good points for my to consider when writing and publishing. Thank you for sharing!

This was exactly what I needed to come across today, very helpful and gives much food for thought. Very appreciative of your outline of the process thank you kindly

Hi. What a wonderful article and very informative too. Thank you. Lots to think about. Cheers

The high level steps, the bullet points, and the tips ar3 incredibly helpful. Thank you.

Excellent article. Very informative. Now at least I have a direction.

I’m a novice story teller with a story about adoption geared for ages 3-7. I have the basic story, photos to inspire an illustrator, but I really just want to tell the story for all of my family and friends who have experienced the JOY OF ADOPTION! I would feel so blessed if it would inspire other to adopt! We’ll see…

Extremely well-written and insightful advice. Thank you for sharing.

Great article! Thanks for the advice. Just reading this page has helped inspire me to keep moving forward with my ideas. The love I see in my daughters eyes when I read to her is my motivation to write a kids book to share that love.

Thanks for helping me “walk the plank”

I appreciate your informative article. After my son passing onto heaven he has repeatedly told me in my dreams to write a children’s book. Give little souls a chance to laugh and look more to simple tasks in a day to better one another because we are not promised tomorrow. May God bless you, Hillary D

Thanks for the honest words and great guide! Much appreciated.

Hi, I am thinking about becoming a children’s book writer, I have no experience.

Lots of great info THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Thanks for all of help on today 5/15/2022 a lot of information was discovered for me in this article I will be following your steps.

A very informative and well-elaborated article. Thank you so much. Has provided me with key points to consider as we write children’s books in local languages with some Ugandan primary teachers.

This is the best article that I have ever found on the internet. Very clear and helpful. Thank you!

Excellent article- so thrilled I came across it

I am glad to have come across this article. Very informativ and encouraging. Thank you!

Very good advice!

I plan to release a children’s book later this year, and I’m considering self-publishing with the help of hardcover book printing services. I appreciate the advice about how it would be best to make the character struggle and fail first before solving the problem to gain the interest of the readers. I’ll be sure to remember this while I look for hardcover book printing services to work with.

Read and then reread. Thanks!

The article is a good gist of all what children’s writer must know. Thanks a lot for this article.

Thank you, thank you! Invaluable advise for novice children’s book authors. I devoured every word in my attempt to write my first children’s book.

This has been a very helpful nicely structured review. It focused on practical points, gave useful examples.

Hello I am interested in writing a children’s book i just reviewed your notes on how and what to do my question is, if i wanted to hire you to help me with my book, do I have to take your course first? And also what is the over head view of funds i would need to publish a children’s book? Thank you very much.

Great article!!! It provided much helpful insight on heels of my self-publishing a “bucket list” children’s book recently. What John provided here is much-need food for thought for a 2nd effort.

Very good article. Well thought out, with relevant, professional information and resources. Thank you!

Not only is this a very well put together article, it even explains and demonstrates some of the elements with which a new writer might not yet be familiar. I will be reading this several times, and then some more Thanks!

A very brilliant and interesting article

I want to say a huge thank you for sharing this post. It has really been so valuable and helpful. Thanks again for sharing.

This is so helpful. Genuine guidance and because of this I am 100% interested in your services when it’s time. Too often these posts are one long advertisement but you hit the right balance between great free info and offering your services as a resource!

Very glad to hear that! Yes, I’ll be ready when you need editing.

Thanks for the article. Very informative

Hi, I’m a pensioner from NSW Australia. I have 22 cartoon Australian animals in my children’s book. All with descriptions and their personalities and where they live in the village around a pond in the Australian Outback. My illustrations have still to be coloured which I thought to do in water coloured paint. Being a pensioner, I cannot afford much and if so, would have to just print my book onto paper and keep it in the family for my grandchildren.

Great article, thank you

its a great article and nice advice

It was all very helpful. Now I can re-evaluate my children’s book. Thank you

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. This is the best article on helping new writers. I am so excited to get started now.

Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom. It is so helpful and answers many of the questions I had.

Great info – Thanks. I stumbled on it at the perfect time to write a story for my grandaughter for Christmas.

This was extremely informative and beyond helpful. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Thanks so much for sharing this valuable knowledge!

Thank you so much for this article. We have to write a book for an assignment in my class and read it to the younger kids in my school. I needed a lot of help to get started. My group has an idea and this really helps with adding on to it and making it better.

Your article was very enlightening, I wrote a children’s story many years ago, you have given me the inspiration to publish.

This article was SO helpful and easy to follow. It all makes perfect sense now!

Very informative, great read!

I’ve published four children’s books (with Putnam and S&S) and this is one of the better tutorials on the subject I’ve read, similar to what we learn directly from editors at SCBWI conferences. This article served as an excellent reminder of all the important points I needed to hear as I start on a new book. Kudos!

Very glad to have this helpful and informative article straight to the point thanks

Hi very useful information, I’m doing my first book, that was sitting for years.

Your brilliant, and extremely helpful. I love your charismatic truth on everything.I feel so much more knowledgeable,than before I came here.

Hi! I’m writing a children’s book! I most likely won’t publish it, but I wanted to thank you for this article. It’s really helpful and informative! Wish me luck!

Really really helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Lots of things to think about now.

I found your information quite insightful. I am already writing several children’s golf books and your piece has reinforced what I am already doing. This is a great reference tool. JM

Wow!! After being overwhelmed by TOO much googling, this guide has finally set a course! Thank you for such an easy run down on how to kick off!! Let the email attack begin!!

You’re welcome! Happy writing. And if you need more help, take my course on children’s books or hire me as an editor!

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Hello, my name is Lori Fajardo. I have wrote a children’s story I would like to make into a childrens book. Age group 3-7 but I do not know the next step. I have many ideas for more stories. If you could help me with the next step that would be so wonderful. Thank you so much, appreciate it.

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I’m at the very beginning of the process and this was so informative and easy to understand! thank you

I hope I’m in the right place. I have a unique cat, she’s a tabbico Polydactyl Tripod, raised along with little children. She’s had many fun adventures coping the way they play. as well as adjusting to her unique circumstances as a special needs cat. I’ve been told numerous times I should write about the things she has done and her life. example.. knocking down hotwheels in the bathtub and playing with them. I have no idea where to start. I’ve had her since she was a baby. I mentioned she’s a Tripod, her one back leg has a bad knee and deformed foot. We’ve had quite the adventure so far.

sounds like it would be a good book

Very informative. Thank you.

I have started to write my first children’s book recently. I would like some assistance on how to proceed. I have a story, plot, characters all figured out (as best that I can, some professional guidance would be appreciated at this stage.

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Wow, what a great and informative starting point. I wanted to write a children’s book or series of books But didn’t really know where to start. Thank you for your honest and informative information.

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The article “How to Write a Children’s Book” is an outstanding resource for aspiring authors. It provides a comprehensive guide that covers every aspect of writing a children’s book, from generating ideas to crafting engaging stories and understanding the nuances of children’s literature. The practical tips and clear instructions make the process approachable and inspiring. It’s evident that the author has a deep understanding of the genre and a genuine desire to help others succeed. Kudos for creating such an insightful and supportive guide that will surely motivate many to bring their stories to life!

Thank you for taking the time to post this. There’s so much wonderful information.

So elated I came across this! So informative, thank you!!!

An helpful article.

Thanks for this easy-to- follow blog. I think it’s going to save me heartache as I embark on writing and illustrating my first children’s book.

You want kids to read your children’s book again and again, right?

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• A guide to writing, editing and publishing your book
• Tips on how to find an editor and illustrator
• Ideas on structure, characters, and endings

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Aug 02, 2023

How to Write a Children’s Book Families Will Love (+Template)

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

Many authors' dream is to write a children's book, and to inspire young minds with heartfelt stories and playful imagination. Many assume that writing for kids is easier, but writing great children's literature is no easy feat, especially if you're brand-new to the game.

In this post, we cover everything you need to know about writing a children's book, borrowing insights from experienced children's book editors like Anna Bowles, Jennifer Rees, Cara Stevens, and others. 

How to write a children’s book in 8 steps: 

1. Start with a simple, fun idea

2. cast a relatable main character, 3. structure your plot like a fairy tale, 4. consider repetition and rhyme, 5. make the story easy to follow, 6. write with illustrations in mind, 7. work with a children’s editor, 8. get an illustrator to add some visual magic.

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Bring your children's book to life with our step-by-step workbook.

The best picture books are simple stories that engage children, and show them a fun or valuable perspective. Think about Dr. Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham : the whole story premise is that the main character, Sam-I-Am, tries to convince his friend, a picky eater, to try green eggs and ham. It engages children with something relatable 一 being reluctant to try new foods 一 and it shows that perhaps it’s not so bad to give it a try.

If there’s one thing that most classic picture books have in common, it’s that they look at the world from a child’s perspective. 

Address children’s hopes and doubts

It can help to write your story with a specific child in mind — one you know personally. If you are a parent, a teacher, or have dealt with kids personally, think of them as you write your story. Connect with the way they experience life and the things they value. Remember the sorts of things that make them laugh. 

Most importantly, consider what’s compelling to them. Maybe your story can address some of their fears and doubts, or evoke their most cherished moments. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes is about a little mouse who’s concerned about all kinds of things — especially starting school. The story reflects an anxiety many children experience and provides a hopeful message that things will be okay. 

Dianne Ochiltree’s picture book It's a Firefly Night tells the story of a girl who catches fireflies in a jar on a warm summer night, but ultimately makes the decision to release them. This is an experience many kids will relate to 一 and will make them feel good as our young hero learns to care for and respect the little creatures around her. 

But before you run with your story idea, it’s important to validate its market potential.

Know which themes are selling right now

Try to assess what's working in the marketplace already, and if your book idea fits in. What are the most popular picture book themes?  

As long-time children’s book editor Brooke Vitale points out, the most popular picture book concepts haven’t massively changed over the years. “Across the board, the top-selling themes for picture books have been bedtime, farm, and ABC.” This is because they’re subjects kids can relate to: bedtime rituals, farm animals and their sounds, and learning to read.

“Also high on the list have been holidays, in particular Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, and the reason for this is because they're marketable.” By marketable, Vitale means that these sorts of picture books are ones that people could easily buy as gifts for children. 

Some smaller holidays are on the rise too, like Mother's and Father’s Day, as well as graduation celebrations. But you don’t have to tie your story too closely to the specific holiday you’re targeting 一 a Mother’s Day book can be about a mother-and-daughter relationship, or a graduation title can be an aspirational tale set around education, making the story evergreen and relevant year-round. 

There are always new themes bursting onto the scene, like empowerment or mindfulness, which you can tap into to bring fresh stories to market. For example, in The Princess and the Pizza , Mary Jane Auch subverts the classic princess story: instead of accepting her fate and marrying into another royal family, Princess Paulina becomes a self-sufficient founder of a pizza empire. And of course, this idea ingeniously combines three things that many children love: princesses, carbs, and cheese.

Once you’ve landed on a great story idea, don’t forget that you’ll need a memorable lead character.

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The most iconic children's book characters have distinct and relatable personalities. Think of Leo Lionni’s Frederick, a field mouse whose fondness for poetry and art is seen as distracting from his family’s efforts to gather supplies for winter. Or take Jim Panzee from Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy Monkey , another outsider who struggles with his “bad temper” while everyone around him is having fun 一 something many kids will relate to. 

Whether your main character is a child, robot, animal, or sentient gas cloud, what matters is that they feel real — with specific abilities and challenges.

Define their strengths and flaws

Young readers don’t want to read about perfect heroes, but rather characters they recognize. Memorable characters should come with their own fully realized strengths, weaknesses, conflicts, and motivations that make them compelling to their young readers. 

To help you create great new characters, we have some additional resources for you:

• A list of character development exercises to test your knowledge of your characters .
• A free 10-day course on great character development , taught by a successful professional editor.

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

Besides being relatable in their behavior, your main character should have their own sets of dreams and desires — and the willpower to realize them.  

Give them agency to reach their goals

If there’s a younger character in your book, it’s usually their story you should be telling. It should be about their dreams, and they should be the ones making decisions that drive the narrative forward. 

As Reedsy Children's editor Anna Bowles suggests, don’t forget who the heroes are. “A lot of beginners write about children as we adults often see them: as cute and slightly comical little beings. But what children actually want is stories where they are the heroes, driving the action, facing challenges, and making choices.”

Patrick Picklebottom and the Penny Book is the story of a young boy who goes to buy his favorite book. On the way home, his friends invite him to fly a drone, play video games, or scroll through social media — but he declines and gets home to read instead. In real life, a child might have a parent giving them advice, but in the book, it’s Patrick himself calling the shots. He buys the book, he says no to the various temptations, and he gets himself home to read it.  

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Once you’ve got a great story and some interesting characters, it’s time to consider your story structure. 

Even within the word limits of children’s books, you need to create a satisfying story arc that captivates young readers from the very start, takes them on an exciting journey, and culminates in a gratifying and memorable conclusion ( like a fairy tale! ). One way to achieve this arc is to think of your story as a simple question and answer.

Ground your premise in a simple question

Picture book editor Cara Stevens , who in her long career has written and edited for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Sesame Street, believes that every story should begin with a dilemma and end with a resolution. “There's usually a question: Will Mr. Frumble get his hat? Why doesn't Priscilla like chocolate? Why doesn't Elmo want to go to the dentist? These questions are a vital point in diagnosing your story or giving it direction when you're not sure where it's going.”

📼 Watch the Reedsy Live in which Cara Stevens reveals the 20 questions that can help picture book authors turn their ideas into finished manuscripts.

Once you’ve identified the story-driving question, you then want the character to face some challenges and doubts. 

Add conflict to the mix

Novels are often about characters dealing with a challenge, and how they change as a result of it. Children’s books are no different. Even in the simplest of narratives, the character should grow and learn something by overcoming internal and external conflicts .  

In Richard Scarry’s Be Careful, Mr. Frumble! , the title character goes on a walk on a windy day and his hat is whisked away by the wind. Will he get it back? After chasing it through trains, trees, and the sea, he does. Despite the initial worry, he finds that he’s grateful for the fun that losing his hat brought with it. 

Or think again of Patrick Picklebottom, who just wants to read his book: his conflict is created by his friends’ requests to do other things. By the time he reaches home, he has learned to say no and prioritize what he values most.   

Whatever journey you set your characters on, it’ll have to fit within the standard picture book’s length.

Keep it under 30 pages

It’s easy to fall in love with your story and characters and find yourself overwriting as a result. Children's books have rather standard lengths, depending on their type, and it’s important to try and stick to them to ensure your book is readable for your target audience. 

The average word count for a standard picture book falls between 400 and 800, with a length of 24 or 32 pages. The page count includes the copyright and dedication page , as well as your author bio to let readers know who you are , which means your story has to be told within 30 pages or less. With so little room, you’ll have to be mindful of the number of characters you introduce and the number of plot points they will encounter.    

At this point, you have a lot of story elements cooking and a structure to mix them in. But before you do that, you’ll want to think about the secret ingredient — style. 

Picture books often feature repetition, rhythm, and rhyme. Figurative language like this add a musicality to books, making them a pleasure to read or listen to. Children will want to have their favorite stories read to them repeatedly, so parents will greatly appreciate it if the words fall trippingly off their tongues when doing so. 

🤔 Should your picture book rhyme? Listen to editor and children's author Tracy Gold's opinion on Reedsy Live .

Let’s have a closer look at why repetition and rhyme are so common in kids’ books.

Repetition facilitates understanding

You can use different types of repetition in picture books, such as for words, entire sentences, or sounds. You can use it to structure your story, pace it, or reinforce a certain point or concept. When executed well, it can create a nice build-up that kids can pick up and easily follow.

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith uses repetition in a few different ways. It starts with the narrator walking down the road and spotting a donkey. The first sentence is repeated in every scene, along with the donkey sound (Hee Haw!) Then it adds a line describing the donkey 一 its appearance, mood, and music taste (a sort of donkey dad joke). But that’s not all: each scene adds a short, rhyming description of the donkey, which, as the book progresses, keeps building up into an amusing climax.  

Building the story incrementally through repetition and rhyme can be powerful. But remember, it’s not compulsory — and not all rhymes are created equal. 

Not all picture books rhyme

In recent years, many children’s book editors have advised against rhyming in your book. That’s because it’s quite difficult to rhyme well, and children's book agents are able to spot a bad or derivative rhyme from a mile away. That said, if you’re a master of the perfectly unexpected rhyme and you think your book demands them, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go for it. 

Llama Llama Red Pajama is packed with rhymes from start to finish. It’s a simple story of a cria (that’s a baby llama!) waiting for their mother to comfort them at bedtime. The story’s simplicity and very short lines are perhaps some of the reasons it works so well.   

If you’re writing in verse and rhyme, always read it aloud. Ask yourself if it feels forced, excessive, or awkward in any way, and whether the rhyme contributes to building the story. If it doesn’t sound quite right, you can always see what it’s like without the rhyming.

According to writer and editor Jennifer Rees , you can sometimes achieve even better results without forcing it. “So often, I get some really sing-songy stuff that forces the reader into a rhythm that people think is fun — but in truth, it just drags on. 

“There are so many gorgeously written picture books that do not rhyme but they just sound beautiful. Someone has really paid attention to how the lines read and how each and every single word sounds when you read it out loud.” 

There are also a few more literary choices to consider as you write your story…

Your core audience is at a crucial stage of their mental development and is currently mastering basic literacy skills. This calls for a few considerations as you write and edit your children’s book .

Start the story quickly

Even at the best of times, kids have limited attention spans. It's essential that you jumpstart the action with some sort of hook in the first few pages. This ‘hook’ could come in the form of an intriguing character or an inciting incident that kicks off the entire story . 

The inciting incident of Dr. Seuss’s classic The Cat in the Hat , as you might recall, is an intriguing character. After setting up a scene with two bored siblings, Seuss introduces a mysterious cat who invites himself into their home. Is the cat good or bad? Should he stay or should he go? The reader understands that the cat brings chaos with him, and the story is set in motion. 

Once the story has started, it’s just as important to maintain a good pace. Each scene should ideally act as a little hook that builds the tempo or raises the stakes until the story's resolution.

Another important thing to consider is your choice of words. 

Use age-appropriate vocab

There are many great places to show off your bombastic grandiloquence, but a kid’s book is not one of them. Children won't be impressed by four-syllable words — they'll only be confused by them. That said, children's editor Jenny Bowman often tells her authors that, when used intentionally and sparingly, the occasional big word can be welcome. “Children are smarter than you think, and context can be a beautiful teacher.” 

To figure out the most fitting vocabulary for your story you can read other books for kids in your age group, or browse famous word sets for early readers, like the Fry and Dolch lists or the Children’s Writer Word Book , which feature the most commonly used words for children’s books depending on their age. 

It’s not just the vocabulary that needs a double-check. Also consider your characters, their behaviors, and the environments they inhabit 一 they should all be tailored to resonate with a child’s life experience. A talking eagle who’s a corporate lawyer working on a big M&A case might not be as relatable as a little mouse on her first day at school.  

To know if you’re on the right track, the best thing you can do is road-test your early drafts with their intended audience.

Ask a child what they think

Read your story out loud to children and parents in your social circle. Pay attention to how it sounds with an audience, and whether it invokes an emotional response. Kids are usually pretty honest, so their feedback will be some of the most valuable you’ll receive. 

Aim for a few rounds of reactions, and incorporate their suggestions as much as possible. Only once you have thumbs-ups from your young readers should you begin to think about your next step, which is to start combining your words with powerful visuals. 

In contrast to many other types of books, where words alone are sufficient to tell a story, in picture books text and illustrations complement each other to create a more immersive experience. Whether you’re planning to bring in an illustrator or pick up a pen and brush yourself, you should always be thinking of pictures when you’re drafting your manuscript

Think in terms of scenes

Think of your book like a (very) short movie. Every time you flip a page, you enter a new scene that holds the potential to surprise your young readers. To achieve this effect, consider placing your surprises strategically on the other side of page turns. 

To help you visualize the flow of your story and its pacing, try using a storyboard template to mock up your visuals and match your text to the right scenery.

Children's Book Storyboard Template

Bring your picture book to life with our 32-page planning template.

Let the visuals do the talking

When self-editing your manuscript, try to cut unnecessary sentences and let the visuals do the talking instead (by showing, instead of telling .) There’s no need to squander your precious word count describing the weather or a character’s clothes if the pictures can do the same. So instead of writing them into your manuscript, include those details in your art notes so that your illustrator will know precisely how to represent them. 

Once you’ve written and rewritten your children’s story, consider bringing on board a children’s book editor to polish it further. 

If you've gotten feedback, self-edited extensively, and still feel your children's book isn't quite there, consider hiring a professional children's editor . Their years of experience will both improve your storytelling and make sure that your book is ready for the market.

Fortunately, we have the best children's editors right here on Reedsy , many of whom have worked with major authors like Daisy Meadows (author of the Rainbow Magic series) and R.L. Stine!

Make your story sing

Work with a professional children’s book editor to take your book to the next level.

There are two types of picture book editors you may be looking for:

Developmental editors. These editors will look at your story’s backbone, from characters and settings, to the story plot and concept, and make sure it’s solid and ready for the market. They will also comment on whether you used rhyme and repetition wisely, if you need to change the time frame or point-of-view, and suggest other potential improvements.  

Copy editors. The copy editor will correct your typos, spelling, and grammar, assess your choice of words, and make comments to ensure your text is perfectly polished. 

Very often, you can find a single editor to handle both services — they’ll give your book a developmental edit, provide any notes for revising your draft, then copy-edit the manuscript once you’ve made the changes.

Read our post on children’s book costs to find out the average price for each service. If you’re self-publishing, there’s one important part of your budget you’ll want to put aside: that would be to hire a skilled illustrator to bring your words to life.  

If you want to publish your book traditionally, don’t bother looking for an illustrator. It will be handled by the company who will represent your work, as they prefer to be in charge of that. Just prepare your picture book query letter and start pitching agents . 

If instead you’re planning to publish your picture book yourself , you’ll have to locate your very own Quentin Black. We wrote an in-depth guide on how to hire a children’s book illustrator, but one of the most important points is to determine your ideal illustration style.

Dazzle children with design

Enchant kids and their caregivers with a professionally designed book.

Identify the visual style for your book

What style best captures the mood and world of your story? Perhaps your book is for very young readers, who will enjoy bright, bold, and graphic illustrations. Perhaps you’re aiming at a slightly older audience, who’ll appreciate whimsical characters and a more muted color palette.

Each illustrator brings a distinct touch to their human characters, from intricate linework to striking realism, edgy designs to gentle human-like figures. You’ll have plenty of options to choose from, depending on what you’ve envisioned for your book. 

To find your ideal professional, gather a range of references to make sure you have ample inspiration and “mentor texts” to refer back to. Browse through your favorite kids' books , or the portfolios of some professionals, and identify what you like — and, perhaps just as importantly, anything you definitely don’t like. This post on 30 children’s book illustrators will be a helpful jumping-off point in finding visual references and the vocabulary to describe what you’re looking for.

While some artists might welcome a challenge, and enjoy trying out a new style, the best way to guarantee results that you like is to find an artist whose style already matches your vision fairly closely — rather than asking them to fit a square peg into a round hole.

And there you have it! Once you've completed these steps, you'll have a completed children's book ready for publication. Make sure to check out our guide on how to publish your children’s book for more information on how to get your story in the hands (and hearts) of your young readers.

6 responses

10/02/2019 – 10:53

Where can I listen to my target audience if the kids around me don't speak English?

↪️ Reedsy replied:

11/02/2019 – 09:08

Thanks to the internet, that's not so much of a problem anymore. Social media and online communities can make it a lot easier to find your ideal audience. Check out this post we wrote about target markets from children's books: https://blog.reedsy.com/childrens-books-target-markets/

Jeff Dearman says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

There's also newer illustrators looking to get their foot in the door who might be willing to help for relatively cheap compared to the more establish artists the more establish artists will want a lot more $$$$ , so look around. if youre on college campus or recent grad and know some illustrators or a friend or family member who does great art. ask them . Offer like $100-300 for black and white story boards and maybe a couple colored cover designs or what not and give them full authority and ownership over the art and development of the characters. Once the work is done maybe offer them a bonus if they do good work. There's plenty of newer illustrators with extremely good talent who are looking for opportunities.

You can also go to places like the New England film board and or other boards or even reddit and put out a post saying you're looking for an illustrator interested in getting material for their portfolio and offer them the ability to develop the characters etc. and such and offer lke a couple hundred bucks for sketches/character storyboards. - also state you'll put them into a writers' contract and split any royalties once the time comes if the book is susccessfl and write out an agreement you both sign. and agree to.

Penelope Smith says:

24/08/2019 – 04:32

Writing a children's book does seem like it could be tricky. I liked that you pointed out that you should look at that an illustrator past work. Also, it seems like a good thing to consider asking them to draw a sample page for the book. After all, you would want to check they draw in a style you like.

Sjsingh says:

20/11/2019 – 14:04

"pug"book writer Sharma is said a sardaarni, she is not a "Kaur", Kaur can be said as sardaarni. And what a mockery she has done for tying pug, real sardaarni never can dare to do that. Pug is very respectful in Sikhs and many other cast too, and she has made it joke, she has done very wrong to the sentiments and feelings of many Indians. And you have any humanity you should Apologize for this heart breaking act , Publisher has done not less than you. Have you ever thought , write a book on tying a saari or lungi in same style and illustration used in "pug"?

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Home / Book Writing / Children’s Book Ideas: 101 Prompts to Generate Story Ideas for Kids

Children’s Book Ideas: 101 Prompts to Generate Story Ideas for Kids

Writing a children's book may seem like a breeze from a distance. After all, most children's books aren't very long — especially when compared to novels of 100,000 words or more. But just because children's books are shorter, doesn't mean they are easier to write. And sometimes, the hardest part is coming up with a good story idea in the first place.

So whether you're writing a picture book or a chapter book, this article can help. I'll go over some ways you can generate children's book ideas yourself, but I'll also give you plenty of prompts that can get the creative juices flowing!

• Tips for writing a children's book
• 101 prompts to get you writing
• How to test your children's book idea

Table of contents

• Narrow Your Focus for a Great Children's Book Idea
• Different Age Ranges for Children's Books
• Popular Children's Book Themes and Settings
• Types of Children's Books
• Children's Book Idea Prompts
• Vetting Your Children's Book Idea
• Children's Book Ideas: Final Thoughts

I'm going to assume here that you want to write a children's book not just because it's something you're passionate about, but because you'd like it to be successful. After all, what's the point of writing the book if no children read it? Ideally, you want to touch as many lives as possible, helping children learn and grow through your book .

Unfortunately, in the publishing world as in the rest of life, good intentions will only get you so far. So before I get into the meat of the story ideas in this article, I need to cover some tips for writing a successful children's book .

Firstly, it's a good idea to narrow your focus when coming up with a story idea. Start by thinking about what type of books children ask their parents to buy for them. Often, these books will include a specific type of character or setting that currently interests the child. Their parents will then type a related phrase into Amazon and look through the results to decide which books are a great fit. For your book to be successful, make sure a significant amount of parents are actively looking for your topic.

Interestingly, certain character types and settings for children's books are searched far more often than others. Before writing your book, try to identify what parents are searching for on the Amazon store. Otherwise, you might have much more difficulty in having your book discovered.

For example, many young children are obsessed with vehicles- and their parents know that subject will grab their attention. Check out this table below, showing just how dramatically the number of searches on Amazon differs for each phrase:

Data provided by Publisher Rocket

Some of those keywords are getting enormous amounts of traffic! For others, ouch … while it certainly is possible to write a successful book about some of the less popular phrases, you are immediately at a disadvantage.

Remember, choosing the right type of characters and setting for your book can have a huge impact on the amount of sales you make. To ensure that parents are actively searching for your story, make sure to do your research first! For more information on how to start keyword research, be sure to check out this full article .

Children's Book cover a wide range of books and age-ranges . So the more specific you can get, the better. To help you narrow your focus, here's a broad look at the most popular types of children's books and their age ranges.

• Board Book – Ages 0 to 3 – Minimal words, mostly pictures.
• Picture Book – Ages 2 to 5 – 200 to 400 words, pictures on every page.
• Chapter Book – Ages 6 to 10 – 3,000 to 10,000 words, pictures on most pages.
• Middle Grade Book – Ages 8 to 12 – 30,000 to 45,000 words, limited pictures.

Most of the ideas I'll cover in this post can be tailored to fit any of the age ranges above. But I'll mostly focus on picture books, since they're among the most popular.

That said, it's crucial to have an age range firmly in mind so you can write for your audience. Parents will be the ones to buy the books, and they're very good at picking out age-appropriate books for their children. It's important to see what they might be looking for, so your book can fill that specific niche. For example, as shown in the table below, topics for one age group may be far less popular with another.

So… if you are planning to write a book about a certain subject, be sure to research what age ranges are most likely to search for it.

Trends In Children's Books

Whether it be driven by the time of year or a new popular TV show, children's books are highly impacted by trends. As you think about the theme of your children's book, be aware of when sales might be hot for your particular subject matter. That way, you know when to best launch your book.

With a little bit of research, we can see exactly how trends impact children's book categories. And with hundreds of children's books categories in the store, there's a trend peaking no matter the month of the year.

For example, children's books in the Christmas category tend to be more popular in the late fall, with their sales accelerating all the way from September through the end of November. During this time, children are anticipating the coming holiday, and parents might also be purchasing these books as gifts.

Another example is children's books about math, which are most popular in the month of June. This may seem strange, considering that children are not in school during this time. However, June is just when summer break starts, and parents are out hunting for educational books to help their children keep up with their studies.

Seasonal trends are also driven by interest. In this example below, you can see how children's interest in bugs reaches a high in early spring, right when they are seeing them start to appear outside.

When it comes to trends, understanding them best comes from watching your future book's categories. That way, you can get an intuitive feel for the market, as well as what might be the next hot topic. With categories, it's also important to know which ones will give your children's book the most exposure, which you can learn how to do here.

Starting with a theme is a great way to nurture an idea for any book, not just a children's book. Theme can help you determine plot, characters, and message. So, here are some great themes for children's book ideas:

• Discovery (Learning)
• Big Changes
• Social Issues

The setting of your book is also a fundamental building block for a children's story. If you put a theme and a setting together, you're halfway to a great book!

• Neighborhood

Let's say you want to write about friendship (theme) in the jungle (setting). You can choose jungle characters, or you can make your main character an animal that's not from the jungle, so he/she is scared . . . until they meet a new friend!

See how easy it is to get the ideas rolling? But I'm not done yet. Let's explore some different types of children's books now.

There are some tried-and-true types of books that many a young reader will love. Some children's book writers prefer to start with a type and move to theme and setting from there. Let's take a look:

• Dinosaur Books
• Bedtime Story Books
• Imagination Books
• Early Reader Books
• Sibling Books (to prepare for a new brother or sister)

As you can see, you can mix and match, picking a theme, a setting, and a type of book. This should help you solidify your children's book idea. But if not, I've still got some prompts coming up!

• Write about an animal that moves to a strange city.
• Write about a child going to a farm for the first time.
• Write about a child learning to read with the help of a few furry friends.
• Write about an animal learning the meaning of loyalty.
• Write about a character learning to make a new friend from a different background.
• Write about a cast of animals learning how to work as a team to accomplish some goal.
• Write a story about a character learning to share their favorite toy.
• Write about a character learning to be brave amid adversity.
• Write about a kid learning the importance of honesty.
• Write about a sloth who wants to become a comedian.
• Explore the difficulty of losing a pet (or experiencing a drastic life change).
• Write about a magical box that operates on kindness.
• Write about a group of animals who must deal with human-made changes to their environment.
• Explore Halloween through a magical pumpkin and a surly scarecrow.
• Write about the power of dreams, showing the importance of getting enough sleep.
• Write about a kid who discovers a magical pair of shoes.
• Write about healthy vegetable characters and unhealthy fast-food characters.
• Explore the impact a single kind act can have on the world.
• Write about a character learning the power (both positive and negative) of technology.
• Write about a child taking care of a jellybean that turns out to be an egg.
• Explore the power of a misunderstanding — and the importance of empathy.
• Write a picture book about a character who is an aspiring photographer.
• Write a rhyming story about Freddy the Friendly Fish.
• Write about a couple of characters who make a mess and work together to clean it up.
• Explore a character learning to swim.
• Write about a character learning to not compare himself to others.
• Explore the implications of anger with a shark, hippo, or some seemingly angry animal.
• Write a story about an animal who is a picky eater.
• Write a story about wild things becoming tame over time.
• Write a story about a young girl making friends outside of her age group.
• Explore family dynamics through a family of dinosaurs trying to make it in a prehistoric world.
• Write a story about an aspiring writer learning to spell (and to use his imagination).
• Write a bedtime story about a pillow who waits all day for her chance to shine at bedtime.
• Write about a character who becomes unintentionally famous.
• Write about a character who learns a new skill that changes his life.
• Write about a character accepting the blame for something she didn't do to help a friend.
• Explore what happiness is — and what it isn't — through the main character's eyes.
• Explore how fear can be good, but also how it can be bad.
• Write about a child who accidentally invents a time machine.
• Write a story about the life cycle of water and its importance to all life on Earth.
• Write about an event not going to plan, but what happens instead is good in its own way.
• Explore the meaning of Christmas with the help of a polar bear, a penguin, and an elf.
• Write about a main character learning to go potty by him or herself. 
• Write about a character who’s fiercely individualistic, meeting one who is a staunch conformist.
• Write a mystery about what happened to the main character’s favorite toy.
• Write a story about a child whose imagination goes wild and starts affecting the real world.
• Write about orphans and adoption from the perspective of a young child who has lost her parents.
• Explore what Thanksgiving is all about with animals getting ready for a harsh winter. 
• Write about a child who climbs the tallest tree in the world, making friends along the way.
• Write about a family of rabbits who are also detectives, helping solve mysteries for the forest creatures.
• Write about a robot that learns about human emotions.
• Write about a child experiencing snow for the first time.
• Write about a magical umbrella that transports the holder to a different place or time.
• Write about a character who overcomes fear of the dark.
• Write about a bee that's allergic to pollen.
• Explore the importance of patience through a snail racing story.
• Write about a character learning the importance of self-love and self-esteem.
• Write about a bird that can't fly but discovers its unique talent.
• Write about a child and their friendship with the moon.
• Write about a mystical garden that grows based on the moods of its caretaker.
• Write a story about a mouse who wants to be a lion.
• Write about a kid who finds a special rock that grants wishes.
• Write about a magical forest that changes with the seasons.
• Write about the journey of a lost toy trying to find its way back home.
• Write about a character who loves baking and sharing with their friends.
• Write a story about the beauty of diversity using different-colored butterflies.
• Write about an alien visiting Earth and learning about human customs.
• Write about a character learning the value of giving and generosity.
• Write about a musical instrument that has its own personality.
• Write about an imaginative child who turns their small bedroom into grand adventures.
• Write about a child who learns the importance of hard work by starting a lemonade stand.
• Write about a character who learns to stand up to bullies.
• Write a story about a chameleon who can't change its colors but finds a way to fit in.
• Write about a young wizard learning magic for the first time.
• Write about an ant learning the value of teamwork.
• Write about a character learning to conquer fear of swimming.
• Write about a child who plants a magic seed and experiences unexpected results.
• Write about a dragon who is afraid of fire.
• Write about a day in the life of a cloud.
• Write about a character learning the importance of perseverance by trying to ride a bike.
• Write about a child who discovers they can speak with animals.
• Write about a little ghost overcoming its fear of people.
• Write about a character learning the importance of respecting nature.
• Write about a character who learns to appreciate quiet and solitude.
• Write a story about a lost puppy finding its way home.
• Write about a family of elves preparing for Christmas.
• Write about a treasure map that leads to the most important thing: friendship.
• Write about a child who has to relocate and learns to adapt to a new environment.
• Write about a kid who learns to garden and grows a magical plant.
• Write about an underwater city full of aquatic creatures.
• Write about a character who finds a key that opens any door.
• Write a story about an alien child starting school on Earth.
• Write about a dog who helps his owner cope with moving to a new city.
• Write about a rainy day adventure from a raindrop's perspective.
• Write about a bear who hibernates for the first time.
• Write about a pair of glasses that allows the wearer to see magical creatures.
• Write about a character overcoming their fear of storms.
• Write about a lonely star finding its constellation.
• Write a story about a family of squirrels preparing for winter.
• Write about a kid who learns to appreciate art by visiting a museum.
• Write about a wizard's apprentice who mixes up a potion with surprising results.

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

The 101 ideas above can help you craft a story for young children. Most of the ideas would be good for a picture book or even a board book. But before you get too far into the children's book writing process , it's important to vet your idea to ensure it has the best chance of success .

There are a number of ways to ensure your children's book idea is in line with the market. One way involves cruising Amazon, researching books similar to your idea. By doing this, you can gather relevant data on book covers , illustration styles , and which categories will be the best. Unfortunately, this can take hours.

This is why we designed Publisher Rocket. It saves children's book authors time and energy by doing the heavy lifting.

• Publisher Rocket's keyword search tool can help you determine what phrases and keywords Amazon shoppers are actually using when looking for children's books on Amazon.
• The Competition Analyzer helps you to see what other children's literature authors are doing and approximately how many sales their books get per day and per month .
• The AMS Keyword Search function can help you construct the best Amazon Ad campaigns for your book.
• Lastly, the Category Search function helps you to choose the best categories when you initially publish your book on Amazon .

You can learn more about Publisher Rocket here . No subscription needed! One single payment includes all future updates as we continue to improve functionality and tools.

Whether you're looking to write a picture book for young children or a chapter book for older children, the strategies and ideas in this article can help. Children's books can help teach children important lessons and develop literacy skills that will serve them the rest of their lives.

But getting the book in front of new readers and their parents isn't always easy. It takes some know-how and planning to ensure that the book has the best chance of success when you publish it. And for best results, this planning should start at the beginning of the book-writing process , not after the book is done!

Jason Hamilton

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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How to Write a Children’s Book: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Successful Book for Young Readers

by Marianne Richmond | 1 comment

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Have you wondered how to write a children’s book? A lot of people do! The idea of crafting a sweet or silly tale that delights young minds and hearts is a compelling invitation.

Maybe you already have an idea about subject matter or a memorable character in mind. Perhaps you are inspired by favorite books from long ago ( Judy Blume , anyone?). Frequent guidelines suggest just 500 to 1000 words in the average picture book—and many people who are not children's book writers wonder how difficult this could be.

Harder than you think.

Children's author Margaret Meacham sums it up well:

“Well-written picture books are works of art that demand an intuitive sense of child appeal, and like poetry, a firm command of language.”

In this article, you'll learn all about how to write a children's book with writing tips that will help you craft your writing for the littlest reader.

How I Became a Children’s Book Author

I never dreamt of being a picture book author. I became one unexpectedly.

How this started was I wrote, illustrated, and self-published my first children’s book, The Gift of an Angel , in 1997—long before self-publishing was a thing.

I was recovering from brain surgery in my twenties with a lot of down time. Inspired by my large circle of support—earth angels, I called them—I wrote a book about the belief in a guardian angel for every child, printed a few thousand copies of my book at a local shop (I was optimistic!), and began peddling them to gift shops and book stores around town.

Emails came to my inbox telling me how my feelings were their feelings—a huge “Ah-ha!” moment for me. In one year, I sold 10,000 copies, which quickly lit the fire in me to create more books that honored life’s emotions and relationships.

One book became two. And two became seventy-plus with millions sold.

For sixteen years, I co-ran my own publishing company with my husband before selling my book line in 2010 to Sourcebooks, Inc., the largest independent, women-owned publisher in North America.

With them, I still create and learn daily how writing children’s books performs in the business. I also understand how a children's book, in the business of publishing, needs to sell to a target market with a benefit to the buyer and reader.

And that distribution–how and where you’re going to sell it—is everything.

If you want to become a children's book author, you can't separate the writing from the business.

The Making of a Children's Book

There’s a lot of thought, preparation and nuance that goes into creating a successful, sellable children’s book that engages all types of children and, equally important, connects with parents, teachers, or caring adults who will it read over and over (sometimes at 9:00pm, when they are done reading ).

This separates the books that publishing houses, book editors , and readers choose for a child’s bookshelf versus the ones buried and abandoned in the bottom of a toy trunk, or not bought at all. Or not published.

I want to help you write a successful children's book. I want to share what I’ve learned about writing for children—from where to get ideas and illustrations to how to publish and market—from my twenty-plus years as a bestselling book author.

Throughout my journey, my personal mission as a writer hasn’t wavered: To create books that help you share your heart and connect with those you love.

This knowing what you want the experience of your books to be can help focus your creating and help you build a clear brand as a writer.

3 Key Factors to Consider Before You Write a Children's Book

Before beginning your dive into children’s book writing, there are three key factors you need to know and consider.

1. Book Category

When you walk into the children’s section at a bookstore or large retailer, you will see several categories of books that comprise this department, shelved in different areas.

The target age ranges are rough guides to a child’s age category, maturity and reading proficiency that will dictate a buying decision:

• Board book (newborn – 3)
• Illustrated picture book (ages 2-8)
• Easy reader and chapter book (ages 6-12)
• Middle grade book (ages 8-12)
• Young adult book (span the younger and older adolescent years of 12-25, depending on content)

I suggest you wander into a bookstore or retail book department and familiarize yourself with the different types of children’s books, their page and/or word count , complexity and use of graphics. You will get to see, too, the great variety of book design and book format within each broader book category.

2. Target Audience

One of the more challenging aspects of writing for children is to meet your audience where they are in terms of topic, word choice, writing style, and comprehension.

Specifically, are you painting a picture through words and illustration that makes sense to your reader? Does it have some harder words but not too hard as to be frustrating? What topics do the child reader's parent, caregiver, or teacher have on their list?

Often we get close to an idea because it is personal to us. We need to ask ourselves, “Who else will care?”

Know why you're writing your children's book, and you'll probably have more success writing it.

Instead, writers who want to write a children's book should ask themselves: “Who else will care?” Tweet this

2. Choose a Universal Theme or Niche Message

What your book idea is about will directly inform who wants to buy it. One of my go-to lines about my own work is:

“I write for the unique everybody. Our stories are different and our feelings a lot the same.”

When you set out to write your book, ask yourself what topic is timely and holds universal appeal (i.e., love, diversity, empathy, anxiety, life skills, grief) or which theme captures a niche topic like divorce, adoption, immigration, climate, or blended families.

To help you clarify the universal theme or niche message in your picture book story idea, you might consider using the X as told through Y approach.

Memoir coach Marion Roach offers an excellent formula that can be applied to kids books as well:

“It's about X as told through Y.”

The X is the universal, the Y is the story. Using Lisa Katzenberg's picture book, IT WILL BE OKAY, for example, her story is “about empathy and kindness as told through a zebra helping his worried giraffe friend.”

The story structure and character development will follow that specific character helping his friend.

3. Choose a book title and cover image with high salability

Imagine yourself standing in a bookstore surrounded by thousands of competing titles. Think of your perfect title and cover image as your way of jumping up and down saying, “Pick me! Pick me!”

A good book cover design is your clear promise to the reader.

In a fraction of a second, you need to tell your potential reader what your book is about and the tone they can expect (sentimental or funny, for example).

Your best title isn't always the most creative title. Clarity is queen. WHEN ANIMALS KISS GOODNIGHT. BE BRAVE LITTLE ONE. HAIR LOVE. Your choice of book illustration goes a long way to communicate this promise, too!

A silly monster or dancing elephant conveys humor while a child tucked in bed hugging a teddy bear communicates a sweet bedtime tale. Similarly, are you choosing to depict your book characters with people or animals — or nothing at all? (Check out the unique bestseller THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES.)

The use of bright images is key, too, to draw your reader in. Each choice you make contributes to your clear promise.

Some book titles can be enhanced with a descriptive, powerful subtitle. For example, Dan Santat's picture book, AFTER THE FALL featuring a cute egg has the subtitle How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again.

This additional book description quickly tells you it's a story of resilience. A recent title from Sourcebooks is called OUR WORLD IS A FAMILY with children of all nationalities on the cover. Its subtitle—Our Community Can Change the World— quickly communicates a story of inclusivity, connection and kindness.

In the book industry, this holistic impact of your book concept is referred to as the book “package.” Does the package connect with the intended reader? And often traditional publishers will test a few options with virtual focus groups before committing to a final choice.

Regardless of how you choose to publish, I suggest a quick exercise you can do when pondering your book idea: Brainstorm a potential title and subtitle for your picture book, referring back to your Story Intention to focus your thoughts.

Using Canva, freepick.com, Google images or even sketching it yourself, you can gather some inspiration imagery. Now, share these few tidbits with a trusted friend or two and ask them what they believe your book is about.

Do you hear an answer that circles around your intention? You're on the right track!

4. Write for Your Target Reader

As a picture book author, your are giving a child and caring adult (your target audience) a “pleasant reading experience.” (In the words of my publisher!) But think of your book, too, as a conduit for connection, learning, and growth.

So many parents, teachers and grown ups use children's books as gateways to bigger conversations, for example, family values, a recent hardship, or an aspirational behavior.

To give your book its best chance at “being so much more,” you'll want to pay special attention to word choice, cadence, and complexity to ensure it as “enjoyable and easy to ingest” as possible.

Think succinct text. Descriptive language. Compelling story.

Early childhood educators reiterate, too, how using rhyme and repetition of words and ideas helps children develop early literacy skills and boost brain development.

As you can see, children's books have a big, important job to do! A single sentence can be so rich with meaning and teaching in a quality book.

5. Create your Story Arc

I love the concept of the six word memoir: say a lot with few words. That's the heart of a good children's book, too. The story arc is the journey you'll take the reader on. 

You're dealing with the short attention span of a child and often the adult reader, too. (“It's time for bed!”) This means you need to:

• Engage, and
• Wrap up in 500-ish words spread over thirty-two pages

Don't spend a lot of time setting the stage for your story. Start in the action . If writing a board book where the pages will be cardboard, you reduce page count to twenty-four pages.

A good way to start is to brainstorm a book outline and the main takeaways of your story (again, your Story Intention).

Next draw an semi-circle on a piece of paper (think upside down ‘u') and jot down thoughts on your beginning, middle and end. If your picture book is the expected thirty-two pages, aim to use one to two spreads (a full spread is the left and right page together) to begin your story and another one to two to bring it to a close.

This leaves you a nice, long middle to tell your story and/or create and resolve conflict. Creating your own book layout or “book dummy”—even if rough—is a great way to help you visualize your story.

Using a real life example from my USA Today bestselling I LOVE YOU ALL WAYS, a board book to convey love, the first page is this:

“In case you ever wonder in the busy of our days, exactly how you're loved by me, I think you'll be amazed.”

Spreads two through nine tell all the ways while two spreads wrap it up:

“Top to bottom, inside through, you're the certain of my days. No need to ever wonder more … I love you all ways.”

6. Find a Professional Illustrator

Yes, more decisions! Artwork is key for children's books, as illustrations from a professional illustrator help tell your story, boost a child's comprehension and enhance literacy.

Is your message best supported by people or animals? The children's book market loves animals for their ability to appeal to diverse families.

Believe it or not, some animals sell better than others! “Bears are evergreen,” says Art Director Jordan Kost. “With brown/grizzly being the most popular.”

You'll want to choose what art style conveys the emotion of your story, whether soft watercolor, bright pastels, contemporary collage or simple line art. So much art is created digitally, which is easier for revisions but one thing doesn't change: good illustrations can make or break a picture book.

If you don't illustrate yourself, you will learn that traditional publishers will choose a professional illustrator for your manuscript. If, however, you are self-publishing, you will need to find your own through various resources like online groups, local colleges, trade associations and/or a talented friend.

Be sure, however, that your illustrator is very good . Nothing screams amateur like poor illustration. As for cost, you'll find some illustrators charge per page, per project or want an split of the sales revenue. This is all negotiable.

7. Choose a Publishing Path

As you're writing, you'll need to decide which publishing path you with to pursue. There are two main paths: traditional publishing and self-publishing.

Many authors aspire to be published by the “big five,” but this is a challenging road for first-time authors. And one that can take several years pitching, editing, printing to marketing and selling.

If you sold your manuscript today, you might see it in stores three years from now. Plus, most large publishers will only look at agented submissions and even then, they want to know your sales potential in the marketplace. In other words, do you have built-in ways you can start getting traction for your book?

This is commonly called “your platform.” Are you already known in any particular industries? Are you aligned with a certain cause? Do you have a large social media following? Are you an educator already connecting with students and families? Are you a psychologist who writes and speaks on social emotional issues?

And even if your answer is no, no and no—you can still pitch what you WILL do should a publisher choose to invest in your work.

For example, you will speak to local classrooms, host local events and exhibit your work at festivals and farmer's markets.

If traditional publishing is your dream, however, you'll want to first research finding a literary agent . Or perhaps set your sights on a smaller publishing house who accepts un-agented manuscripts and is more willing to grow together.

Gaining popularity with authors is self-publishing, which allows you to get your book for children into the marketplace sooner, but comes with the learning curve of navigating the most popular self-publishing platforms: Ingram Spark and Amazon's KDP which both offer numerous tutorials to get you on the path to self-publishing.

In addition, this path will also require you to hire your own professional editor to ensure you are moving forward with a tight manuscript as well as a book designer to lay it out. A developmental editor can speak to your big picture idea and theme versus a copy editor who critiques line by line.

8. Sell, Sell, Sell

No matter how you publish your book— traditional or self-published — you will quickly learn that authors need to be marketers as well.

I advise aspiring authors to create an “expertise” around their writing, if possible. Something you are known for that will help you focus your selling efforts. Are you the kindness expert? Do you play a musical instrument? Can you connect with an organization that shares a cause or passion?

For me, this is the Epilepsy Foundation as I grew up with a seizure disorder. I also do workshops at education and literacy conferences, giving ideas about art projects around my books. Author Susan Verde teaches yoga and mindfulness to little ones to showcase her books about peace, love and kindness.

Writer and restaurateur Mary Nihn created a super-successful (self-published) Ninja Life Hacks book series. And schoolteacher Shannon Olson self-publishes books with messages to her students that she couldn't find in the marketplace.

These eight steps summarize much of the thought that goes into crafting a successful children's book. The good news is there is guidance waiting for you in many places starting right here at The Write Practice as well as my suggestions in the ‘Supporters' section above.

One final thought is to prepare yourself for the long game. Success is built over time as more people become aware of you and your books. I'm twenty-plus years into this industry and still a beginner in so many ways. The industry and marketplace are ever changing.

Want to Learn More? Check Out These Children's Book Articles

I've shared a lot in this article on how to write a children's book—and still have a lot more to share! Below is a list of topics that I plan to cover in a special blog series on writing children's books.

Through them, I hope to take away the mystique of writing and publishing children’s picture books.

I also will provide practical tools that will help you go from idea to book whether your plan is to share it with your own family, your local community or with the world.

Where to Get Ideas for a Children’s Book

The title of one of my bestselling books, If I Could Keep You Little , is an exact phrase I said to my then six-year-old during a bedtime conversation.

While many writers do find ideas close to home, you can discover inspiration everywhere when you exist in “receiving mode”—approaching life with a curious, open, and playful mind. Find inspiration for your book in this article .

Defining Your Target Market

Writing to sell is a business and like marketing any successful product, you need to know your target buyer which, for picture books, is the grown up.

Compare this to chapter books, for example, where the potential readers are likely a parent/child combo. Having a clear sense of your reader dictates everything from topic to word choice to page count. Use the tips to find your market in this article .

How Do I Start Writing my Children’s Book?

By starting. In all seriousness, I understand how paralyzing the blank page can be.

Over time, I've developed some tricks and tips for jumpstarting my creativity and moving my mind into that right brain space where words and ideas flow more easily, and I share them here .

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

We've heard it said that publishers don't like rhyming picture books. Not true. What's more accurate is that publishers don't want a bad rhyming book which happens when rhyming is forced or the poetic meter is off (emphasizing the same syllable in each line).

A book in rhyme has many benefits. Rhyming helps babies and children learn about words, sounds and language formation. But writing rhyme that is “joyfully readable” is an art unto itself. Plus, are you telling a story that should rhyme? Find out in this article and when and why to rhyme here .

Also check out this list of my favorite rhyming books !

How to Illustrate a Children's Book (or Find One)

Illustrations are central to a successful picture book, offering readers a “yes and” element that helps boost their ability to understand a storyline and increase their comprehension. Illustration style is another key decision.

Cute little bears in pastel watercolors conveys a different emotion than a diverse cast of children in bold collage. Book illustration is a unique skill.

Depending on your budget, you can find book illustrators in several ways from local colleges to licensing agencies. You'll need to decide, too, if you will purchase the artwork from the book illustrator outright or arrange a royalty deal based on sales.

Read more about illustrations here .

Is Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing Better for my Children’s Book?

Before you start writing, you may already be thinking about publishing. Do you go it alone or query a publisher? Recent years have seen a proliferation of options for the independent writer (Ingram Spark and Amazon's KDP, for example), and so many choices can be overwhelming.

Like with any decision, you learn about the pros and cons based on what's important to you as a creator.

You can learn more about the differences between traditional and self-publishing in this article .

Finding a Children's Book Literary Agent (or Not)

If you choose to pursue a traditional path of publishing, you will often need to find an agent to represent your work to a publisher. Think of an agent as a personal advocate but most important, they are a salesperson for the product of you and your writing.

When you put the relationship into business terms, you'll quickly understand why you need to show yourself as a worthy investment of an agent's time and commitment.

I answer the most asked questions about agents here .

How to Market a Children's Book

Think of being a children's book author as twenty percent creating and eighty percent marketing. While my year is punctuated with starting new projects, I spend the bulk of my time looking for opportunities to promote and sell my books.

This need to market yourself is the same no matter how you publish your book. I've tried lots of things through the years as well as watched other authors do the same.

You can learn more about this in my article 12 Tips for Marketing Your Children's Book here .

Brand-Building for Children’s Book Authors

“Brand” is one of those buzz words you hear a lot about. Nike is a brand. And Apple. But an author? Yes! Think of an author brand as the multi-faceted “experience of you.”

Your books are the obvious embodiment of your brand, and so are these ancillary things — logo, tagline, website design, social media content, in-person events, personal interactions, and licensed merchandise.

Some strong children's book author brands include the late Eric Carle and Amy K. Rosenthal, Adam Wallace, and Sandra Boyton to name a few. In the self-publishing arena, Mary Nihn has created a rock-solid brand story for herself and her books.

You can learn more about this in my article about how I built my brand here .

How to Make Money as a Children's Book Author

“Are you rich?” asked the kindergartner. Seems I get this question once at every school event. While we know the definition of “rich,” varies, I do think people want to know if one can make money being a kids book author. My elusive answer is: it depends.

A traditionally published picture book will receive an advance anywhere between $5000 to $15,000 and more, depending on the author's longevity and the book's salability. Whether one sees additional royalties depends on the ability to “earn out the advance.”

Does your book sell in the mass market? The volume here can help things, too. If you are self-publishing, there is no advance, naturally, but you do keep a higher portion of each sale.

Many authors look for additional ways to supplement their author income through other employment, school visits, workshops, etc.

You can learn more about this in my article about income streams here .

Best Advice for Aspiring Authors Writing a Book for Kids

One of my favorite quotes is this: “You can only be alive in experience.” Which means you can only know by knowing. You can only gain wisdom by doing.

That said, we can all learn from others. I wanted to know what some of the folks I know in the industry — fellow authors, editors, art directors, and publishers—would tell offer you as far as advice.

You can check out all the industry insider advice here .

Writing a Children's Book Isn't Easy, But It Can Be Done

If writing and/or publishing a children's picture book is on your wish list, it can be done. Recently I received a note from an aspiring author. She shared a few paragraphs with me that needed revision:

“Is there any hope for me?” she asked.

“Of course,” I replied. “Writing takes learning and practicing like tackling any new endeavor.”

Even the most accomplished writers need guidance and editing.

My hope is that with my insights, shared on The Write Practice blog, you can create a happy ending of learning how to write a children's book—and put that learning into the makings of your future book.

When you do, you will bring your best book ideas for children into the world.

Have you tried to write a children's book? How did it go? Let us know in the comments .

It's your turn! Share your idea for a children’s book that you want to write with a brief description of the message it conveys.

For example, I have a book called Be Brave Little One . Before writing this story, my intention was to write a book about courage that conveyed to children that bravery is a choice that shows up in all different ways.

Don't overthink this. Spend fifteen minutes jotting down an idea, and then try to pitch that idea in one to three sentences. When you're done, share your thoughts in the Pro Practice Workshop here .

And after you share your idea, be sure to share feedback on other writers' ideas, too!

Marianne Richmond

I'm Marianne Richmond—writer, artist and inspirationalist. My words have touched millions over the past two decades through my children's books and gift products. Basically I put love into words and help you connect with the people + moments that matter. You can find me on my website , Facebook , and Twitter (@M_Richmond21).

Incredible insights from first idea through illustration and marketing.

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Creative Writing for Kids: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Story

Creative writing can be a real positive force for children’s lives and development, but how does a child get started with creative writing? There are many ways, but it can often be helpful to have a structure to work from, so we’ve outlined some simple steps on how your child can write a story and enjoy themselves in the process! As they brainstorm, a lot of ideas will come to mind, so we recommend they take notes throughout the process.

What is creative writing?

Creative writing is an expressive form of writing that allows children to explore their thoughts, ideas, and emotions in an imaginative way. Unlike academic or factual writing , creative writing encourages children to use their imagination to invent characters , settings , and plots , fostering a love for storytelling and self-expression.

In creative writing, children have the freedom to write stories , poems , letters , and even scripts for their own movies. It's an opportunity for them to unleash their creativity, experiment with language, and develop their unique voice as writers. Through creative writing, children learn to think critically, problem-solve, and communicate effectively, all while having fun and exploring their creativity.

Encouraging creative writing at home or as part of homeschooling not only helps children develop their writing skills but also nurtures their imagination and confidence.

Getting started

Your child may not be quite ready to start, and that’s normal - writing can be challenging!

Instead of jumping straight in, ease your child into it with activities like free writing. This will allow them to explore any topic without pressure, acting as a way to boost your child’s imagination before they start writing stories .

If your child is a reluctant writer, you can try different methods that don’t actively require them to put pen to paper, but are linked to creativity and storytelling. These include drawing , picking out new children’s books from the local library, telling stories out loud, or dedicating time to read your child’s favorite books as a family. Generally, reading lays the foundation for your child to be able to create their own stories, improving their narrative writing skills by exposing them to different techniques, genres, and styles.

When all else fails, encourage your child to read more. The more that your child reads, the easier it will be for them to start writing.

Step 1: Character development

Creating a character is a great starting point for your child to write their own story.

This character can be whatever your child wants them to be. They can be a human, an animal, a mystical creature, or something completely made-up! Once they have a general idea of what they want this character to be, they can brainstorm different plot points, which will further inform the characters traits, behaviours, and role in the story.

Here are some questions your child should be able to answer about their character:

• What is going on in this character’s life?
• Do they have a problem that they need to fix?
• Who are they interacting with in this story?
• How do they feel about other characters, and about the issue at hand?

A story normally relies on one character to be the hero, and on another to be the villain. The villain is typically portrayed as a negative character who introduces a problem (the antagonist), and the hero is a positive character who solves the problems (the protagonist). Once your child creates their main character, they should establish their role within the story. Are they writing from the perspective of the hero, or would they prefer to give the villain of the story a voice?

From there, they can create side characters! These are typically parents, siblings, and friends of the main character, but can also be total strangers. If your child is stuck on how to build their first character, they can use writing prompts to make it a little easier. Try this prompt:

Prompt: Create a character that is half dog, and half elephant and call it a Doggophant! What does a Doggophant like to eat?

Step 2: Setting and genre

The next step in your child’s creative writing process is to choose where it takes place . They should also decide the genre of their story, as some settings won’t work for some specific genres (for example, a sunny beach wouldn’t pair well with a moody mystery).

This story’s setting could be a real location, such as London, Paris, or New York, or a fictional location, like an enchanted forest or an underwater kingdom.

A helpful way to start brainstorming is to ask your child about places they’ve been to, seen on TV, or read about in stories. This is a chance for them to imagine how their story would look like in different settings, and will help them decide on the genre they’d like to go for too.

Prompt (continued): Where does a Doggophant usually live? Is it a magical Night Zoo?

Step 3: Structure and plot

Before starting to plan the plot, your child should understand the basic structure of a story . All good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The beginning serves as a way to introduce characters, set the scene, and show the "calm before the storm”. This happens before a conflict is introduced.

The middle of a story is where most of the action takes place. This is where your child should introduce the main problem, and the main character’s journey of trying to solve it.

Finally, the ending or conclusion of the story is where, normally, the conflict is resolved. This can change depending on how your child wants to end their story!

Prompt (continued): Doggophants love when people visit the Night Zoo, but a new character named Lord Nulth is trying to steal all of the creativity in the Zoo! Does Lord Nulth sound like a nice person? Why would he want to steal creativity? How will Doggophant and other animals stop him?

Step 4: Begin Writing

Now that all the planning is done, let’s get writing!

As your child starts to write, they’ll probably make changes and come up with new story ideas— this is normal and an integral part of the creative process.

It’s important that you offer your support throughout this process, especially if your child is a reluctant writer. While giving them space to concentrate, you can check-in every once in a while, offering help if they encounter any hurdles. Your role mirrors that of a writing prompt, providing your child with initial ideas and nudging them to develop their story further. This collaborative approach ensures their story unfolds organically, making the blank page a canvas for unlimited story possibilities!

Step 5: Keep Going!

One of the best things about creative writing is that it enables children to express themselves and grow in confidence with every story they craft. It pushes children to believe in the phrase "I can", as they embark on different writing exercises without the fear of failing or being held by the “what if’s”. As your child starts their journey through the exciting world of writing, it’s important to guide them in the right direction. Encourage them to not overthink and just write whatever comes to mind at first.

To keep the momentum, you can even set different goals, like writing different descriptions, drawing their main character, or brainstorming different story endings before writing the full story. For reluctant writers, setting small, attainable targets can make the process less overwhelming and more exciting. Avoid setting strict word counts or time limits, as these can add pressure and take the fun out of the writing experience.

It’s important to remember that progress isn’t linear, and that every child is unique. If they need to, you can allow your child to build their story gradually, creating a more fluid project that enables them to work when inspiration strikes. Once they finish their first story, you’ll probably see a change in their attitude, and a new motivation to write a different piece.

Creative writing can be a rewarding experience for you and your child. Make sure you give them positive encouragement, and to soak in the experience of reading the story once it has been completed. They’ll have created something one-of-a-kind, and it will give you an exciting look into their imagination!

Step 6: Try Night Zookeeper

Still having trouble getting your child motivated to write? You should try Night Zookeeper !

Our writing program for kids makes writing fantastically fun by turning different writing activities into games, keeping children engaged, entertained, and excited to learn!

We cover all styles of writing, and boost children’s writing skills using an array of different activities, including writing lessons, short story prompts, and challenges.

More creative writing activities

• 25 Creative Writing Prompts For Kids
• Writing Activities For Kids
• Story Writing Resources

Got any questions? Reach out to us via email at [email protected] . Follow us on social media:

Make Reading & Writing Fantastically Fun!

• Award-winning reading & writing program for kids
• Improves spelling, grammar, punctuation & vocabulary
• Over 1,000 different learning games and activities

“My Child Hates Writing.” What do I do?

How To Get Your Child To Love Writing

8 Fantastically Fun Writing Games For Kids

Julia Donaldson

Writing children's picture books.

Craft your own picture book and make it come alive with the bestselling author of The Gruffalo .

This course includes:

38 exercises

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What you'll learn

Join Julia on a journey through the picture book process, from finding inspiration to selling your first book.

• Find your initial idea
• Write a satisfying storyline
• Use rhyme and language patterns
• Weave in values and life lessons
• Partner with an illustrator
• Get your story published
• Your Maestro
• More like this

You couldn’t ask for a more qualified teacher. Julia’s books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, won too many awards to list and been adapted into eight award-winning animated films. And she’s a former Children’s Laureate to boot. So soak up the wisdom and insight from this formidable writer and her frequent collaborators – including her agent, her editor and The Gruffalo illustrator, Axel Scheffler.

Writing Love Stories

Ken Follett

Writing Bestselling Fiction

Storytelling

Writing Popular Fiction

Harlan Coben

Writing Thrillers

Bill Lawrence

Writing Comedy for Television

Carol Ann Duffy

Writing Poetry

Malorie Blackman

Writing for Young Adults

Jed Mercurio

Writing Drama for Television

David Walliams

Writing Books for Children

Lesson plan (27)

Writing Children's Picture Books Introduction

What is a picture book: variety

What is a picture book: practicalities

The initial idea

Traditional tales as inspiration

Characters: humans, animals, fairies - and pencils!

Journeys and quests

Themes and messages

The sound of the words

Patterned language

Numbers, letters, colours

Inclusivity: reflecting the world

The role of the illustrator

Author / illustrator partnership

Which illustrator?

Case study: The Snail and the Whale

Performance and promotion

Adaptation for stage and screen

Reviews for this course

Explore all courses.

Food & Drink

Film, TV, & The Stage

Art & Design

Home & Lifestyle

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Do you dream of writing a children's book?

You have one (or a million!) story ideas that continue to pester you. You think, "Someday I'll write this." Maybe someday is today .

What We Offer

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Illustrator of around 90 children's books who is dedicated to including children of all ethnic backgrounds in her stories and artwork.

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Award-winning author/illustrator noted for her jewel-like illustrations. She has illustrated over 50 picture books.

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Award-winning author/illustrator of 2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for We Are Growing and many picture books.

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How to write children's books in 7 steps, everything from idea generation to publication, we'll tackle all your questions and help you take that first daring step toward your creative dream., how to publish a children's book, the big question everyone is asking . . . once you've got your story written, how do you get it published learn about your publishing options, how to get started, and the mistakes to avoid., member success stories, every student follows his/her own path to writing a children's book. explore their journeys to success..

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Every student follows his/her own path to "Yes!" Explore their journeys to success.

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Author/Illustrator,  Except Antartica

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How to Write a Children’s Book

Ten steps to help you learn how to write a children's book! From the very beginning of the process to getting published to working with publishers. Read on to learn where you should start.

Tirzah Price

Most of Tirzah Price's life decisions have been motivated by a desire to read as many books as humanly possible. Tirzah holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has worked as an independent bookseller and librarian. She’s also the author of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries, published by HarperTeen, and Bibliologist at TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations . Follow her on Twitter @TirzahPrice .

View All posts by Tirzah Price

If books are magic, then children’s books are an extra special brand of magic. The books we read as kids don’t just stick with us, they form who we are and what we believe and how we see the world. Writing a children’s book is a calling, but learning how to write a children’s book is also a very long process with nitty-gritty, non-magical details—and it’s full of variables. That’s even before you get to the published books, and all the magical and non-magical details for getting there. Consider this your guide for how to write a children’s book, especially for first-timers and those just getting started.

How to write a children’s book: 10 steps 

No two journeys are exactly the same, but if you’re an aspiring children’s book writer, here is a rough outline of how to write a children’s book — from your initial idea to working with publishers!

Let’s look at each of these in (lots) more detail.

Step 1. Read a LOT.

In order to learn how to write a children’s book, you have to know what a good children’s book looks like. Don’t just read, though—read critically. Identify the moving parts of the story and try to pinpoint the moments that make you laugh, make you cry, make you roll your eyes; analyze how the author does it. All writers learn by example at first, and these published books will be your best teachers.

You should also make a point of seeking out good books for children. Good is a subjective term, and we could debate what qualifies a good book until we’re dead, but what I mean here is find books that move kids and move you because they get it right. You may learn something about craft from a mediocre book (i.e. what not to do), but you will learn more from quality books. Check awards lists, but don’t limit yourself to them. Seek out a children’s librarian or plunder the Book Riot archives for recommendations.

Step 2. Crack open that notebook and get to work.

Writers’ processes vary, but at a certain point you have to stop thinking about your story and start putting your words on the page. The leap can be a little scary because no matter how much you think about your story, I absolutely guarantee that what you write on the page will not be as shimmery as what’s in your head. Don’t panic. No published book is a first draft.

I find brainstorming, outlining, and first drafting longhand a great place to start. Writing in a notebook gives you permission to get messy, cross things out, and experiment. As you figure out what works for you, you can switch over to your preferred writing medium—Word document, Scrivener app, typewriter, whatever—and write away!

Step 3. Be persistent.

Eventually, your energy will dwindle. Distractions will pop up. You might hit a wall or write yourself into a corner or become convinced that what you’re writing is absolute crap and no one will ever want to read it. This is completely normal, and not insurmountable. I promise.

Step 4. Celebrate! Then revise.

YAY YOU DID IT YOU WROTE A DRAFT! Take a moment and celebrate the fact that you wrote a novel. Take the night off, take a nap, take a drink—whatever. But don’t get too carried away, because you are not done, my friend. Far from it. Now it’s time to revise.

Revision is a key part of the process, so embrace it. Remember all that reading from Step 1? Now is your time to be firm with yourself, and read your work like a reader. Take a critical look at what doesn’t work—and what does. Oftentimes new writers tend to be really harsh on themselves, but I believe it’s just as important to give yourself credit for the things you do well in your drafts. What you do well will give you energy to get through the arduous process of re-evaluating and revising, and make the inevitable cutting, deleting, and re-writing a little less painful.

Step 5. Bring in other eyes.

Sharing your work is scary, but absolutely necessary. Even the best, most experienced writers have blind spots when it comes to their own work, and first readers are absolutely essential in helping point those out. They can be close friends or family members, but I generally advise against this, unless your close friends or family members are also readers and writers who can be very honest with you.

Finding quality readers of your work is one of the biggest hurdles for new writers. You need someone who is going to challenge you and your writing, who sees what you’re trying to do on the page, who is actually able to offer you strategies and advice that will work. You can find this in critique groups, both in person and online, and by attending workshops and classes. Some writers even decide to pursue degrees in writing, such as an MFA.

No matter which avenue you pursue, do not skip this step. Receiving and applying feedback to your book can be difficult, but is absolutely essential if you wish to publish. It doesn’t stop being scary, but it does become easier with time.

Step 6. Do your research!

You’ve written a novel! You’ve revised it, gotten feedback from a trusted band of readers, revised it some more, revised it again, and polished it ‘til it shines. Everyone agrees it’s time for you to send it out into the world.

Now it’s research time.

While there are many valid reasons to pursue independent publishing, for the sake of brevity, I’m focusing on traditional publishing. In order to become traditionally published, you need an agent. A literary agent is necessary because they know the business intimately and will be the best advocate for you and your work. They negotiate with publishing houses on your behalf and help you strategize your career. In return, they take fifteen percent of your earnings. This is a bargain , friends. They do not get paid until you get paid, and they do a heck of a lot of work.

Finding agents of children’s literature is not difficult. Finding the right one for you takes time and work. I recommend starting by identifying a kid’s book you admire, or books that you think resemble yours in genre or tone or style. Look in the acknowledgements of those books, and find out who the author’s agent is. Look those people up, find names on Manuscript Wishlist , join QueryTracker , utilize resources available from SCBWI. If these agents have Twitter feeds or blogs, read them. (Don’t pitch agents via these channels! Seriously, don’t do it.) Think of this as reconnaissance, so that you can decide if an agent is someone you would like to work with. There are many amazing agents out there, but some might not be for you. That’s okay! You’ll find ones you’ll click with.

Step 7. Craft a Killer Query.

Once you’ve picked a list of agents you’re interested in, make sure that your work falls within the age group, categories, and genres they represent, and follow their submission guidelines precisely. Some will vary, but all of them require one essential ingredient: the query letter.

Instructions on how to write a query letter are easy to find online—it’s a one page letter of introduction that describes your work. Like your novel, your query letter should be carefully written and revised and you should get feedback on it before it goes out. Let your voice shine through, but be professional. Talk warmly about who your main character is and what they want.

Your job in this query is demonstrate the marketable qualities of your book, but don’t make any grand claims about how much your kid/spouse/critique group loves it, and don’t promise it’ll be the next bestseller—no one can guarantee that.

And finally, make sure to personalize each query!

Step 8. Cultivate patience.

Once you’ve hit send on that query letter, my best advice is to go do something else. Read, write, cook, take your dog for a walk. Basically, do anything but refresh your email one hundred times a day. You’ll hear it said that publishing is a long game, and you’ll truly understand this once you hit this step. Most agents will respond within eight weeks. Some agents won’t respond at all. It’s nothing personal—the volume of mail they receive each day makes it impossible for them to respond to every query. Some agents may request that you send them the full manuscript, and you’ll begin the waiting process all over. Be patient.

After an agent has read your book, you may receive notes from an agent and an offer to re-submit after revisions have been made. This is a good sign! Agents don’t take the time to offer personalized feedback unless they see potential in the work. However, you are not obligated to undertake these revisions if they don’t ring true with you. Finding an agent is a little like dating—if you get an ick vibe, bail. There are other fish in the sea.

You will likely receive rejections. You’re allowed to mourn, but not dwell. Keep being patient, go back, repeat Steps 1-6 as many times as necessary. Keep writing. This a process that you absolutely should not rush. Any professional writer will tell you that a bad agent is worse than no agent at all.

If you receive an offer, YAY! Weigh your options, talk to the offering agent, ask all your burning questions. When you accept an offer of representation, it needs to be from someone who gets you and your work, who is excited to work with you past your current novel, and who has ideas about how to proceed with your career.

Step 9. Cultivate some more patience, but also keep writing.

Agents work differently, so how you proceed will depend on your agent, their strategy for your book, and even the current market. Some agents are very editorial and may ask you to revise (again, I know) before sending the book to editors. When it’s ready to go on submission, an agent generally crafts a pitch and sends your book to a select list of editors. Then comes more waiting.

This is a very good time to start a new project, and to do all that is humanly possible to forget that your book is currently on submission. Easier said than done, I know. But like agents, editors work very slowly due to the high volume of work on their desks. Any story you might hear about books selling in a matter of weeks should be treated as an exception, not the rule. Remember what I said about publishing being a long game? Yeah, looooooooooong.

Some editors might come back with what’s called a Revise and Resubmit offer, or an R&R. They’ll give feedback on certain aspects of the novel, and will offer to read it again if you revise. You should discuss this with your agent, but again, you’re not obligated to take this offer if it doesn’t sit right with you. It’s not a guarantee of a book deal, but definitely a sign that you are on the right track.

It’s a hard truth that your first book might not sell. You can write an amazing book for children, revise it, snag an agent who loves it and your writing, and yet have your book flounder on submission for a variety of reasons. The market might not be ready for your book. An editor might not connect with it, the timing might be bad. It will seem unfair, because you don’t have any control over these variables, but know that it happens much more frequently than you might think. I’ve been through it myself and the only thing that makes it better is writing the next book.

But if you don’t give up, you will eventually write a book that an editor will fall in love with and make an offer on. And when that happens, celebrate!

Step 10. Work with Your editor! And more patience!

Once you’ve received an offer and your agent has negotiated the terms and the contract has been signed, you’ll go through the editing process with your editor. What this looks like depends on the practices of the publishing house, the editor, and your book, but can take another year or two. Publishing moves slowly in part because there are lots of eyes on your work during this step. Revision with editors, copyediting, formatting and design, first pass pages, final pass pages…and if you have written a picture book, you have to factor in time for the illustrator to illustrate your story and go through his or her own process with the art director.

But finally, you’ll be close. Advanced reading copies are printed, marketing and publicity plans are made, and the book goes to press until finally…

Step 11. YOU HAVE A BOOK!

Congratulations! Your shiny book is in the hands of kids and teachers and librarians and booksellers everywhere!

Are you a children’s book writer or aspiring writer? Do you write middle grade or young adult books? Share your advice that helped you learn how to write a children’s book in the comments! Look for even more inspiration in our big ol’ list of 100 books on writing and the writing life here .

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How to write children’s books – 3 free courses to get you started

If you’re thinking about writing your first children’s book but are not sure where to start. What sort of story should it be? What age group should you target? How will you know if children will like your story? We found some great free online courses that will answer these questions and more.

Get started.

Coursera.com Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest

Join over 85,000 other aspiring writers who have enrolled for this course over the last few years and take your passion for writing children’s books to the next level – action.

Through five modules, designed to take one week each, this course offers instruction with a combination of video lectures, online readings, peer reviews, and guest appearances from world-renowned children’s authors.

One of the great things about having so many students enroll is the community created. You will be able to give and receive feedback from other writers which adds to the wealth of the learning experience.

During the course, you will develop ten to twelve extracts of writing which can be the starting point for your first book projects.

Course outline:

• Your Writing Identity
• Genre, Form, and Audience
• Editing and Proofreading

Instructors: David Hill, Maria Gill, Alex Alexandrou

More info: Writing For Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest

Reedsy.com Children’s Books 101: Writing for the Right Age Group

One of the challenges for new writers of children’s books is figuring out what sort of story to write for a particular age group. This course was designed to help clear this up.

Some of the stuff you will learn:

• An introduction to the children’s book market
• What publishers are looking for in children’s books for different ages
• Industry standards for books in all categories including appropriate content, word count, and illustration requirements
• How to give yourself the best chance of landing a publisher.

Instructor: Anna Bowles More info:  Children’s Books 101: Writing for the Right Age Group

Open.edu Exploring books for children: words and pictures

This course is offered via open.edu so you can take it without even signing up if you wish. Signing up lets you track your progress, earn a free statement of participation, and access all course quizzes and activities.

It was designed to help new children's book authors understand the art of using pictures to delight, inspire and educate young ones.

"You will learn how children’s books use words and pictures together in remarkably sophisticated ways to communicate both to young and older readers, drawing on examples from the classics, such as Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit, and from contemporary children’s authors such as Anthony Browne, author of Gorilla."

• Words and pictures in children’s fiction through the ages
• Making sense of pictures
• Combining words and pictures
• Book design and intended readership
• Illustration
• Illustration as interpretation: the example of Alice
• Analyzing images: composition and symbolism

Instructors: Sharon Goodman, Philip Seargeant, and Jackie Tuck More info: Exploring books for children: words and pictures

Bonus Blog Post

How to write a children's book by Judy Blume This post includes 5 Different Types of Children’s Books,7 Things to Consider Before Writing a Children’s Book, and 4 Tips for Writing a Children’s Book.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Author: Team VoW

Valley of Writers provides resources, tools, ideas and training for new writers. We work with a writers and contributors based around the world. Our primary focus is to equip new writers with skills to help them reach new audiences and achieve their goals.

This may also be useful:

Coursera Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest is not free but $49.

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Here’s the link again just to confirm: Coursera | Writing For Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest

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ThinkWritten

300 Fun Writing Prompts for Kids: Story Starters, Journal Prompts & Ideas

Are you a parent or teacher? Here are 300 fun and creative writing prompts for kids to spark the imagination of young writers everywhere. Use these kids writing ideas as journaling prompts, story starters or just for fun!

We may receive a commission when you make a purchase from one of our links for products and services we recommend. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for support!

Sharing is caring!

It’s never too early to start writing, and so we’ve created this fun list of 300 creative kids writing prompts for teacher and parents to use.

You’ll love these fun ideas for kids writing prompts to use as creative sparks to get young imaginations writing in no time!

These are perfect to use as kids journal writing prompts, as short story writing prompts, or just for exercises to help students and children of all ages tap into their creativity. Maybe your kids will write an essay, maybe a poem, or maybe even a whole book!

Whether you are a teacher or parent looking to inspire your kids to write, or maybe even an adult who would like to practice writing with a more playful and young-hearted approach, I hope you find these creative writing prompts inspiring!

Buy the Printable Cards!  We will always have this list of 300 kids writing prompts available for free, but I’m very excited to now also offer an  ad-free printable version of these prompts  in my online Etsy shop. Thank you for your support!

The Ultimate List of 300 Fun & Creative Writing Prompts for Kids

#1. Imagine a giant box is delivered to your front doorstep with your name on it. What’s inside and what happens when you open it?

#2. Write a short story about what it might be like if you woke up one morning with a mermaid tail.

#3. Which is better, winter or summer? Write about the reasons why you think winter or summer is better.

#4. Write about what would it be like if you had an alligator as a pet.

#5. If you had $1,000, what would you buy and why?

#6. Write a story using these 5 words: apple, train, elephant, paper, banjo

#7. What do you want be when you grow up and why?

#8. Who is your favorite person on the planet? What do you like most about that person?

#9. If you could have any secret super power, what would you want it to be and why?

#10. Write about 3 places you would like to travel someday. What do these three places have in common?

#11. Write about a time you felt really happy. What happened? What made you feel happy?

#12. Imagine what would happen if someone shrunk you down to be only 1″ tall. How would your life change?

#13. If you were in charge of the whole world, what would you do to make the world a happier place?

#14. Write a story about what it would be like to climb to the very top of the highest mountain in the world.

#15. If you were in charge of planning the school lunch menu, what foods would you serve each day?

#16. What are some of your favorite animals? What do you like about them?

#17. Imagine that dogs take over the world. What do they make the humans do?

#18. Write a story about flying to outer space and discovering a new planet.

#19. You are a mad scientist and have invented a new vegetable. What is it called? What does it look like? What does it taste like? Most importantly: Is it safe to eat?

#20. You go to school one morning to discover your best friend has been turned into a frog by an evil witch! How do you help your friend?

#21. Describe what it is like when trees lose all of their leaves in the autumn season.

#22. Write about your favorite sport and why you like it so much.

#23. Imagine what it might be like to live on a boat all the time and write about it.

#24. If you had one wish, what would it be?

#25. Write about what you might do if you have the super power to become invisible.

#26. You are walking through the forest when one of the trees starts talking to you. What does it say? What do you do?

#27. The weather forecast is calling for a blizzard in the middle of the summer. What do you do?

#28. What types of transportation will people have in the future?

#29. What were some of your favorite toys when you very little? Do you still enjoy playing with them?

#30. What would a day in your life be like if you were a movie star?

#31. Imagine you’ve invented a time machine! What year do you travel to?

#32. What are your favorite things to do over summer vacation?

#33. What is your favorite holiday and why?

#34. If you could meet any fictional character from a book, who would it be?

#35. You are writing a travel guide for kids visiting your city. What places do you think they should visit?

#36. What is a food you hate? Write about it!

#37. Imagine what it would be like if there was no electricity. What would be different in your daily routine?

#38. You are building a new city! What types of things do you think your city needs? How will you convince people to move to your new city?

#39. What is your favorite movie? Write your review of the movie and why you think people should watch it.

#40. Imagine you get a magic sweater for your birthday. What happens when you wear the sweater? What do you do with these new found magical powers?

#41. You are the security guard at the zoo and someone has stolen a rhinoceros! How do you track down the thief?

#42. You have been invited to have lunch with the queen. What foods do you eat and what topics do you and the queen discuss?

#43. If you could design a school uniform, what types of clothes would you suggest? What colors would they be?

#44. Imagine you are a reporter interviewing a celebrity about their life. What questions do you ask?

#45. You are running a lemonade stand. Describe the steps for how you make lemonade and the types of customers you see during the day.

#46. Write a story about being the ruler of an underwater world.

#47. Write an acrostic poem for the word “treehouse”.

#48. You decide to grow a sunflower, but the sunflower grows so tall it reaches up to the sky! Write about what happens when you decide to climb to the top. What do you discover?

#49. Imagine you look out the window and it is raining popsicles from the sky! Write a story about the experience.

#50. If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?

#51. If you were on a spaceship, what would you be most excited about seeing?

#52. Do you have any pets at home? Write an essay about how you take care of your pets. If you do not have a pet, what type of pet might you like?

#53. Imagine you are opening a store that only sells items which are blue. What types of items do you sell?

#54. Have you ever lost something that is important to you? Were you able to find it?

#55. Write a story about a kid who is moving to a new school. How do you think they might feel?

#56. Rewrite the ending of your favorite fairy tale. For example, what would have happened if Cinderella never went to the ball?

#57. Have you ever forgotten to do your homework? What happened?

#58. Do you have a favorite song? Write about the type of music you like to listen to.

#59. Imagine your parents wake you up one morning to tell you they will take you to do anything you want to do for the whole day – you don’t even have to go to school or do your chores. What would you choose to do and why?

#60. Do you like amusement parks? What are some of your favorite rides?

#61. Write a story using these three words: detective, piano, and pizza.

#62. Have you ever been to the beach? Write about your favorite things to do. If you have never been to the beach, what would you like to do the first time you visit?

#63. Is there a favorite tv show you like to watch? Write about your favorite character and why they are your favorite.

#64. Write a poem using onomatopoeia , where the words you use are pronounced similar to the sound they make. For example, buzz, bark, sizzle, slam and pop.

#65. Have you ever had to stand in line to wait a long time for something? What did you do while you waited? How did you feel while waiting? How did you feel once the wait was over?

#66. Is it a good idea to keep ALL secrets a secret? Write about examples of when it is okay to spill a secret – and when it isn’t.

#67. Is there something you are good at doing? Write about your best strengths.

#68. What historical time period and location would you go back to live in if you could? Write about it!

#69. Write about 5 things you can do that are important for you to stay healthy and safe.

#70. Do you think thunderstorms are scary? Why or why not?

#71. What would you most like to learn over the next year? Think about things that interest you or questions you might have about the world and make a list!

#72. You are going on a trip to a jungle safari! What items do you pack in your suitcase?

#73. Imagine you are sitting at home one day and you hear someone shrieking in the living room they see a mouse in the house! Write a story about what might happen next.

#74. You are writing a letter to someone who is having a hard time making new friends at school. What do you write? What advice do you give them?

#75. Imagine you just met a magician – but their beloved rabbit who they pull out of a hat for all the tricks has been kidnapped! How do you help find the rabbit?

#76. Do you hear what I hear? Set a timer for 5 minutes and write about all of the sounds you hear in those 5 minutes.

#77. Imagine you go to get a haircut and they accidentally shave your head! How do you feel about that and what would you do?

#78. Do you find it easy to talk to people you don’t know? What are some ways you can start up a conversation with someone you have never met before?

#79. Are there any chores you have to do at home? What are they? What do you like – and not like – about each one?

#80. Open up a random book to any page. Write for 5 minutes about the first word you read.

#81. Pretend you are a writer for your city’s newspaper. Who would you like to interview for a news story and why?

#82. There are many fictional characters who live in unusual houses, such as the old woman who lived in a shoe. What kind of unusual house would you like to live in? Write about what it would be like to live in an unusual house!

#83. Write a list of 10 things you can do to practice kindness to others.

#84. Is there a homework subject you dread? Why do you not like getting homework in that subject?

#85. What is your favorite month of the year? Write about why you like it and some of your favorite things to do during that month.

#86. Imagine you are planning a surprise birthday party for someone. How do you keep it a surprise?

#87. Pretend you walked outside to find a sleeping dragon in the grass! Why is the dragon there? Is it a friendly dragon? What do you do? Write about it!

#88. What are you grateful for today and why?

#89. You were on your way to a very important event when you fell into a puddle. Now what?

#90. Have you ever watched a movie and didn’t like how it ended? Write what you think should happen instead.

#91. Can you answer this riddle from Alice in Wonderland ? How is a raven like a writing desk?

#92. Imagine you are the captain of a pirate ship. Write a diary entry for what your day was like.

#93. If you could start any type of business, what kind of business would you start? What types of products or services would you provide?

#94. Write a sequel to one of your favorite fairy tales. For example, what was Goldilocks’s next adventure after she left the bears?

#95. What is something you are afraid of? What helps you to feel less afraid of something? What would you say to a friend who feels scared to help them feel less afraid?

#96. Write a letter to your future self in 20 years.

#97. In addition to basic survival needs such as food, water, air and shelter, what are 3 things you would you need to be happy?

#98. If you could invent a robot of any type who could do anything you imagine, what types of things would you would have the robot to do?

#99. Which do like better? Apples or Oranges? How are they alike? How are they different?

#100. Why did the chicken cross the road? You are a detective and are assigned to the case. How do solve the mystery?

#101. Write instructions for how to make your favorite snack. Be sure you add your favorite tips and suggestions for how to select the best ingredients!

#102. Imagine you borrowed a friend’s favorite lucky pencil to help you pass a math test – but then it snapped in half! How will you ever tell the news to your friend?

#103. Look around the current room you are sitting in and choose 3 random objects that are nearby. Now write a story or poem that includes those three items!

#104. Write a letter to the author of a book you recently read and tell them what you liked most about the book.

#105. Ernest Hemingway is famous for writing a six word story. Can you write a story in just 6 words?

#106. What do you think will be the future for cell phones? Will people still use them in 25 years or will something else take its place?

#107. Do you want to go to college? Why or why not?

#108. Write a story or poem about a kitten who wanders off and gets lost. How does the kitten find its way home?

#109. Currently, it is required by law that kids go to school. Do you think this is a good or bad idea?

#110. If you could invent a new board game, what would it be called? How is it played? What are the rules? What makes it fun to play? Write about it!

#111. Imagine you come home to discover your entire bedroom is covered in ketchup! What on earth happened? What is your reaction? How do you clean everything up?

#112. What is something you learned today?

#113. Would you rather have a goldfish or shark as a pet?

#114. From A-Z: make a list of something for every letter of the alphabet.

#115. Have you ever gone fishing? If you have, did you like it? Why or why not? If you haven’t, do you think you might want to?

#116. What is one of the most important things you do each and every day?

#117. Write a story about Gretchen the Grouch, a girl who is always angry! Will she ever be happy? Why is she so grumpy all of the time?

#118. How do you feel when someone takes something of yours without asking? What is a good way to deal with it when that happens?

#119. Write a poem that starts with the word “if”.

#120. Write a story about a family of rabbits who live in the woods. What are some of the challenges they face?

#121. What clothes do you think are the most comfortable? What kind of clothes do you like to wear the most? What clothes do you NOT like to wear?

#122. Imagine there are no grocery stores and you must get your own food. What are some of the ways you find food? What types of things do you eat?

#123. What are 3 things you can do that are good for the environment?

#124. If you could meet any famous person today, who would you want to meet and why? What questions might you ask them?

#125. A tongue twister is a quick poem where many of the words start with the same letter and are similar in sound. For example, “Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers.” Try writing your own with this fun kids writing prompt!

#126. What is the first thing you think of when you hear or see the word green?

#127. A hero is someone who is admired for their courage and achievements. What do you think makes someone a hero? Who are some of your heroes?

#128. What did you do during summer vacation last year? What do you want to do for summer vacation this year?

#129. Write a story about a super hero dog who saves the day! Who does the dog help and why?

#130. Would you rather live somewhere that is always cold, or somewhere that is always hot? Write about which one you would rather choose.

#131. Have you ever volunteered to help a charity? If so, write about the experience! If not, what are some charities you think you might like to volunteer for?

#132. What does the word courage mean to you?

#133. What makes you unique? What are some things about you that make you an individual?

#134. Have you ever been to a museum? What is your favorite thing to look at on display?

#135. What can you do to set a good example for others to be kind?

#136. A Tall Tale is a story that exaggerates something that actually happened. Write a tall tale about something that recently happened to you.

#137. What is one of your favorite toys that you think you might still want to have and play with when you are 22 years old?

#138. Oh no! Everyone around you is sick with a nasty cold! Write a silly poem about how you try to avoid catching their germs!

#139. Personification is when a non-living object takes on human characteristics. Write a story where you personify a common electronic gadget in your house, such as the Television or toaster.

#140. Write a poem using similes, which is when you say an object is like something else. Here is an example of a simile: “Her eyes were as blue as the sky.”

#141. Have you ever read a book written by Dr. Suess? Write your own “Suess-style” story, complete with rhymes and made up words.

#142. Do you have any siblings? Think about what it might mean to be a good brother or sister and write about it!

#143. Make a list of questions to interview your parents or grandparents about what it was like when they were growing up as a kid. Then, ask them the questions and write about their answers!

#144. You are in charge of writing a new radio show just for kids! What topics will you talk about? What music do you play?

#145. What do you usually eat for breakfast every day? What, in your opinion, is the greatest breakfast food ever created? What makes it so great?

#146. Write a 12 line poem where every line is about a different month of the year.

#147. What is something you look forward to doing the most when you are an adult?

Use these prompts in your classroom!  Get the  ad-free printable version of these prompts  to inspire your students to write! Thank you for your support!

#148. Do you like to try new things? What is something new you have tried recently or would like to try?

#149. Imagine what it might be like to be alive in Egypt when the pyramids were built. Write about what it was like.

#150. A credo is a statement of personal beliefs. Try writing your own credo for things that you believe in and feel are important.

#151. The circus has come to town but they have no place to perform! How do you help the ringmaster find a place to put on a show?

#152. Do you like to act? What are some of your favorite actors or actresses? What do you think makes someone a good actor or actress?

#153. “Practice makes perfect” is a popular saying. What is something you like to practice so you can become better at it? A sport? A musical instrument? A special skill? Do you like to practice?

#154. Write about what it might be like to be water drops freezing and turning into ice.

#155. Do you think it is important to keep your room clean? What do you like about having a clean room?

#156. Imagine your parents are sending you away for a two week summer camp trip. Would you be excited? Why or why not?

#157. What are you currently learning about in history class? Write a fictional story about someone from the past you are learning about.

#158. Many wars have been fought in the past. Instead of going to war, what do you think countries could do to resolve their differences peacefully?

#159. Every year over 8 billion plastic bottles and cans are thrown away. What are some things you can do to help encourage your family and friends to recycle?

#160. Imagine if you were the principal of the school. What might you do differently? What things would you do that are the same? Write about it!

#161. Pretend that one day you are at your neighbor’s house and you notice a strange noise coming from the basement. You go downstairs to investigate to see a large machine running with many lights and buttons. Why is it there?

#162. Write an essay that starts with the line, “Tomorrow, I hope…”

#163. If you could give one thing to every child in the world, what would you want to give them?

#164. Do you have a piggy bank at home? How do you earn money to add to your savings?

#165. What qualities make a house a home? What are 3 things you think every house should have?

#166. Would you rather go scuba diving or rock climbing? Write about which one you think you would like to do more and why.

#167. Do you think it is a good idea for kids to write a daily journal? What are some of the benefits of writing every day?

#168. Do you like watching fireworks or are they too noisy? Write about a time when you saw fireworks in the sky.

#169. Oh no! Your friend has turned into a statue! How did this happen? What do you do? Does your friend ever turn back into a person again?

#170. If you could be any movie character, who would you be and why?

#171. A mysterious message appears in code on your computer screen. What could it mean?

#172. If you could go to work with one of your parents for a day, what do you think the day would be like? What types of things do your parents do at work all day long?

#173. Imagine you are the President and you are creating a new national holiday. What is your holiday about? How is it celebrated? What day of the year do you celebrate? Write about it!

#174. You won a never-ending lifetime supply of spaghetti noodles! What will you do with all of these noodles?

#175. Would you rather be a bunny rabbit or a hawk? Why did you choose the one you chose?

#176. Your teacher has been acting mysterious lately. After school one day, you notice a weird green light shining through underneath the door of your classroom. What do you do? What is happening with your teacher?

#177. Write an article about tips for how kids can be more organized and study well for tests.

#178. Look at any product in your house and read the ingredients labels. Research what each ingredient is. Do you think these ingredients are good or bad for people?

#179. If you were a doctor, what do you think would be the most important part of your job every day?

#180. The school librarian needs your help! A truck just arrived with 2,000 books and she can’t fit all the books onto the shelves! What do you do? How do you find a place to put all these books?

#181. Do you think it would be fun to plant a garden? What types of plants would you want to grow? Write about your garden ideas.

#182. What is a sport or activity you would like to try playing for the first time?

#183. Do you think kids should be allowed to do the same things as adults? What things do you think kids should be able to do that only grown-ups can?

#184. Imagine you and your parents switch places for a day. Your parents are the kids and you are now in charge! What would you do?

#185. Write a get-well letter to someone who has been sick. What can you say to make them feel better?

#186. If you could visit any planet in the solar system, which planet would you like to visit the most and why? Write about what it might be like.

#187. Have you ever been to a farm? What did you like about it? If you haven’t been to a farm, do you think you might like to visit one? Why or why not?

#188. The mayor of the city has a big problem and needs your help! What is the problem and how will you solve it?

#189. Pretend your little sister ate carrots for dinner and the next morning woke up with rabbit ears!  How did this happen? What do you do? Will she be a rabbit forever?

#190. Imagine you wake up in the morning to find out you get to relive any day of your life again for the whole day. What day would you want to experience again and why?

#191. Do you think you might like to be a firefighter? Why or why not?

#192. You are a lawyer and your client has been accused of stealing a car. How do you convince the jury your client is innocent?

#193. Think of the four elements: fire, air, earth, and water. Which of these four elements do you like the best?

#194. What would you do if you could be invisible for a whole day? Do you think you would enjoy it or be glad to be back to normal the next day? Write about it!

#195. Imagine you are a meteorologist and people are starting to get angry that your weather predictions are always wrong. What do you do?

#196. If you could create any law, what would it be? Why do you think the law is an important one to have?

#197. You are going incognito and need to hide to your identity so you aren’t recognized or discovered while you walk through the city. What type of disguise do you wear?

#198. Write a persuasive letter to your parents explaining why you should get a new pet. Make sure you provide a convincing argument they won’t be able to refuse!

#199. Your friend wants to do something dangerous. What should you do?

#200. How do you think the world would be different if there were no oceans?

#201. What do you do when someone disagrees with your opinions? Is there a better way to handle conflicting opinions?

#202. What do you think you as a kid could do to help encourage more people to read?

#203. Do you have a good luck charm? What makes this item lucky? When do you use it? How do you use it?

#204. What is at the end of a rainbow? Imagine you follow a rainbow to the end. What do you discover? Is it a pot of gold, or something else?

Use these prompts in your classroom!  Get the  ad-free printable version of these prompts  to inspire your students to write! Thank you for your support!

#205. What do you think the consequences should be for someone who is caught cheating on a test at school?

#206. Imagine you are riding your bike one day when you encounter an older kid who wants to steal your bike. What do you do?

#207. You are the lead singer and star of a famous rock and roll band, but there is one problem – your drummer is jealous of your fame! How do you solve this situation?

#208. If you could help a group of kids in any part of the world, what kids would you want to help the most and why? What are some things you think would help these kids?

#209. Everyone knows the house on the end of the street is haunted. What are some of the strange things that happen there? Why is the house haunted?

#210. You notice at school one day there is a door to a secret passage next to the janitor’s closet and decide to explore. Where does it lead? Why is it there? Do you go alone or bring a friend along?

#211. A bucket list is a list of things you want to accomplish in your lifetime. What are 5 things on your bucket list?

#212. Imagine the perfect treehouse or clubhouse for you and all of your friends as a place to hang out. Describe what it is like inside.

#213. Do you get bored easily? Make a list of things you can do whenever you feel like you are bored and there is nothing fun to do!

#214. Now vs. Then: Think about how today is different from one year ago. How have you changed? What things in your life are different?

#215. Write your autobiography about your life.

#216. It’s a heat wave! What do you do when the weather is hot? What are some of your favorite ways to stay cool?

#217. What are three important safety tips every kid should know to stay safe?

#218. What genre of books do you like to read the most? Write about the characteristics of the genre and list some of your favorite books as examples.

#219. Holiday Traditions: How does your family celebrate the different holidays and events? What are some traditions you do each and every year?

#220. Imagine one day in science class a science experiment goes terribly wrong and now you and all of your classmates have superpowers! What are your superpowers and what do you do with them?

#221. Who is favorite teacher? Why are they your favorite?

#222. You are baking a cake, but you accidentally put salt in the cake instead of sugar. Nobody will eat it! How do you feel? What will you do next time?

#223. Do you think it is important to have good table manners? What do you think some good manners to practice might be?

#224. Many schools no longer teach cursive handwriting. Do you think this is a good or bad thing? Do you know how to write cursive handwriting? Would you like to learn if you haven’t?

#225. If you were the owner of a theme park, what types of rides and attractions would have? Describe what they would be like and why people would want to visit your park.

#226. Your parents give you $100 to spend at the grocery store. What do you buy and why?

#227. Some people who are alive today grew up without computers or video games. What would you do if you didn’t have a computer or video games? How would life be different?

#228. You walk into your living room and discover there is a giant elephant standing there. How did the elephant get there? What do you do about it? How do you explain the elephant in the living room to your parents?

#229. Have you ever had a weird dream? What happened in the dream? What do you think it means?

#230. Do you like to draw or paint? Write a story inspired by a painting, doodle, or sketch.

#231. You are being sent on a mission to outer space to live in a space station for 5 years. What supplies do you pack and why?

#232. What is the scariest creature alive on earth? Describe in detail what makes it so horrifying.

#233. What do you think your pet might say if they could talk to you?

#234. Imagine your school is putting on a talent show. What act will you perform? What other acts will be in the show?

#235. If you could breathe under water, what would you do?

#236. What time of day do you think school should start? Write a convincing argument on why or why not the time of day school starts should change.

#237. If you were to start your own YouTube video channel, what would the videos on your channel be about?

#238. Do you like to cook? What are some things you like to make and eat?

#239. Your school is having a field day and you are in charge of planning the activities and games. What types of activities and games would you plan for the event?

#240. If you had a remote control drone that takes video of everything it sees from the sky and you could take it anywhere, what would you film? For example, the inside of a volcano or soar it over the plains of Africa.

#241. The Bermuda Triangle is an area of the ocean where many ships and planes have gone missing. Why do you think this could be? Write a story about what it might be like to travel there.

#242. There are 7 great wonders of the world – which one do you think is the most wonderful?

#243. If you could speak any foreign language fluently, which one would you like to speak and why?

#244. You are inventing a new flavor of ice cream! What is the new flavor called and what ingredients do you need to make it?

#245. Would you rather go to a baseball game or read a good book? What reasons do you have for your choice?

#246. You walk outside to get your mail and your mailbox starts talking to you! What does your mailbox have to say?

#247. Imagine you are a famous person. What are you most famous for? What is it like to be famous?

#248. What do you think would be the most fun job in the world to have? Give examples of why you think it would be a fun job to have.

#249. Write a poem about an object that is shiny and dazzling.

#250. Do you like to watch the Olympics? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favorite Olympic sport?

#251. What kind of car do you want to drive when you are older? Do you think learning to drive will be easy or hard?

#252. What do you think would make for a great gift to give someone on their birthday?

#253. Describe a time when you needed help and someone helped you. What did they help you with and how did it make you feel?

#254. If you could be any type of fruit or vegetable, what would you be and why?

Love these prompts?  Get the  ad-free printable version of these prompts  to use at home or in the classroom!

#255. Do you think it is more important to have a good imagination or have all the facts proven?

#256. Do you have a favorite aunt, uncle, or another relative? Write a story about their life and why you like to be with them.

#257. Think of a time you laughed really, really hard. What was so funny? Why were you laughing? Write about it!

#258. Write a poem about an emotion. For example: happy, sad, angry, embarrassed, guilty.

#259. Do you ever have a hard time falling asleep? What are some things that help you feel sleepy?

#260. If you could drive a car, where would you drive and why?

#261. Imagine you are trading places with your friend for a day. What will it be like to be at their house? What will your friend think while they are at your house? Write about it!

#262. If you could break a world record, what would it be? What do you think would be necessary to be able to break the world record?

#263. Imagine you live in Colonial times. What would it be like to grow up as a kid in Colonial America?

#264. You are building a new city. What is the name of your city? What is the weather like? What buildings will you build?

#265. What do you think it would be like to work as a sailor on big ship in the ocean each day?

#266. Imagine you are the teacher for the day. What types of activities do you make the students in the class do?

#267. How would you feel if your parents told you that you would be getting a new baby brother or sister? Write about it!

#268. Do you know any good jokes? What are some of your favorite jokes? What makes them funny? Do you think you could write your own?

#269. Imagine you are floating down a river on a raft. What types of things can you see from the river that you normally wouldn’t see from the land?

#270. You want to start a new hobby collecting something. What kinds of things would you collect and why?

#271. Your mom announces she is having a yard sale. Would you let her sell any of your things? Why or why not?

#272. Imagine you walk out your front door one morning and it is raining popcorn! What do you do?

#273.  You are camping in the woods one night and hear a scary noise. What do you do? What might be the cause?

#274. What do you think might make kids really happy to go to school? What are some things you think schools should do so that it could be more fun?

#275. Today’s lunch at the cafeteria was unusually horrible. You are a detective on the case to investigate. What do you think is the cause?

#276. If you had a tree that grows money, what would you do?

#277. What would you do if you had a unicorn as a pet?

#278. Would you rather go to the zoo or go to the aviary? Which one would you pick and why?

#279. What are some safety tips you should follow when riding a bike?

#280. You are designing the cover of a magazine. What are some of the headlines on the cover?

#281. Are you afraid of the dark? Why or why not?

#282. If you could learn to play any type of musical instrument, which one would you like to learn how to play and why?

#283. Imagine you are playing a sport that involves a ball, such as soccer, baseball or kickball. What would it be like if the ball could talk?

#284. You come home to discover a friendly alien has been living in your closet. What do you do? Why is there an alien in your closet?

#285. Is there something you are afraid of that you wish you weren’t afraid of? Write about it.

#286. Write about the best party you’ve ever been to. What made the day fun and special?

#287. What makes you feel loved and cared about? What are some ways people can show you that they love and care about you?

#288. There is a kite flying competition coming up and you are going to design your own kite. What will your kite look like? What colors will it be? Will it have any certain shape?

#289. You are given the challenge to drop an egg on the floor – without it breaking! What are some things you might try to make sure the egg won’t break?

#290. What are some of the things you can do every day to stay healthy?

#291. Do you think grown-ups are boring? Why do you think they are so boring all of the time? What is something fun that boring grown-ups could do instead of being so boring?

#292. Write a lyrical poem or song about what kids do while they are at school all day long.

#293. What are the first things you like to do when you are done with school each day? What are some of the activities you like when you are not at school?

#294. Imagine dinosaurs were still alive today. How do you think our lives would be different?

#295. Would you rather visit a volcano or a desert? Which one would you choose and why?

#296. Is there a sound you think is annoying? What types of sounds drive you crazy? Write about them!

#297. What do you think it would be like to be the size of an ant for a day? What types of things would you do?

#298. Imagine one of your stuffed animals comes to life and starts talking to you. What types of things will you talk about? What will you do?

#299. What makes you feel happiest? Write about the things in life that make you feel happy!

#300. Imagine there is no gravity. What kind of things would you do you for fun? How would some of the things you already do for fun be different?

Buy the Printable Cards!  We will always have this list of 300 kids writing prompts available for free, but I’m very excited to now also offer an  ad-free printable version of these prompts  in my online Etsy shop. Thank you for your support!

Parents and teachers, I hope you enjoyed these 300 writing prompts for kids and that you will use them to inspire your children’s creative imaginations.

These prompts of course can be used in a number of different ways and can be adapted for a variety of different styles of writing !

What do you think? Do you think these are good conversation and story starters for kids? Do you have any ideas for writing prompts you would like to share?

And of course, if you’d like to make it super fun and easy to use these prompts at home or in your classroom, be sure to get our ad-free printable version of these kids writing prompt cards now available in my Etsy shop.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on different creative writing ideas and topics for kids to write about! Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Chelle Stein wrote her first embarrassingly bad novel at the age of 14 and hasn't stopped writing since. As the founder of ThinkWritten, she enjoys encouraging writers and creatives of all types.

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Creative Writing: Children’s Books

About this course.

Do you love writing or children? Have you dreamed of having your own book published? This course will guide you through the process of identifying the format and audience for your book, brainstorming ideas, developing a plot and characters, writing effectively, seeking and benefiting from feedback, and finally perfecting your manuscript to send off to an agent or publisher. Whether you know exactly what you want to write or are still fishing around for ideas, this course will take you to the next level through exercises designed to further your particular project.

After completing this course, the learner should be able to:

• Describe the features of different formats of children’s books
• Identify the elements of successful writing for children and common mistakes
• Come up with ideas, plots, and characters for a children’s book
• Recognize the elements of complex characters and a compelling plot
• Describe common children’s book plots
• Employ strategies for improving characters and plot development
• Rewrite effectively to strengthen your work
• Identify sources for feedback on your writing and opportunities for professional development
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of different avenues for publication
• Recognize the importance of submission guidelines

Estimated length: 1.5 hours Access Time: 90 days CEUs: .15 Delivery: Online Cost: $29

Professional Development Institute

John P. Gorel, Director, Corporate Relations 570-945-8622

Email: [email protected]

Keystone College reserves the right to cancel or postpone any program due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen circumstances. If a program is canceled, registrants will be notified and a refund will be processed. Requests for refunds for withdrawals must be submitted in writing five days prior to the start of the program. Refunds will not be issued for failure to attend a program.

Interested in more workshops? Check out the Keystone College Professional Development Institute's continuing education and personal enrichment course offerings below:

Written by Scott Wilson

The very first books you read to children can shape them for a lifetime.

A trip to the Hundred Acre Wood or Neverland can sparks the imagination of new and foreign places, a far cry from the mundane days at home and preschool. Pinocchio’s particular disability and predilection demonstrates the value of honesty in ways that no number of parental lectures could achieve. The journey of Mowgli through the jungles introduces social hierarchy and the importance of family in the most visceral way.

Telling tales to young children is an ancient practice that evolved into an entire category of classic literature and fairy tales.

Modern authors who want to follow in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm and Lewis Carroll need the special skill of telling entertaining tales in simple language with vivid imagery. Children’s story authors may need a multidisciplinary background, skilled in illustration as well as writing for picture books.

From primers designed to teach the alphabet to meditations on what it would be like to have a giant red dog bigger than your own house, there are plenty of opportunities in creative writing to craft children’s books that draw laughter, forge understanding, and unleash empathy in the very newest readers.

But it takes a special skill and a wildly creative imagination to both invent the sort of stories to grab the attention of children and bring those visions to life. Both of those qualities can come to you with a degree in creative wring.

What Is Children’s Literature?

In general, when people talk about children’s books, they are talking about works aimed at kids under the developmental age of approximately 12 years old. They tend to be short chapter or picture books with limited text to each page, a restricted vocabulary, and short, to-the-point ideas and story lines.

There’s no bright line between young adult and children’s literature. Much depends on the developmental stage of the child. Like any other sort of genre distinction, it’s as much about marketing as it is about the actual audience for the books.

Kid lit can further be grouped by genre or by the target age range of the reader.

Children’s literature is often intended to be a combination of entertaining and instructive.

Kid’s books can be designed either to be read to young children, or to introduce them to reading and the wider world of literature. Because the audience for these works are still building vocabulary and linguistic skills, not only do children’s book authors have to keep their style and word use straightforward, but they also often incorporate strong visual elements in those books.

Children’s books are commonly illustrated and may in fact use visual story-telling as much as the written word. Authors in this genre don’t have to be illustrators, but they do have to be able to think visually and work with other professionals for drawing and illustration.

There are plenty of sub-genres in kid lit, too. Just a few examples include:

First Books

Just what it says on the label, these are books that are designed to be the very first introduction to language and stories for babies or toddlers. Because they are very much for pre-literate children, though, they may actually be more complex and have fewer illustrations since they are designed to be read to the child by an adult.

Picture Books

In the opposite direction are picture books. These are the traditional illustration-focused early readers designed to start kids off with language and words directly. They typically tell the story mainly through the pictures, with the words places carefully to associate meaning. Consequently, they may only have 200 or 300 words through the entire work—but each one is important!

Board Books

Board books are also designed for toddlers and other demographics that may be especially hard on the physical construct of a book. They are printed on thicker cardboard stock that is easier for tiny fingers to flip through and more resistant to tearing, bending, and juice spillage. They can overlap with other genres but are usually matched with picture and early readers.

Educational Books

These children’s books fall more toward the didactic end of the spectrum. They are designed to offer some sort of new information about the world or people in it. They can cover culture, cross-cultural concepts, or weighty matters like death, illness, or how to cope with a new brother or sister in the family.

Early Readers

These books fall just after picture books in the developmental age range of children’s books. They are designed to expand reading skills and vocabulary after the first initial foundations are put in. They are more advanced, with a greater focus on language and story, with illustration offered only as a supporting element. They may be longer than other kinds of children’s books and have more plot and substance, but still are written with direct grammar and basic vocabulary.

Middle Grade

These books are probably the most advanced in the kid lit spectrum, overlapping and blurring together with young adult works. They aimed at kids who are developmentally between 8 and about 13 years old. Consequently, they can be more advanced and may also deal with more advanced subjects—making new friends, fitting in to society, finding your own way in the world apart from your parents.

As you can see, it’s a wide open field with a lot of room for developing your own creativity and ideas. It’s also a genre that is inextricably linked with education. Even in the more entertaining work of kid lit fantasy, new words, new ideas, and new ways of envisioning the world are being passed along. Good children’s authors understand their work on every level.

Are Comic Books Children’s Literature?

It’s true in the United States, at least, that comics were originally aimed at and primarily read by children. As a format with the tried-and-true combination of pictures and words to tell the tale, they fall right in with picture books as an art form.

But as comic readers grew older, they didn’t necessarily put the books down. And some comic authors began taking on heavier, more mature subjects, weaving complex stories together in a format that began to be called a graphic novel.

It’s that very shift suggest the answer to the debate, though: some comics are clearly meant for kids, while others are not. Within the form, you can find as many different gradations and sub-genres as in traditional formats. And either way, when a child finds something they want to read, smart adults know to encourage them—words open new worlds.

Children’s Books Explore Tough Themes and Ideas in a Straightforward Way

You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children. ~ Madeleine L’Engle

As you might expect from works for children, the issues and themes for kid’s books tend to be pretty straightforward. But that doesn’t mean they are simple. As the works that will be introducing and explaining many of the most challenging concepts in life to children for the first time, kid’s books have to be crafted very carefully. A children’s author needs the skill and sensibilities to talk about tough subjects ranging from death to divorce to sickness.

And, of course, poop.

In every case, it’s a lot to try to pack into a book that may only be 30 pages or so. Children’s books are a vessel carrying their audience on a voyage of discovery, both of the self and of the wider world.

On the other hand, writing for children can be remarkably freeing. Conventions requiring writers conform more or less to accepted consensual reality don’t really apply. Have a talking bear as the main character and no one will bat an eye. Pixies are real and people can take flight with happy thoughts and a little pixie dust sprinkled on them. That’s not sci-fi, it’s kid lit!

J.M. Barrie claims to have added the concept of pixie dust as a necessary ingredient for flight in his Peter Pan stories after a number of children in the real world ended up in hospital after attempting to take off with only happy thoughts to power them.

With the guard rails of reality removed from the course, however, the author of children’s books actually takes on more responsibility. Children are remarkably adept at sniffing out inauthentic stories or behavior. There’s nothing that will lose readers faster than a character behaving in a way that is not true to themselves or the story. A kid lit author has to, in some very real sense, live within the world they are creating.

How to Write a Children’s Book: Creative Writing Degree Programs Give You Exactly the Skills You Need

Sure, it's simple writing for kids…just as simple as bringing them up. ~ Ursula LeGuin

All these talents are tough to pick up on your own. But a degree in creative writing can help you hone many of them, as well as guiding you toward your own innate voice as a children’s author.

These programs come at your skillset for writing pitching children’s books from every direction. The ways they can boost your writing skills and career include helping you in areas such as:

Turning the Creativity Dial up to Eleven Through Reading and Writing

Additionally, your mind will be fueled with the essential stuff of imagination: a creative writing program comes with prodigious amounts of assigned reading. You’ll be exposed to many different authors in many genres, with different philosophies and styles that will inevitably influence your own.

Developing a Style All Your Own

Children’s authors are also famously inventive in terms of style. There’s nothing that sells a good line to an audience of children like wordplay. Many of the classics of the genre are written in rhyming or other poetic styles.

Not only will the extensive reading that comes with a creative writing degree expose you to all those styles and help you understand your own, but you’ll take courses that unpack the elements of verse and style. Professors will walk you through the operational mechanics of poetics, exploring the structure and form of different styles and their evolution. You’ll find gems and germs of ideas to help you create your own unique literary style to resonate with children.

Exploring the Evolving Psychological Bases of Your Audience

Creative writing degrees aren’t necessarily just all-writing, all-the-time. You’re studying at a university, one stacked up with the most advanced experts in every sort of field under the sun. And you have the opportunity and often the requirement to acquire a full-throated liberal arts education, one expanding your base of knowledge and experience to draw on for story ideas.

This particularly comes into play for children’s book authors through the availability of psychology coursework to help you explore what science has found about the stages of human development. You can take courses that help you unpack not just the thought and growth process of your core audience, but the actual physical and neurological components that go into those processes. That all goes to making you a more incisive, more capable writer of kid lit.

Getting the Essential Feedback to Hone Your Craft

The constant writing assignments that come along with creative writing studies aren’t just a way to work out your fingers. They also offer legitimate works that you will share with your cohort and receive helpful comments on. Everything from character building to tone to plotting can be improved with feedback. You’ll get plenty of it, and you’ll grow faster than you ever could alone.

Networking With Industry Professionals To Turn a Craft Into a Career

Children’s authors are up against one major challenge that most other writers don’t face: your audience is never going to browse, discover, and buy your books on their own.

One of the biggest benefits on the business side of being a children’s book author is that your audience is constantly renewing itself. A new crop of readers is coming up into your audience every year!

That means a professional network for publication and marketing is an absolute must. And both your classmates and professors can provide invaluable contacts for getting your career launched as they make their own way through the publishing industry. You may get a line on an agent from a professor who knows what they are looking for; a classmate may graduate and end up with a job at a major children’s book imprint and get your manuscript a look it would never have received otherwise.

You’ll also find that the experiences of professors and various guest authors provide valuable insights on how the publishing industry works. You’ll build up your business acumen as a part of being a children’s writer that you probably never considered before.

For Writers of All Stripes, Online Creative Writing Studies Offer New Freedoms With Traditional Rigor

Writing, after all, is a necessary solitary affair. As helpful and useful as professors and your fellow students can be in reading, reviewing, brainstorming, and offering suggestions along the way, when you get right down to it it’s just you and the keyboard during the most critical parts of learning to write absorbing children’s literature.

So you can save money and keep your individual flexibility wide open by pursuing your formal creative writing studies online. Keep your day job, or labor in a humble garret atop a mountain with only your inspiration for company—it’s all on the menu.

At the same time, with high-tech connections to your professors and classmates, you still have regular assignments, video chats to check in, and lengthy online dialogs to review. It’s the best of both worlds that has the added bonus of frequently coming at lower cost than an on-campus degree.

Most programs include at least a few on-campus or other in-person meetings, so you’re not just engaged with random faces on a small screen. You have the opportunity to make genuine connections and long-lasting friendships, while still preserving your personal latitude.

Degrees at Every Level Offer a Foot in the Door for Prospective Children’s Book Authors

That starts off with Certificates in Creative Writing . These take a handful of college-level courses and pack them into a tight schedule lasting only a few months. While they don’t offer the full range of training you find in a full degree program, they often come with tightly focused themes that may be just what you need—including specific options such as a Children’s Book Writing Certificate. They can be offered both at the post-secondary and graduate level, tailored to your individual experience level.

A step beyond certificates will take you to a two-year Associate Degree in Creative Writing or a four-year Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing . As the first level of degree-granting college studies, these programs are more structured and offer a broader level of education than a certificate. You’ll fulfill expansive general education requirements in areas like math, science, and social studies alongside your English and writing courses. With such broad studies, few options exist specific to writing for children, but you will put in strong foundations in spelling, grammar, plotting, and other essentials for any kind of creative writing career.

The real peak for most professional writers comes with a master’s degree in creative writing . Taking between two and three years to complete, an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing is considered to be the pinnacle of training in writing. Here, you will find concentrations in areas like the MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults, or dual degree programs such as a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature plus an MFA in Writing for Children. The level of individual investment in writing prowess that comes with an MFA can’t be beat. Nor can the direct attention of expert, and often widely published, instructors and guest lectures in tight-knit workshops.

There’s also potential to go beyond a master’s, earning a PhD in Creative Writing . But these programs are almost entirely devoted to polishing the research and academic skills needed to teach in the field rather than actively attempting to improve your own writing skills. Still, there are a handful of doctoral-level studies in creative writing that are aimed at producing quality writers rather than quality writing professors.

Each school that offers a creative writing program has a unique culture and conceptual approach to writing education. And the specialties of professors themselves go to shape the program, with their own writing and publication experience offering a preview of their teaching interests and style.

You’ll want to take all of that into account as you look for a school that offers the best shot at launching your own children’s writing career. When you land on the right program, it will put together your inspiration with the right mix of professionalism, expertise, and focus to help you realize your dreams… and spark new dreams in the next generation of readers.

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Young Writer's Blueprint

A step-by-step guide for young writers, ages 6-10.

Join instructor Alice Kuipers, award-winning author of picture books, chapter books and young adult novels, for a hands-on journey that will set young writers off on a lifetime of creative writing.

Young Writer's Blueprint is completely free -- a gift from Alice and the folks at WritingBlueprints.com to help improve literacy and set loose the creative imagination of the world's youth.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: DUE TO PRIVACY LAWS, CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13 CANNOT SIGN UP DIRECTLY TO ACCESS THIS COURSE. PLEASE ASK A PARENT OR GUARDIAN TO REGISTER FOR YOU USING THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION.)

Here's What's Included:

• Start How to Download and Use the PDF Worksheets (4:31)
• Start From Alice: Who I Am, What I've Written, and What You're Going to Discover About Writing (2:31)
• Start Great Books I Love, and I Hope You Do, Too! (1:35)
• Start The Nitty-Gritty of Writing: Writing is a TWO-Step Process (2:31)
• Start About You! Your First Writing Exercise (1:04)
• Start Where Do Ideas Come From? Getting Inspired! (2:01)
• Start How to Relax and Get Words on the Page: Freewriting (1:27)
• Start Falling in Love with Writing: Passion (2:15)
• Start Turn on Your Writing Genius: Writing Prompts #1
• Start Getting to Know Your Character (1:05)
• Start What Do They Own and What Do They Dream? (2:23)
• Start What Your Character Does (and why is this sooooo important?) (1:35)
• Start Turn on Your Writing Genius: Writing Prompts #2
• Start Writing Great Dialogue (1:10)
• Start Turn on Your Eyes and Ears: Observation (2:00)
• Start Creating a Stunning Scene (1:11)
• Start The Best Writers (You!) Find The Best Details (0:57)
• Start Turn on Your Writing Genius: Writing Prompts #3
• Start Different Types of Writing You Can Try (1:01)
• Start Super Short Stories
• Start The Wonderful World of Longer Stories and Novels (3:37)
• Start Penning Poems
• Start Turn on Your Writing Genius: Writing Prompts #4
• Start Think About The Big Picture (What? I'm writing words, not drawing....) (2:14)
• Start Sweating The Small Stuff (0:57)
• Start The Second, Third, Fourth... Drafts (2:04)
• Start Turn on Your Writing Genius: Editorial Prompts to Strengthen Your Editing Muscles
• Start Printable Checklist to Make Your Writing Shine
• Start It's Scary Out There: Sharing Your Best Work (1:25)
• Start The Hard Days: Rejection (2:05)
• Start Moving Upwards and Onwards: Writing your next piece (2:15)
• Start Goodbye from Alice (1:10)
• Start A Final Word from Laura for Parents and Teachers (2:25)

Your Instructor

Alice Kuipers is the author of the debut novel Life on the Refrigerator Door , an award-winning Young Adult/Adult crossover published to rave reviews in 28 countries and told entirely in post-it notes written by a mother and her daughter. Named a New York Times Book for the Teen Age, Life on the Refrigerator Door has won or been short listed for numerous prizes, including the Redbridge Book Award, the Sheffield Libraries Choice Award, the Grand Prix de Viarmes, the Saskatchewan First Book Award, the Salt Lake City County Library System Reader’s Choice Award, and the Carnegie Medal.

Alice’s second novel, The Worst Thing She Ever Did (published in the US as Lost for Words ), won the 2011 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book; was short listed for the White Pine Award; and was a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year selection for 2011. The Worst Thing She Ever Did has been sold in 9 territories and praised as “gorgeous, heart-ripping, important” (Voices of Young Adults).

40 Things I Want To Tell You was published in Canada by HarperCollins in 2012. The book has been praised as “funny and totally up to date” by the Canadian Review of Materials, and “crisp and effective” by the Winnipeg Free Press. Rights have been sold in Germany, Greece, Denmark and Croatia.

The Death of Us came out in 2014 to great reviews, and was a CLA Listed Book. It’s been described as a quick and turbulent read, The Death of Us is a brilliant coming-of-age novel with a sharpened corkscrew of a twist that will leave readers breathles s.

Most recently, Alice’s YA novel, Me and Me, was published in 2017. It was described by Bif Naked as mesmerising .

Alice has a brand new chapter book series with Chronicle Press: Polly Diamond and the Magic Book , which 'Brings the imagination to life' (Booklist) . She is also writing a memoir about teenager Carley Allison with Kids Can Press. She has had stories produced for CBC and essays published in Bristol Review of Books and Easy Living magazine. She has blogged for Today’s Paren t, and The Huffington Post .

Alice’s work is published in 34 countries.

Born and raised in London, England, Alice now lives in Saskatoon, Canada, with her partner, the writer Yann Martel, and their four young children.

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Imaginative Writing

Burroway, janet.

• 3.89 3.89 out of 5 stars 872 ratings by Goodreads

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LIGHTNING FAST SHIPPING! A heavily used, but still working copy. Coffee stain and wrinkling to the edge of the pages when a tired undergrad fell asleep and knocked their cup over on their books. The binding and pages of the book have been reinforced with tape, has tape and stickers on the cover, as well as lots of notes (some of the answers in the learning activities may be filled in) on the pages. Definitely not pretty, but it's a working copy at a great price that ships fast. ~ Book does NOT contain an access code or CD/DVD. Seller Inventory # #115B-0162

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For courses in Introduction to  Creative Writing or Creative Writing in English or Creative Writing Departments.  

 Written by bestselling author Janet Burroway,  Imaginative Writing , covers all four genres: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama . This textbook discusses elements of craft common to all creative writing before delving into the individual genres. After an introduction, the next five chapters each investigate a specific element of craft—Image, Voice, Character, Setting, and Story—from a perspective that crosses all genres. Nearly half of the selections in all four genres are new. New "Try This" exercises give students plenty of practice. Imaginative Writing is a very popular book for courses on teaching the craft of creative writing.

JANET BURROWAY is the author of plays, poetry, essays, children’s books, and eight novels including The Buzzards , Raw Silk (runner up for the National Book Award), Opening Nights , Cutting Stone , and Bridge of Sand . Her other publications include a collection of personal essays, Embalming Mom , in addition to a volume of poetry, Material Goods , and three children’s books in verse, The Truck on the Track , The Giant Jam Sandwich , and The Perfect Pig . Her plays Medea with Child (The Reva Shiner Award), Sweepstakes , Division of Property (Arts & Letters Award), and Parts of Speech have received readings and productions in New York, London, San Francisco, Hollywood, Chicago, and various regional theaters. Her textbook Writing Fiction , now in its ninth edition, is the most widely used creative writing text in the United States. Her most recent books are a memoir, Losing Tim , and a collection of essays she has edited, A Story Larger Than My Own: Women Writers Look Back on Their Lives and Careers . She is Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Florida State University in Tallahassee and has most recently taught in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Northwestern University.

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Title: Imaginative Writing Publisher: Pearson Publication Date: 2014 Binding: Soft cover Condition: Acceptable Edition: 4th Edition

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Softcover. Condition: Good. ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson\'s MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson\'s MyLab & Mastering products.PackagesAccess codes for Pearson\'s MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.Used or rental booksIf you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.Access codesAccess codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.--For courses in Introduction to Creative Writing or Creative Writing in English or Creative Writing Departments.Written by bestselling author Janet Burroway, Imaginative Writing, covers all four genres: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama. This textbook discusses elements of craft common to all creative writing before delving into the individual genres. After an introduction, the next five chapters each investigate a specific element of craft-Image, Voice, Character, Setting, and Story-from a perspective that crosses all genres. Nearly half of the selections in all four genres are new. New \"Try This\" exercises give students plenty of practice. Imaginative Writing is a very popular book for courses on teaching the craft of creative writing. Seller Inventory # AMPLE0134053249

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Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the timing appeared perfect to bring Sesame Street to millions of children living in the former Soviet Union. With the Muppets envisioned as ideal ambassadors of Western values, no one anticipated just how challenging and dangerous this would prove to be.

In Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia , Natasha Lance Rogoff brings this gripping tale to life. Amid bombings, assassinations, and a military takeover of the production office, Lance Rogoff and the talented Moscow team of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and puppeteers remained determined to bring laughter, learning, and a new way of seeing the world to children in Russia, Ukraine, and across the former Soviet empire. With a sharp wit and compassion for her colleagues, Lance Rogoff observes how cultural clashes colored nearly every aspect of the production—from the show’s educational framework to writing comedy to the new Russian Muppets themselves—despite the team’s common goal.

Brimming with insight and nuance, Muppets in Moscow skillfully explores the post-Soviet societal tensions that continue to thwart the Russian people’s efforts to create a better future for their country. More than just a story of a children’s show, this book provides a valuable perspective of Russia’s people, their culture, and their complicated relationship with the West that remains relevant even today.

• Listening Length 10 hours and 59 minutes
• Author Natasha Lance Rogoff, see all
• Narrator Emily Lahey Shoov
• Audible release date October 17, 2022
• Language English
• Publisher Lance Productions
• ASIN B0BGSWCF66
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
• See all details

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Customers find the storyline great, wise, funny, sad, and soulful. They also describe the book as an interesting read.

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Customers find the storyline great, informative, and dazzling. They also say it demonstrates the intense creativity and the artistic process. Readers also mention that the book is wise, funny, sad, and soulful.

"...of a role Sesame Street plays/has played in this; It demonstrates the intense creativity and the artistic process that goes into producing the..." Read more

"...A thrilling read on so many levels and a testament to perseverance . M. Robinson" Read more

"...I believe it truly shows the heartaches and prevail of making such a beautiful show for generations to come...." Read more

" Great telling of the trials and tribulations of getting Sesame Street to Moscow. Very informative." Read more

Customers find the book interesting, exhausting, frustrating, and exhilarating. They also appreciate the special results.

"... It’s fascinating . To summarize: I’m very happy I read this." Read more

"...A thrilling read on so many levels and a testament to perseverance. M. Robinson" Read more

"...I am so happy I did. Thank you Ms. Rogoff for such an amazing read !" Read more

"A delightful memoir about the Herculean task of getting a Russian version of Sesame Street produced In Moscow in 1990s...." Read more

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