Writing Children's Books For Dummies. Peter Economy

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Kinney (Harry N. Abrams), and The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic), about young wizards and witches in a magical school.

      A coming-of-age story often includes a school environment, though not always. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books) is a stand-out coming-of-age story that was also made into a movie. And old standbys like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Reader’s Library Classics) and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (Bay Back Books) still captivate readers today.

      Developmental milestones and first experiences

      

Never talk down to a child about the milestones they achieve (or want to achieve) and the first experiences they have. Always treat these big events in a child’s life delicately and with respect.

Photos depict example titles celebrating developmental milestones.

      a) From No More Tantrums. Reprinted with permission of the author/illustrator © 2016 Maria van Lieshout. b) From Bye-Bye Binky. Reprinted with permission of the author/illustrator © 2017 Maria van Lieshout.

      FIGURE 3-13: Example titles celebrating developmental milestones.

      Prose poetry

Prose poetry, a relatively new genre, is defined as imaginative poetic writing in prose (so most of the text doesn’t rhyme and isn’t metered). Prose poetry can have the effect on the reader of glimpsing into the heart of the writer in bits and pieces that manage to work as a whole. Good prose poetry blends the techniques of prose with the emotion and lyricism of poetry. Poets looking to break free from form along with prose writers seeking new means of expression may find creative freedom in prose poetry. Prose poetry is often also called “a novel in verse,” even though it doesn’t rhyme; see Figure 3-14.

Photo depicts example prose poetry titles, including a look inside.

      a) From Alone, by Megan E. Freeman. Text copyright © 2021 by Megan E. Freeman. Reprinted with the permission of Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. All rights reserved. b) Cover and c) interior from I Am Here Now, by Barbara Bottner. Copyright © 2020 by Barbara Bottner. Reprinted by permission of Imprint, a part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

      FIGURE 3-14: Example prose poetry titles, including a look inside.

      I Am Here Now, by Barbara Bottner (Imprint), shown in Figure 3-14, is an autobiographical look into the author’s teen years. It examines what happens when you shatter your life and piece it all back again; it also looks at how an artist comes into being. Clap When You Land, by bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo (Quill Tree Books), is a novel in verse about a young Latina woman and what happens when her beloved hero of a father dies in a plane crash.

      Romance

      

You write a romance for teens much like you write a romance for adults. You can choose from many subgenres (diversity, Christian, contemporary, fantasy, historical, inspirational, LGBTQIA, paranormal, romantic comedy, suspense, time travel — just to mention a few). All those subgenres have conventions that you have to fulfill; romance readers know what they want. If you’re writing teen romance, make sure to read up in the genre (and subgenres) to make sure you get the tone, style, and content just right.

      Learning/educational

      The most skilled writers disguise learning in the most elegant manner so that the reader doesn’t even know they’re learning. You mostly find the learning/educational genre in board books, picture books, early readers, coloring and activity books, and middle-grade nonfiction.

Photo depicts How to Change the World in 12 Easy Steps.

      From How to Change the World in 12 Easy Steps, published with permission of Tanglewood Books. Author © 2021 Peggy Porter Tierney. Illustrator © 2021 Marie Letourneau.

      FIGURE 3-15: How to Change the World in 12 Easy Steps.

Photo depicts example nonfiction educational books.

      a) Animated Science: The Periodic Table reprinted with permission of the illustrator © 2021 Shiho Pate. Text © 2021 John Fandon. b) Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean written by Patricia Newman. Photographs by Annie Crawley. Text copyright © 2021 by Patricia Newman. Photographs copyright © 2021 Annie Crawley. Reprinted with the permission of Millbrook Press, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

      FIGURE 3-16: Example nonfiction educational books.

      Historical-figure biographies, activity books, and how-to books all fall into this genre. You can also find issue-based books on puberty, sex, divorce, race, adoption, understanding the LGBTQIA community, and all the cultural hot-button issues of the day for children and teens. (Although a lot of fiction also covers these topics.)

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