Writing Children's Books For Dummies. Peter Economy
we take a look at books that focus more on telling a story through words than illustrations, though they often also include illustrations. This category includes easy readers, early readers, first chapter books, middle-grade books, and YA books.
Early readers
Writers and publishers develop early readers for children who are just learning their letters or perhaps even sounding out their first words. Experts in reading, teaching, learning, or curricula create particular programs around the theory of reading that the publisher has chosen to embrace, often either a phonics-based (see Figure 2-9) or whole-language-based theory.
The We Read Phonics series, reprinted courtesy of Treasure Bay, Inc. Copyright © 2012.
FIGURE 2-9: We Read Phonics, an early reader series.
When a publishing house develops an early reader program, they create vocabulary lists and decide on parameters for story development and illustration, page counts, and more — all designed to make the child’s first reading experiences satisfying and logically progressive, and to encourage more reading.
Surveying early reader basics and age levels
With anywhere from 10 pages to 64 pages, the amount of information and the word count in early reader books varies greatly, but one thing normally stays the same: the size. Most early reader books come sized at 6 inches x 9 inches. Early reader books (also known as leveled readers) usually work for kids between the ages of 5 and 9, although many series divide them into five levels, depending on the reading level of each child:
Level 1: Just getting started reading; the reader knows the alphabet and is excited about reading their first books. Sometimes labeled for ages 3 to 6.
Level 2: For readers who can recognize and sound out certain words but who may still need help with more complex words. Often labeled for ages 4 to 6.
Level 3: When a reader is ready to tackle easy stories all by themselves. For kindergarten through third grade.
Level 4: Many programs introduce chapter breaks at Level 4 for children who are ready to jump into “bigger kid” books but aren’t yet ready for middle-grade topics or length. For second and third graders.
Level 5: If the program goes this far, these books are actual chapter books that have a few black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout. You can find third and fourth graders still reading these.
Writing early readers
Turning word lists into fascinating stories is no easy task. Indeed, writing truly good early reader books requires a talent for minimalism, perfect word choice, a well-honed sense of whimsy and fun, and an understanding of how to keep plot, pacing, and character development on the move with the turn of each page. We go more into the latter elements of writing in Part 3. But if you want to write well in this format, you have to research the style, tone, and contents of each publisher’s early reader series and then practice. You also more often than not have to adhere to vocabulary lists. If you want to submit a book to a particular publisher, most publishers offer guidelines for their programs on their websites.
Early readers can be fiction or nonfiction and cover topics that are often found in the curriculum taught in school for particular age ranges. As nationwide testing in reading comprehension and reading skills becomes more prevalent, starting at the earliest grades, we expect even more curriculum-based reading programs to surface, supplementing what teachers are presenting in the classrooms.
First chapter books
A first chapter book is often a child’s first real foray into reading books that don’t have full-color illustrations (see Figure 2-10). In this exciting time in a child’s life, they get to go the section in the bookstore or library that houses the big-girl and big-boy books. First chapter books discuss more mature subject matter and have more complex stories than board books and picture books, as well as more complex characters and relationships with one another.
From Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth, Book 1, reprinted courtesy of HarperCollins Children’s Books. Text © 2012 by Jane O’Connor. Illustrations © 2012 by Robin Preiss Glasser.
FIGURE 2-10: Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth, Book 1, a first chapter book.
Most first chapter books, if they have illustrations at all, contain a few black-and-white images scattered randomly throughout. The authors of first chapter books maintain the pacing directly through story developments and conflict, rather than through illustration or subtle suggestion. Some popular first chapter book series include the My Weird School and the My Weirder School series by Dan Gutman and Jim Paillot (HarperCollins) and Annie Barrows’s and Sophie Blackall’s Ivy + Bean series (Chronicle Books).
Focusing on the basics of first chapter books
When a child moves from early readers to first chapter books, the books are longer, the illustrations switch from color to black and white, and the stories and vocabulary generally progress in complexity. Kids in the 7-to-10 age range generally read first chapter books. With approximately 128 pages, first chapter books come in hardcover or softcover digest size, which is usually around 5½ x 8½ inches. They typically contain about eight to ten chapters of about eight to ten pages each.
Writing first chapter books
Like with any other format, writing good first chapter books requires skill, and practice helps you develop that skill. First, you must read, read, read examples of the format so that you get a feel for the ways in which authors develop the characters, create and flesh out the story, use vocabulary in both speech and narrative, progress the plot, and maintain the pacing and interest at steady levels. You need an appreciation for children in the target age group of 7 to 10 years old (what they like, what they don’t like, what they glom onto, and what they’re likely to reject). We reveal how to figure out the inner workings of a child’s mind in Chapter 7.
Middle-grade books
You probably remember reading middle-grade fiction and nonfiction books in your childhood. These books were long, detailed, and relatively complex, and they dealt with subject matter that was much more intriguing (and potentially much more divisive) than most children’s picture books. Some classic