How to Write Children's Books

Learning how to write children's books may lead to a fulfilling career as you realize that your stories can touch children’s lives. The impact a memorable story can make on a person can last a lifetime. Most of the stories that stayed with us, as adults, came from the children’s books we read when we were young.

Picture books for preschool aged children read to them by adults are usually simple stories that range no more than a thousand words and sometimes as few as a hundred. There is no set page limit, but range from sixteen to thirty-two pages. Silly story lines are entertaining for young children, so don’t hold back your creativity! Robert Munsch stories are excellent examples.

Beginning reader books usually target young elementary school children who are learning to read on their own. These are usually the “older” version of the picture books with word counts ranging from two-hundred to two-thousand. Their page counts are longer also, usually from thirty-two to sixty-four pages. The stories aimed toward this age group are usually more realistic than regular picture books. To encourage children to read text aloud, the sentences are usually not complex with one to two sentences on a page.

Middle reader books are usually aimed towards children eight to twelve. Since a child’s attention span increases as they get older, these books are longer than they have previously read and have more in-depth story lines. A hundred to 150 pages hold a child’s attention with characters they identify with and with a story they insert themselves into.

Young-adult fiction books are popular now, and while the age group is twelve and above, you will often find adults reading them as well. Harry Potter is an example. The story lines are adult and the settings are realistic. Usually longer than 130 pages, these books vary in word count with some reaching over 300 pages. Some titles with vivid characters become a series. Examining your characters mind, life and background can help you create a story that spans several books.

Learning how to write children's books can be fun and challenging. Reading children's books, learning the craft, and persistence can help a writer achieve this goal.

How to Write Children's Books to Writing for Children