Writer’s Literary Has Children’s Editing Specialists

 

The Challenges of Editing and Writing for Children

 

“One fish, two fish --- red fish, blue fish.”  How hard can that be? Writing for children seems to be so simple. After all, we’ve all been children, and we’ve all grown up reading children’s books. We have our favorite titles and authors, genres and themes from childhood. Those of us fortunate enough to recall our early, magical moments with books --- the stories that shaped our young thought processes, the tales that enriched lives beyond anything material or ephemeral --- we know and appreciate the place of reading in young lives. And some of us take up the pen and write those children’s books for the next generations.

 

The keys to successful authorship and publication of excellent children’s literature lie in familiarity with the language development of the growing child as well as access to editorial and publishing resources able to align creative genius with the needs and wants of the young reader. A good Editor, can fine-tune and polish a work of creative genius while tapping into a firm understanding of the complexities of language development in the young child. Together, you, the writer, and your Editor can successfully navigate terrain that turns out to be quite challenging when given proper consideration.

 

Is it really that simple, though? Having been a child, having raised children, having taught children --- is that what it takes to write a successful children’s book? We know with certainty that books are loved – simply gobbled up – by children from six months to adolescence. Some books are wildly successful, generation after generation.  So, are children simply that easy to please? Will any fun story with clever artwork captivate them? Some writers who have tried to break into the children’s literature market know that’s simply not the case. So, what does it take to write a successful children’s book?

 

At the root of the issue is a clear understanding of children and how they develop, especially how they acquire language. An irrefutable fact about children is that each is on a personal developmental timetable and will try, with every fiber of his or her being, to maintain that timetable and develop accordingly. That includes intellectual, social, physical and mental development. The child, therefore, will find and take what he or she needs, from books and stories and from all other aspects of the environment, at the pace and in the style that seems internally appropriate. The good news is that almost all children progress through the same stages, usually in the same order, and generally on a rather predictable schedule. We can anticipate, then, the patterns of language development for specific age groups and try to address the developmental needs of our target audience.

 

It’s important to remember that reading is only one strand of a complex communication system, and children simultaneously develop all of the strands: reading, writing, oral and visual communication. Certain strands take a backseat during critical developmental phases, of course, and others move to the forefront. The infant, with only aural and tactile communication – and pretty much only receptive communication at that – is happy having the phone book read to her, as long as she’s cuddled and warm. Her two-year-old brother has now extended the aural/tactile receptive communication to the visual strand; he loves colorful illustrations as well as books that make sounds and have fuzzy, “touchy” things. The three- and four-year olds are into the oral communication strand; along with intriguing, hilarious pictures, they want sing-song, rhyming text, especially stories and poems that have refrains they can anticipate. Once they enter school, children still move laterally among the three language strands: reading both silently and orally; writing about what has been read, and seeking to read about what has been witnessed; talking about books and drawing pictures of favorite passages.

 

The young mind, blessed with unbridled curiosity and tenacity, naturally chooses to explore new worlds, whether actual or imaginary. Thus, reading satisfies an inherent human need. The more books enhance and support the overall intellectual and social growth of the child, the more they are likely to be chosen (and suggested) again and again, not only by children but by their parents and teachers. The best children’s literature invokes the skills and aptitudes related to all three strands, freeing the young imagination while simultaneously encouraging critical and analytical thinking. Children’s books, in a wide variety of genres, should encourage reading for pleasure, for self-discovery, and for self-enrichment. A young mind that is gently urged to reason and think critically, to grow in understanding of self and others, to develop and test opinions and values through a delightful reading experience, will choose to read and read and read again.

 

Any genre can be appropriate for a child, but the themes of interest to three-year-olds are in marked contrast to the themes of interest to children 4 ½ years old. The content, then, is more critical in targeting the appropriate audience than is the genre. However, once children enter school, their language development is greatly influenced by the curriculum and the teacher, which is probably a good thing. In the classroom, language arts experiences focus on more than mere enjoyment. Reading, writing and speaking activities are aimed at the development of skills in reasoning, communicating, organizing, and applying language conventions. At all levels, even as young as First Grade, children are encouraged to respond to their reading critically and analytically, searching for understanding of self and others, and growing in appreciation of the power of words.

 

No matter what the genre or subject matter, certain qualities make some books and stories perennial favorites of children and their caregivers. The successful book will meet the intellectual and social needs of the child in an age-appropriate way. It will offer some or all of these elements:

 

A “good book” for children, then, might be in any genre, as long as it offers real opportunities for social and intellectual growth. (It is good to remember that, unlike some of their older counterparts, children actually thrive on learning, and welcome challenges of all kinds.) Once the target reading audience is established, the author will want to align the demand for needed language skills with the level at which the child is functioning. Consider, for example, the developmental stages in the understanding of literary form and style:

 

Another example of age-appropriate presentation can be found in the level at which the different ages are able to address challenging vocabulary. While a sixth-grader is likely to be using a dictionary and thesaurus, he or she also uses knowledge of word origins and derivations to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. The first-grader, on the other hand, will determine the meaning of most unfamiliar words through accompanying pictures and illustrations and, less often, through phonics skills.

Writers who are unaware of these developmental phenomena, or cannot understand how to utilize them in the development of their manuscripts, need to seek the assistance of editing and publishing professionals who do understand and apply them successfully.

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