Writing Books for Children

by Jane Yolen

An editor and author of children's books offers advice on the mechanics of writing juvenile literature and marketing works

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Jane Yolen was a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who wrote more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lived in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Chris]

I love Jane Yolen, but have to issue a caveat that this book is rather dated. It was published in 1973. There is a lot of timeless content here that writers will appreciate ("Children's books ... change lives"), including a good survey of the different types of children's books. But there are also pages of info on market research that have been rendered meaningless by the Internet.

[Arlene Allen]

Still haven't done it yet - but I have a friend who has.

[Lisagarden]

This book is a must if you want to learn about writing for children. Jane Yolen is the source that teachers use, may as well go to the source/