The ABCs of Writing for Children: 114 Children's Authors and Illustrators Talk about the Art, the Business, the Craft & the Life of Writing Children's Literature

by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff

Have you ever dreamed of writing a best-selling children's book? Ever fantasize about what it's like to live the life of a published children's author? Although writing and illustrating books for children is not as easy as it looks, new authors and illustrators are being discovered--and published--all the time. Even if you're not planning a career in this field, learning how authors and illustrators work can lend new insights and appreciation to their art. The same ideas and inspirations that help authors and illustrators of children's books may encourage students, teachers, librarians and other creative artists in their literary efforts. In ""The ABCs of Writing for Children, "" you'll learn many 'do's and don'ts' for creating children's books. You'll see that what works for one author may not work for the next. No matter what your aspirations are, whether you want to enrich your reading, teach others to read and write more deeply, or nurture your own creative process, learning what works for others may work for you. Including Chris Crutcher, Karen Cushman, Sid Fleischman, Richard Peck, R. L. Stine, Rosemary Wells, and Jane Yolen.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I read this. Dated and just a selection of quotes from different authors.

[Christine L. Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the title of the book, I thought I would find a book that gives you step by step instructions for how to write for children from various authors. That is not what the book is all about. It is a tips guide from over 100 authors as to what has helped them in their writing career. It gives short ‘how-to” advice, quips and anecdotes about writing for children. Most of the responses are just a few sentences to at most a couple of paragraphs. It includes a list of recommended books, a glossary of writing terms and a resource guide to organizations and publications.

Some of the responses are insightful such as one response on dealing with humor where an author responds, “If writers or artists are playful, it will permeate their books. I come from a family that likes to laugh a lot! That’s where it all begins.” If you can’t find humor in your life, how can you write it in a story? On the other hand some of the responses seem more like just the first thing that popped out of the author’s mouth without too much thought. Here’s an example of a response to the question on dialog that one author gave, “Write lots of it.”

Some of the other advice includes those you’ve heard and read often if you read books on writing such as “consider non-fiction as an avenue into publishing.” I’ve read this over and over and it is just another reminder that everyone wants to write fiction but they don’t want to do the research for non-fiction. The other I loved seeing was to “do multiple submissions for your work” and “write everyday – it’s like exercise.”

I wouldn’t recommend this book as a how to guide for writing but rather a guide of encouragement from those who have made a success of writing. It’s a gentle reminder of what works for when you need the inspiration to write.


Each week I do interviews with published authors who share their experiences of getting published and give tips from what they’ve learned. If you would like to learn more about writing, you can find them at... http://TheWriteChris.blogspot.com.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

i picked this up and put it in a stack to read when i finally got around to working on the kids book i've been trying to read, and picked it up when i was moving the stack of books today.
it ISN'T a how-to book, it is quick thoughts by authors and artists about writing, illoing, publishing, book signing etc.

fantastic read.