Photo by Lisa Fotios
Ruthanne Nopson and her works are brilliant examples of how children’s literature can be excellent vehicles for great ideas and broad topics to reach young readers.
Children’s literature is very important. There is no doubt about that. Some of the greatest pieces of literature are found in children’s literature. While she has yet to make a big name for herself: Ruthanne Nopson and her works are brilliant examples of how children’s literature can be excellent vehicles for great ideas and broad topics to reach young readers.
While it is often the case that it is difficult to make the complex simple, it is much easier to do so in children’s literature, especially during the planning and conceptualization stages. This is also a hallmark of good and memorable children’s stories: the way it incorporates great ideas into understandable and sizable content for young readers that is worth engaging with and is packaged in a language that they can consume.
Writing a Children’s Book with Great Ideas
Though some ignorant people believe that writing children’s stories is easy, it is not. Just because children require simple language and simpler stories, writing a book for them is quite challenging. Sometimes it can be more challenging than writing a short story for adults. This is because while it’s easy enough to think up stories for an adult audience, especially in your age demographic, it is more difficult to do so with a group of readers that are substantially considerably younger than you.
So, if you are looking to write a children’s book, you need great ideas and greater stories.
Of course, there is much more to be said about writing stories for children beyond the ideas and stories you want to talk about. Here are some basic tips you can commit to yourself to help you start planning your children’s story:
Firstly, reading up on already published children’s stories is extremely helpful. This allows you to learn more about the industry and what the recent trends are, which is especially important considering the scrutiny that children’s books are facing these days with sweeping bans on specific topics and the general discussion of the role that books should play in a child’s education.
The second thing you need to consider is your demographic. While everyone has a particular image of what a child looks like, in their heads, children as an umbrella term is quite broad, ranging from infants to toddlers to adolescents, although in the literature industry, children are specifically for those under the age of fifteen. This means that when you are in the planning stages of writing your children’s story, you really have to cater it to a specific age range since various age groups take in ideas differently. This does not mean that certain age groups are locked out of certain ideas, only that you have to construct their delivery in a way that is palatable to your target demographic.
Lastly, remember that children, despite their differences to more mature age groups, are already quite intelligent. Do not fall into stereotypes about what they can or cannot understand. Children are more perceptive and understanding than most people are led to believe. If you are a parent, you are keenly aware of this.
Topics for Children’s Stories You Should Consider
Here are some ideas that you may wish to talk about in your upcoming children’s story:
Nature. Early awareness of the natural world leads children to a better appreciation and understanding of environmental issues, especially climate change and the human destruction of the wilderness.
Space. Introducing young readers to the wonders and beauty of space is a great way to nurture in them a passion for science and technology, subtly developing in them a scientific worldview.
