Product Description
Successful writer and experienced editor Tracey Dils takes the mystery out ofchildren's book publishing with this collection of guidelines which will helpwriters get their books in print. Illustrations . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Concise Helpful Guide for Beginning Children's Writers
Tracy E. Dils has provided a wonderful handbook for anyone who has ever enjoyed telling children's stories. Using this book will help you put your stories into print and hopefully get them published.

She doesn't promise that you will be published, but she sure works hard to get you there from the very start all the way through to breaking into print.

Writing a children's book is not as easy as it sounds. Most people are surprised that it is more difficult than one would expect. Dils lays out the guidelines in such a way that you almost cannot fail.

Using this guide with the companion workbook will certainly help you on your way to becoming a successful children's author. A friend and I used these two books with good success. Dils got us started and she can do the same for you.

You Can Write Children's Books

You Can Write Children's Books
Everyone wants to write a children's book!THis is the manual that tells you how.

You Can Write Children's Books
Very well written book - also very upbeat - simple to understand the work up of plots, themes etc.A very encouraging book if you have a genuine interest in writing childrens.It made my writing much easier and clearer to write.

Great Information
I found this book very helpful in outlining the begining to end steps of writing, as well as submitting, stories for children. It is written in a layman's easy-to-absorb manner & lays everything out for the reader step by step. It is also very encouraging along the way!

Great book!
The book has some really well thought-out entries and some excellent resource material.Of course, as with any reference book, this book will be out-dated in a year or so. ... Read more

Product Description
While personally editing almost 500 published books, Jim Giblin helped develop many talented newcomers into frequently published authors, and he is still helping authors today as Contributing Editor at Clarion. Jim is especially sensitive to what aspiring writers want and need because he was once one himself.
The Giblin Guide is filled with Jim Giblin's expert guidance on all aspects of writing and selling children's books in today's marketplace. Instruction is leavened with Jim's rich repertoire of examples, anecdotes, and humor. It's all clearly organized into 13 chapters that cover the three children's book fields: nonfiction, fiction, and picture books.
Whatever your writing interest, from mysteries to biographies, from easy readers to how-to's, from multicultural novels to picture books, the Giblin Guide to Writing Children's Books brings you everything you need to jump-start your writing and move you assuredly toward publication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive
This book gives writers a comprehensive guide to writing both fiction and nonfiction. It covers everything from what the market looks like to research, types of fiction, submissions, and publication - and much more. I gleaned several tips from this book and highly recommend it to other authors. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the ultimate writer’s and illustrator’s reference to hundreds of publishers, editors, and agents in the world of children’s publishing. Inside is an up-to-date collection of names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Web sites for the best of the best in the industry, plus all the critical basics you need to uncover the most promising publishing opportunities. You’ll also find interviews and articles from insiders who reveal the secrets to big-time success in this ultracompetitive arena. Included are listings for more than:

• 250 book and magazine publishers and exactly what they want
• 500 children’s book editors who will buy your work
• 100 children’s book agents and artist reps and how to make them work for you
• 100 contests and awards to help you break into the business
• 100 of the best conferences and workshops

At your fingertips is everything you need to get past the slush piles and into the hands of the real players of the children’s publishing market, including guidance, resources, and inspiration that will make the process smooth and swift. With this book and your talent, you hold the keys to being published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderfully written!
This is truly a beautiful book, well written and beautifully illustrated.A great purchase!

Great companion to the CWIM
This is a great book offering guidelines to publishers and agents and is an excellent companion to the CWIM.If you write kidlit and want to be published, get an agent or find out the latest guidelines for magazine and book publishers, this book often has more in its listings than the CWIM.It's great to confirm editor's names and other pertinent info. too.This is the first time I've ordered this book and I'm glad I did.In some ways, I like it even better than the CWIM (Children's writers/illustrators markets) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

English Teacher Says....
You must own this book if you are teaching anyone how to write poetry.Absolutely essential!

Don't Be Scared of Poetry
I know a lot of teachers who would be open to teaching poetry in the classroom, if they themselves weren't frightened of it. This book offers a variety of poetry -- from all forms and time periods -- and accompanies each one with both an explanation of the poem itself and suggested applications in the classroom. I first encountered the book in a course on teaching English, and every class, we started with a poem in this book and wrote our own poem of imitation. It felt like going to a spa retreat every time I got to class, because through poetry, we were able to creatively express our feelings, and the exercises also helped create an atmosphere of trust in the room, where we were open with our work and unafraid of criticism. The book also contains a lot of student-generated responses to show that even the most complex poetry contains themes that can be translated to any grade level.

classic book on poetry appreciation for children
I love this book, and it's a must if you are getting Wishes, Lies & Dreams.I wish that he had more poetry for younger children, with tips on how to help them understand it.

Poetry for children -- and for adults!
A follow-up to the author's equally wonderful "Wishes, Lies, and Dreams," this superb volume is one of the best sources for teaching poetry that I've ever read. How many of us found that school crushed any budding love of poetry we had, rather than nurturing it? Well, Kenneth Koch will bring that crushed bud back into full, glorious blossom! He has a rare gift -- he removes the barriers to poetry, the ones that say it's too deep, too different, too complex, for the likes of ordinary people; yet he never removes its mystery, its wonder, its beauty. If anything, he makes it available & familiar to all in a way that only enhances its rapturous qualities. He makes us realize that a poem is as obvious & rich, as subtle & tangible, as a flower. The poem is there for anyone, for everyone, to savor & enjoy.

Most highly recommended!

Category for favoirte books of all time
.
This is one of my favorite books:

"I like to write about poems. I like poems.
Some girls are like poems."
-Eric Filisbret, 3rd or 4th grade

"Dog where do you get that bark?
Dragon where do you get that flame?
Kitten where do you get that meow?
Rose where do you get that red?
Bird, where do you get those wings?"
-Desiree Lynn Collier, 3rd or 4th grade

"Come with me and I'll show you my heart. I
know where it is and I know all about it...
Come with me, I'll take you to a world, not
a world that you know. Not a world that
I know. But a world that nobody knows,
not you or me... "

It's ironic, the good kind, for me to learn
so much from a book about ok, teaching
children about poetry.


... Read more

Product Description
Six prominent children's authors, including Maurice Sendak, Rosemary Wells, and Jack Prelutsky, agree that to enter the worlds that children inhabit, you must possess the magic word - honesty.Amazon.com Review
"No kind of writing lodges itself so deeply in our memory,"writes William Zinsser in his introduction to Worlds ofChildhood, "as the books that we met in our childhood." Reproducedhere are essays by six celebrated children's book authors that cameinto being as a series of talks at the New York Public Library in1989. Children's book writing is often deceptively simple, and perhapsthe one overriding theme here is the seriousness with which thesewriters approach their work. "Writing for very young children is themost difficult discipline I know," says RosemaryWells, whose Max and Ruby books were the first board books. (DoesWells find it so difficult in part because, as she says, "all reallygood picture books are written to be read five hundred times"?) PoetJackPrelutsky, inventor of the "gloopy gloppers" and the "addle-patedpaddlepuss," says he never condescends when he write for children. AndMauriceSendak, best known for his fantastically fuzzy wild things, sayshe's "never spent less than two years on the text of one of my picturebooks, even though each of them is approximately 380 words long. Onlywhen the text is finished ... do I begin the pictures." --JaneSteinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very Happy
I was happy the book got to me on time and in great condition! Many thanks!

An inspiration
The first reviewer may be referring to a different book, as I don't remember the name Connie Epstein being on there.

This book is not a lesson on the craft of writing for children, despite what the title might tell you. There are no diagrams for an arc of conflict or character questionnaires. Instead, it contains the essays of six famous children's book authors on the sources of their inspiration. It's very funny and at times, personal--a great read for both aspiring writers and people who just enjoy children's books.

I recommend this book as a chaser to a more technical nuts-and-bolts of writing book. It will remind you of the spiritual and personal side of writing, rather than simply plot, conflict, and characters.

The Art and Craft of Children's Writing by Connie Epstein
This book is an indepth look at writing from an editor's point of view. I found it very helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
As a child, Sarah Ellis made up plenty of stories but could never think of any when called upon in school. As an adult, she discovered a way to encourage children to express their creativity. The result is From Reader to Writer, a trove of suggestions and activities that use classic children’s literature to inspire and liberate kids’ imaginations. Each of the 17 chapters consists of an intriguing anecdote about an author, from Louisa May Alcott to Susan Cooper, that describes their childhood, what they read, and the sources for their books. Each anecdote leads into a writing activity, which can range from simple to sophisticated and can be adapted to different classroom situations. Letter and journal writing, wordplay, fantasy and riddles, and “story-starter” ideas are among the entertaining and original techniques for encouraging a young person to take up a pen and start writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Inspiration
Easy to read, great fun, and I have a list of books to read and re-read for the summer. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you want to publish a children’s book or other full-color book?

This book is for you! Publishing industry insider and CEO Brent Sampson reveals the step-by-step process for publishing a full-color book quickly, conveniently, and affordably. Adventures in Publishing is a “how-to” book written in a unique and charming children’s book style, complete with gorgeous full-color illustrations.

Speaking of illustrations, do you need some?Adventures in Publishing shows you how to add award-winning custom illustrations to your full-color books for less money than you might think, and without having to split royalties with the artist.Custom, full-color illustrations starting at $100 each? It’s possible, and Adventures in Publishing shows you how. If you’ve looked around for illustrations on your own, you already know how amazing that is!

Hi, I'm the author, Brent Sampson. Are you holding a manuscript in your hand that you wish was a published children’s storybook with original, full-color illustrations?Or do you want to publish a full-color cookbook or art book? In any case, if you dream of publishing in full-color, Adventures in Publishing will help you.

As the president and CEO of Outskirts Press, and the published author of a children’s book myself, I have experienced first-hand the frustrations that many authors face when attempting to publish a full-color book.Usually, their dreams stall with either the up-front printing costs or the professional illustrations. Finding talented AND affordable artists is nearly impossible, and many want to split your royalties with you, which costs even more in the long run.I have met other writers whose dreams have expired when they discover the up-front printing costs. Warning: Full-color printing can be EXPENSIVE if you do it wrong.Save yourself from making a $10,000 mistake!

There is a better, faster, more affordable way to experience full-service custom book publishing. If you need full-color original artwork, this book will show you how to find many unique styles to choose from, and you don’t have to worry about sharing your royalties with the artist.Get exactly what you want without having to compromise on quality!

Speaking of quality, Adventures in Publishing serves as an example of the high-quality publishing, printing, binding, and illustrations you will receive when enjoying fast, convenient, and affordable self-publishing services.Yes! Your book can look this good and be available worldwide on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites (plus many others) for much less than you think.

All the details are inside, along with an instant promotion code to save you over $100(!) when you start your own publishing adventure right away. The coupon saves you 10 times more than the cost of the book! It’s like being paid to buy it. So what are you waiting for? Purchase Adventures in Publishing today and start publishing your full-color book tomorrow.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Brent Sampson is the award-winning author of Self-Publishing Simplified and Sell Your Book on Amazon. As the president and CEO of Outskirts Press at www.OutskirtsPress.com, Brent is actively involved with the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Small Publishers Association of North America, the Florida Writers Association, and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (82)

A Creative How-To
I've had an idea for a children's book in the back of my head for some time now. This book is a great guideline. As an event producer, writer and creative person, the creativity of writing a how-to book about writing a children's book (as a children's book) is unique and special.

A great guide
This is a very informative guide to the world of self-publishing children's books. I have had the pleasure of working with Outskirts Press on my children's book,"Bailey's Day."Bailey's Day

Creative "How to" Book
I have enjoyed this unique "How to" book called "Adventures in Publishing." Outskirts Press was very creative and informative in this children's book for publishing. The creative graphic art work was beautiful to see and matched the story line well for authors interested in writing children's books. Introducing some of the authors and their children's book with snap shots and the actual books were very helpful. The book breaks down the whole publishing process and experience for the author which is fairly easy in every way possible. I wish Outskitrs Press continued success in the publishing world, and it has been a great honor to work with this company and it's staff.God bless to you all!


My name is Leonardo DeVinci Thomas, the author of an inspiring poetry book called "Through DeVinci Eyes:Poetry of Evolution"

Great Work Of Art
This is another piece of great work from the AuthorBrent Sampson,
An exceptional work of art. Outskirts Press is always putting out the best in books.
Joe Tango, Author:The Passionate Lover: How to Keep Your Relationship Alive [...]

It is like an adventure in publishing!
This informative children style book about publishing that uses positive and effective features to guide the reader through the publishing process.Anyone of any age could follow this delightful and colorful story about Mindy's experience to get her book published.It is very close to my own experience.As an author of "Prelude to Danger", I can say that Outskirts stands by their word.They are similar to a guiding star who seems to be always there.Nice work! William D. Sample, author of "Prelude to Danger" published December 18, 2009. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent guidance, master storyteller
This is a fantastic book, by one of the world's best fantasy and fable tellers -- hard to believe it's out of print.One great thing it offers is continual reading suggestions, to get a feel for what's out there in children's literature.Easy to get through, too.

Educational
A highly eduactional read I enjoyed it simply because it gave me load of info on how to improve my writing ... Read more

Product Description
Creative Writing is the essential guide for students wanting to develop their literacy skills and improve their grades in English assignments and exams. Creative Writing will guide students through the story writing process. This book is designed to help the child with thinking up ideas, providing starting points for writing, structuring and organizing their writing into paragraphs. It features writing a good introduction with characters, setting and plot, building up suspense and winding up the plot with a suitable resolution. Attention is given to making writing more interesting by varying sentence types, using punctuation and good grammar. The student will investigate different narrative structures for writing stories, exploring various viewpoints so they can decide if they write in first or third person. They will learn to evoke mood and atmosphere by using good vocabulary. Model answers, sample texts and practice questions are included. Common errors are highlighted and corrected. ... Read more

Product Description
The long-awaited companion to the best-selling You Can Write Children's Books, this new workbook from Tracey E. Dils provides aspiring children's authors with hands-on instruction for finishing their manuscripts, preparing them for publication, and getting them published.

You Can Write Children's Books Workbook takes readers step-by-step through identifying a project, writing and revising the manuscript, researching the genre and marketplace, targeting publishers, and preparing a professional submission. Perfect as an accompaniment or as a stand-alone, this guide will give aspiring writers the concrete instruction and experience they need to make a confident submission to a publisher or agent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

You Can Write Children's Books Workbook
I haven't had time to read it completely, but so far it is going to helpfull to me.

Walks You Through Writing a Children's Book
The You Can Write Children's Book Workbook literally walks you through writing a children's book. You will start out identifying what you want to write about and why, then you will be taken through a series of exercises. Before you know it, you will have created your story.

I wrote my first children's story following the steps outlined in this book. It even walked me through the revision process, final proofing, and sending my precious ms off to the publisher.

However, this book does not guarantee your story will be published, but it does cut down on the time it takes to learn the process of writing, revising, and sending the manuscript to the proper publisher. Also of interest is the insider information regarding how and why publisher's publish.

Although this workbook works well for an individual writer, it is an excellent tool to use in a writer's group. That way the writer can also have access to valuable critiques during the process.

Great to begin your quest of becoming an Author
Has some questions that you answer in a workbook style to focus your skills and see if you truly have what it takes to begin the quest of getting published in the Children's book genre.
Some of the questions were redundant and were repeated (basically) in other chapters. But, you did focus on different aspects of the same question with a new point of view- so it worked out ok in the end. ... Read more

Product Description

Thirty-Three Ways to Help with Writing equips teachers and teaching assistants with a wide range of practical resources to help children who are having difficulties learning the basic skills of writing.

Offering a range of activities and games to engage children and encourage motivation in the classroom, this essential classroom companion provides ready-to-use material that doesn’t need lengthy forward preparation.

These practical and fun ideas incorporate a variety of learning styles, using kinaesthetic and auditory techniques, which put the emphasis on ‘games’ rather than ‘work’. The activities are especially suitable for teaching assistants working with individuals or small groups. Thirty-Three Ways to Help with Writing works step-by-step through practical activities which:

• keep children motivated and enjoying learning
• do not require extensive knowledge or experience from the adult
• are adult-led so children don't have the opportunity to repeat mistakes
• are grouped into different basic skills, so teachers can choose the activity best suited for the child’s needs
• have clear, concise and pedagogically sound reasons for the activity
• include extension activity where appropriate to challenge pupils.

The Routledge Thirty-Three Ways series of practical ‘how-to’ books is for primary teachers, teaching assistants and SENCOs who are in need of fresh ideas to teach pupils who are struggling with basic skills. Although aimed mainly at primary age pupils, secondary teachers will also find this book invaluable to use with pupils who are falling behind. The series facilitates good inclusive provision and is a resource from which useful ideas and materials can be taken without having to plough through chapters of theory and research.

Product Description

In Origins of Story, notable writers for children consider how literature, memory, and moral passion serve the writers. Among the seventeen authors represented here are Tom Feelings, Ursula K. Le Guin, Maurice Sendak, Susan Cooper, Sarah Ellis, Katherine Paterson, Jill Paton Walsh, and Virginia Hamilton. These contributing authors reach beyond themselves and their work to discuss vitally important subjects such as home and homelessness, violence and nonviolence, and the nature of heroism. Implicit in their essays is the realization that we have much to learn from literature that mirrors the lives of children.

Story is as new for children as experience itself. And when children's writers are wise, they anticipate the freshness of their audience and reserve for children the choicest of material -- what Walter de la Mare called "the rarest kind of best."

Under the sponsorship of Children's Literature New England (CLNE), a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1987, individuals have met annually on university campuses on both sides of the Atlantic to discuss books and their insight into children's lives. The essays in Origins of Story represent some of the themes of the annual programs. This collection is a treasure trove, an affirmation of the vital connection between children's books and the imagination.Amazon.com Review
Writing for children is serious work. Thankfully, there arewriters up to the task. In these essays, which originated asChildren's Literature New England talks, "notable writers for childrenconsider how literature, memory, and moral passion serve the writer." Gillian Cross (TheGreat American Elephant Chase) uses the story of Jack and theBeanstalk to explore the import--for author, reader, and sometimesprotagonist--of entering a fictional world.Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild ThingsAre) illuminates a current running through his books having todo with survival. "How do children survive under the best conditionswith loving parents," he wonders, "or worse, with unlovingparents--how do kids make out?" Susan Cooper (The Grey King)explores our motives for reading, as children and as adults. "Moreoften than not," she determines, "[the child] is on a voyage ofdiscovery, seeking out new worlds. Not us; we tend to look for thefamiliar." And Pat O'Shea (The Hounds of theMorrigan) tells us what children get from books. "As childrenread," she says, "they learn about the dangers of the world, butultimately in a safe and strengthening way, a way that tells them thatweak and vulnerable as they may be... they and their own lives are ofvalue, have importance, that they make a difference to the world andto the life around them." Other contributors include Ursula K. LeGuin, Gregory Maguire, Sarah Ellis, and Madeleine L'Engle. --JaneSteinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

So many authors in one place!
If you are interested in reading many successful authors' thoughts on the power of story and reading, this book is a must.The essays in this collection are inspiring, diverse, and unified in their passion for writing and storytelling.I found myself returning to passages over and over, savoring the passions for children's literature that are similar to my own.A stellar collection of authors are presented including Susan Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle, Maurice Sendak and many more that appear on most required reading lists.(They are listed entirely in the professional reviews above.)This is a great book for librarians, teachers, students, and anyone who loves one or all of the many authors represented. ... Read more

Product Description
The book is a simple step-by-step guide that leads the reader throughthe steps necessary to successfully write children's stories.Eachstep motivates creativity allowing the reader's unique style ofwriting to surface.The 12 steps in the book apply to all fictionalwriting.The book has examples, exercises, and worksheets that helpthe reader to create their own story.It also takes the readerthrough picture book layout and gives an exercise for writers block.The book is a very useful and practical writing book.

Recommended as a Writer's Reference Book by the Institute ofChildren's Literature and Grumpy's Global Marketing for Books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

How to train a monkey to write.
With her collection of fill-in-the-blanks exercises, Ramos's book suggests that writing for children is a formulaic activity. No creativity is necessary. This book might be useful for folks who care more about the paycheck than their message. For those of you who feel you actually have something unique to share with children, any other book would be more useful.

Heart and Soul
In a world so busy with the routine of daily life, it is good to know that an author like Violet Ramos requires only that the writer use his or her imagination to create a story from his or her heart and soul. She conveys in Young at Heart that the imagination turns into words the images that the heart and soul produce. The author undoubtedly follows the lessons that come out of this union. We all have something within us to share with others, and the story gives us opportunities to express ourselves openly. Violet Ramos has captured the essence of life and wants us to learn how to convey our special messages with others who, like her, are eternally young.

Review in Spanish:
En un mundo tan preocupado con la rutina de cada dia, me da mucho gusto que la autora Violet Ramos requiere que el escritor solamente use su imaginacion para crear un cuento de su corazon y de su alma. La imaginacion convierte en palabras los imagenes que producen el corazon y el alma. La autora sin duda sigue las ensenanzas que resultan de esta reunion. Nosotros tenemos algo que compartir de nuestros seres, y el cuento es la manera que nos da mas oportunidades para expresar nuestros pensamientos en pura forma. Violet Ramos ha capturado la esencia de la vida, y quiere que otros aprendan como desarollar el mensaje especial que cada uno tiene y que lo compartan con los que son eternamente joven.

Young at Heart - Excellent book!
I have many years of writing experience--short stories, poetry, technical documents, business documents, and novels--but when I decided to write childrens' books I had no idea of how to start.I looked at a number of books on the subject and found them too superficial in subject matter.But when I read Violet Ramos' book, Young at Heart, it really caught my attention.This book tells you, in concrete terms and examples, how to write a childrens' book.I recommend it highly!

Highly Recommended!
I thought this book was wonderful! I loved the step-by-step format which took the intimidation out of writing and allowed me to freely create a great story.I would highly recommend this book to people who desire to write for children of all ages.

Young at Heart, The Step-By-Step Way of Writing Children's S
Young at Heart, The Step-By-Step Way of Writing Children's Stories is a very informative book. It takes you through the steps on writing and is easy to follow. I have found it to be very useful as a reference book in my writing. I recommend it very highly. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you have a great idea for a children's book, but aren't exactly sure what to do next? Then this is the book for you! Writing a children's book can be harder than it looks, but The Only Writing Series You'll Ever Need: Writing Children's Books is your golden ticket to learning the ins and outs of creating a stand-out manuscript-and getting it published!

This informative, straightforward guide takes you from the idea stage to writing your first draft to finding a publisher-and everything in between! The Only Writing Series You'll Ever Need: Writing Children's Books is ideal for the writer looking to perfect their craft and break into the world of children's publishing! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Mediocre
This book is not very helpful when compared to the many other excellent books on the subject of children's writing. There are many generalities without examples and only 18 pages (out of 186) that discuss actual writing & revision. On page 179 the authors tell us "there are hundreds" of children's magazines for authors to submit to, but they don't mention any, don't list any in the appendix, or tell the reader where to get the information.

Very Informative
I found this book to be very informative.Granted, I am new to the field, but information was given in a manner that was not intimidating or overwhelming.Subjects were broken down into easily digested parts.I would say this is a very good book to introduce one to the industry in a friendly and helpful way. ... Read more

Product Description

From a top young adult literary agent, the only guide on how to write for young adults

Customer Reviews (7)

Writing Great Books for Young Adults
If you are a YA writer, Writing Great Books for Young Adults is a must have!
Literary agent, Regina Brooks has put together an incredible writing book that offers much more than just tips and advice. It is an invaluable teaching guide.

Not only is it filled with awesome rules on how to engage readers of young adult fiction, Regina takes you on a step by step journey on how to shape your ms where it needs to be.

There are very few writing books out there that are true page turners. This is one of them. If it isn't already on your top shelf, it needs to be. You will NOT be disappointed It truly is a treasure waiting to be found. I can't express enough how much I loved it!


HIGHLY recommended!
Thank you, Regina for writing such an awesome book! You rock!!

Writing for YA
Ms Brooks book is easy to read and understand. I especially found the idea of using index cards to move around to help the writer with plot (I had heard of this before in a workshop but forgot it). I have studied Vogler and Campbell...plus many others. Ms. Brooks has taken these ideas and put them into a brief outline. She also imparts a lot of information about writing for teens versus other kind of writing. Thanks so much for a great teaching guide that I can refer to as I write.

Cool book :)
Regina Brooks made an incredibly resourceful book, I will be referring to from now on for the rest of my writing career!

Congratulations Regina Brooks!
Congratulations Regina Brooks!This book is an invaluable resource for both beginning and seasoned writers.Ms. Brooks leads the reader though the entire writing process, from conception of an idea to the publication process.And what a fun read! Page after page includes helpful quotes from writers, agents and publishers, as well as anecdotes and innovative writing exercises. A literary agent who knows the playing field, Ms. Brooks is clearly passionate about the YA novel.She writes with years of expertise and combines her knowledge of craft with hands-on advice.If you write YA fiction or are even thinking about writing YA fiction, Writing Great Books for Young Adults is a book you'll read and re-read.What a gem!

Better than you'd hope for
Brooks clearly knows what she's about. I've read (too many) books about writing, and this is one of the better ones. It's not full of cheer leading -- ("yes, you can!") but solid advice. The brief treatment of plot, the types of plot, and so forth, is clear and helpful. One thing I found less clear is her distinction between plot and story.

She's very good on what makes books for teens different from books for adults. Since I don't have a teen of my own, I'm going on memory of my own teen years. Brooks also makes specific recommendations on teen fiction to read.

There's enough information in this book to stand up under re-reading. Very helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
Stories from the Old Testament are accompanied by readings and activities for the Jewish child. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Simple and effective
Simple and effective way to expose & teach young children about the Torah. Also can be helpful as preparation forBar/Bat Mitzvah.

Bible Stories for Jewish Children
This book is the first of a two book series which collectively cover the Hebrew bible.The first book covers the Torah.The second covers the balance of the Bible.Stories are presented in order of their appearance in the Bible.Each book contains 18 stories.Each story is told concisely over two pages, followed by activities to review comprehension.The books are nicely illustrated.My boys, ages 4, 6, and 11, all enjoy the stories and activities.The stories, which make great bedtime stories, are presented well to be understandable and interesting for children. ... Read more

Product Description
Revised and updated to address the changing trends in children's literature, this edition of "Children's Writer's Word Book" provides even more of the essential information for children's writers that made the first book a success. With lists of reading-level specific words and a thesaurus of words annotated with reading levels, this invaluable guide saves writers time by collecting everything they need to know about age-appropriate language in one handy book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

All Children's Writers Need This Book
If you write for children, you have to know about standards, age-appropriate vocabulary, and what they're learning each year in school. You need this book, or your writing won't meet the expectations of the kids and paretns who read your writing.

Children's Writer's Word Book
This book is a wonderful source for those who write for children. Albeit, children in target age groups may understand vocabulary at older grade levels. However this book guides and expands vocabulary choice per age range so writers use appropriate language and expand vocabulary according to benchmarks. This book helps focus better word choices for writers.

Words children should use are clearly listed by grade.

There is an overview of what children may be interested in at that age level. This is helpful for writing topics children want to read.

In all, Children's Writer's Word Book, is a worthy reference to own.
The book is guided by national standards in education,and benchmarks in learning. Hopefully, this is updated again as things change.

a Teens review
Alright I have not actually read the book but I did read the part that it shows on Amazon. The style is good but the way that he tells you to write mysteries and stuff, no violence, no dead bodies for preteens. I'm only 13 so I'm not that far out of preteen hood but I have to say that I would be bored with his idea of a good story for this age group. Read the books that are popular now none of them do what he says. I won't give this book a lower review because I have not actually read the whole book and maybe it gets better.

Children's author essential book
You have to have this book if you want to write for children. It will give you words that match your target group. You can feel confident that your words will be clear and appropriate for your book.GREAT delivery buy the seller too.

Children's Writer's Word Book
This is a must have book for writers. It breaks down words to ages, and also gives you more information on when children stop thinking in concrete terms, when children start to learn contractions, and benchmarks for learning at each grade level. ... Read more

Product Description
In addressing "the way to write for children," Joan Aiken starts at the beginning. Is writing a children's book as simple as it looks? Do you want to write for children or about them? Do you want to write a picture book for young children, a book for new readers, or a chapter book for preteens? Why is Beatrix Potter so beloved? E. Nesbit? A. A. Milne? Maurice Sendak?

After more than fifteen years as a writing shelf classic, The Way to Write for Children has been completely revised and updated. From analysis of what makes the best-loved children's books so successful, to where to look for inspiration, to practical advice on how to structure a plot, Aiken delivers an extremely useful book for anyone who's ever considered writing a children's book.
Amazon.com Review
Nearly everyone who has curled up with a child and a book hashad the thought that he or she, too, could write a children'sbook. Joan Aiken, in a revised and updated version of her Way toWrite for Children, cautions that it's not so easy. While booksfor the youngest readers may be simple, the best ones are far fromsimplistic. In this slender volume, Aiken alights on topics relevantto the writing of books for tots, 'tweens, and teens. And, as JiminyCricket is for Pinocchio, she acts as a conscience for children's bookauthors. "Since each child," she intones, "reads only about sixhundred books in the course of childhood, each book should nourishthem in some way." And if you're writing for teens? They are underenough pressure as it is to partake in adult activities, saysAiken. "Let not the fiction they are offered add to the pressure."

Aiken is adamant about what children's books shouldn't do (they cannotbe boring, they must not condescend, and they shouldn't include bridgepassages or flashbacks) but not prescriptive about how they should bewritten. Just keep in mind, she says, that reading, for children, isserious business, and "it is the writer's duty to demonstrate tochildren that the world is not a simple place." As for subject matter,says Aiken, there are enough alphabet books and animal stories to goaround. Instead, she recommends, try to observe small children andtheir interests with the same intense concentration that theyemploy. "Stairs, cupboards, blankets, sinks, ovens, soap, shoes,clocks, knitting, paper-bags--all these can be full of mystery,excitement, and beauty." --Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good Information
This book has useful info. Although it was written in the 90's the information is still relevant today 2010.

Excellent book
Having only recently been a child, I found this to be a wonderful book. It explain how children's books differ from adult books and elaborates on different types of children's books. This is not a book of how to write and use grammar; it rather explains how to tell a story. This advice is amazingly accurate and was more helpful to me than several other books I have read. The book is brief but well-well written and reads smoothly to the end.

Just my cup of tea.
A friendly warning to readers: Even though "The Way to Write for Children" is very precise about what SHOULD NOT be in children's books, it is quite the opposite about what SHOULD be in them.

On the very first page of the text, Joan Aiken bluntly informs readers that "there is no _one_ way in which to write for children." In another chapter, she explains the futility of dividing child readers into age groups and trying to target a single age. Throughout the book, she gives examples of what she considers poor children's literature--and not without good reason.

Aiken is not a writing teacher who says, "Do this and this and this, but not that." She is more like a mentor whose gut instinct about these matters is so finely developed that she can tell what will work and what will not, even though she may not be able to explain why. Yet she does try! Those who like their writing manuals well organized into clean-cut sections and subsections will not appreciate her attempts, but those who understand that she is truly sincere may dig deeper and find unexpected treasure.

You'll enjoy this book more if you have read as much children's literature as Aiken has and are familiar with the authors and titles that she liberally "name drops" throughout the text. I bought my copy three years ago and understood about 10% of it. Then I started studying some of the books she used as examples: "Daddy-Long-Legs", "Poems of Childhood", "The Chronicles of Narnia", "The Hobbit", "I Am the Cheese", etc. With that, her words took on new life for me.

I can compare reading "The Way to Write for Children" to listening to a wise and remarkable friend speak--but not lecture--about children's literature. It is definitely not writing school, but the education I receive is superior.

But we are not children...
gee, I bought this book to help me learn to write for children, not to be talked down to by the author...which is what happened.A shoddy, simplistic, overly "this is how I believe it to be" approach that lacks the the clarity and educational value I was looking for when I purchased it.Dated examples and poor type face and formatting doesn't help.I'd avoid this one.

Misled by previous review
I bought this book based on the five-star reader review from December 2000 and I was sorely disappointed and wishing I'd saved my $10 plus shipping!This book is outdated, sketchy (barely touches on YA novels) and very British.Her writing examples rely heavily on Dickens and the like, which didn't exactly bring me up to speed on the last 20 years of children's literature.I'm still searching for a good guide to writing children's fiction that is in print! ... Read more

Product Description
Writing anything from reports to poems, grasping grammar and punctuation, and using graphic organizers have never been easier than with the help of this ready reference. Each spread uses simple text and vivid illustrations to explain a basic writing concept. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Scholastic Explains Writing Homework
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I homeschool and we use this book all the time for referencing. It has GREAT photos and pictures and makes learning grammar easy to understand. I love the visual stimualation to make the abstracts of grammar easy to grasp. MUST HAVE FOR ALL HOMESCHOOLERS! ... Read more

Product Description
Writing consultant Eve Shelnutt shows parents and teachers how to turn even reluctant youngsters into enthusiastic and skillfull creative writers. ... Read more