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The Categories of Child Book Publishing

Child Book Publishing

Child book publishing has various categories that every author should be aware. No single book is appropriate for all children.

Picture Books

Picture Books have text relegated to almost as captions to illustrations. An actual storyline is not necessary as long as a recognizable theme is present (“These are the animals on a farm”, for example). These books are normally read—and shown—to children, and serve as an introduction to reading.

Early Reader Books

Text plays a larger part in Early Reader Books . As the name implies, these are the first books children begin reading. Storylines, take precedence over themes at this stage, preparing children for longer stories. Illustrations can still be found on every page.

Chapter Books

Chapter Books take on aspects of novels, breaking these slightly longer stories into short chapters. This also marks the appearance of action and adventure stories featuring children. Chapter breaks are usually made in the middle of scenes to maintain the readers' interest. (The Junior Jedi Knights book series fits this profile.) The number of illustrations per book diminishes. This form of child book publishing is starting to look similar to adult novels.

Middle Grade Books

Middle-Grade Books feature longer chapters and a strong focus on humor and series books.

Young Adult Novels

Young Adult Novels do away with illustrations as a necessary part of the story. (As novels, these books use artwork on the cover as a form of advertisement.) Storylines focus teens learning about themselves and their world. (Judy Blume has written classic stories for children of all ages. One of her best YA novels is Tiger Eyes.)

Child book publishing has come a long way from the days of Dr. Seuss. Beyond nursery rhymes and “happily ever after”, the Children's Book Industry has developed major cater to the different needs of children as they grow.



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