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How to Write Child Books
There's a misconception in the Reading Public that it's easier to write child books than books for adults. After all, the books are shorter and children aren't as smart. If you believe this, then I suggest you rethink your priorities. It takes just as much effort to write for children as it does for grown-ups.
How to Write Badly...
... By creating a moral story. Forget about adding to Aesop's Fables . Have you ever read a story you thought would be entertaining, but it turned out to be a morality play? If you have, then you can remember how the characters never became real people in your mind. Instead, they danced around on strings, speaking only the puppeteer's words.
Children can see those same strings whenever they encounter a fable (wait, it's called "Edu-tainment" now). Yes, children should learn something every time they read. But teaching is only appropriate for their non-fiction. Children's fiction writing requires learning. So, to write child books that work, you need a different approach.
Show and Tell Does N-O-T Work...
... Especially in children's books. Show and Tell is still like a puppeteer holding strings. Instead, you should focus on creating real characters following their own natures. Then put them in uncomfortable settings.
If you're sincere in your efforts, your characters may learn something about the world they live in and/or themselves. The reader will make his or her own decisions from there. Two perfect examples of this technique are Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Pixar Studio's Finding Nemo (written by Andrew Stanton).
Huckleberry Finn
In this classic story, Huckleberry Finn has to decide how he truly feels about the matter of Slavery. The issues are intensely personal, as are the consequences. What he decides affects the fate of his friend, Jim. Huck makes this decision using only arguments and information directly available to him.
A morality play would present the same matter from on high, as a discreet social issue to be crusaded against. Mark Twain instead presents it as a part of life the hero cannot hope to destroy. All Huck can do is make one small action in line with what he feels. That action gets the point across, making the story an ageless children's classic. This is a wonderful example of how to write child books.
Finding Nemo
Pixar Studio's Finding Nemo offering is a perfect example of how "special needs" stories should be done. This story's child-character, Nemo, has a deformed fin (did I mention all of the major characters are fish?).
But overcoming his disability is not Nemo's challenge in the story. (In fact, that's one of his father's challenges.) Instead, Nemo must escape death at the hands of an incompetent pet owner. His "lucky fin" is simply a character trait that factors into the story, but not above all else. Children-and adults-learn what they want from this adventure with having the point driven home by a hammer.
Just Getting Started
We've only started on what it takes to write child books your audience will remember and (hopefully) pass on their own children someday. Be sure to check back often for more features.
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