The Way to Write for Children: An Introduction to the Craft of Writing Children's Literature (Paperback)

by Joan Aiken (Author) "The title of this work is misleading - a hazard contingent upon providing a contribution to an existent series - because, of course, there is..." (more)
Key Phrases: teenage novel, bridge passages, child reader, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Nearly everyone who has curled up with a child and a book has had the thought that he or she, too, could write a children's book. Joan Aiken, in a revised and updated version of her Way to Write for Children, cautions that it's not so easy. While books for the youngest readers may be simple, the best ones are far from simplistic. In this slender volume, Aiken alights on topics relevant to the writing of books for tots, 'tweens, and teens. And, as Jiminy Cricket is for Pinocchio, she acts as a conscience for children's book authors. "Since each child," she intones, "reads only about six hundred books in the course of childhood, each book should nourish them in some way." And if you're writing for teens? They are under enough pressure as it is to partake in adult activities, says Aiken. "Let not the fiction they are offered add to the pressure."

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

Review
"Hopeful authors exploring 'the way to write for children' could ask for no finer guide than Joan Aiken."--Lloyd Alexander, Newbery Award winner

"Joan Aiken has a very clear and unique voice which she brings to the Matter of Children's Books. Any writer who wants to learn the business--of writing--can learn much here."--Jane Yolen, Caldecott Medal and Skylark winner

"The Way to Write for Children is unquestionably bound to become the definitive practical guide for anyone wanting to enter a genre that looks so easy and turns out to be such a mine field for the unwary. But what I cherish in the book is Joan Aiken's passion . . . Whether or not you hope to write for children, this is a book for the permanent shelf of every thoughtful writer."--Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn and The Innkeeper's Song
-- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Revised edition (November 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031220048X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312200480
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #848,314 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just my cup of tea., March 21, 2002

By	"kaia_espina" (Quezon City, Philippines) - See all my reviews

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.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a rare treat for writers, December 12, 2000

By	Mark Siegel (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beautifully written and full of real insight, this astonishing little book will do more for the creative flow of aspiring writers than most books in the field. Its focus is on children's writing, and it offers the wisdom of an outstanding and very succesful author. Her love of children's writing is contagious, her advice is sound, and this excellent help will inspire many generations to come. In a league of its own.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misled by previous review, April 15, 2001

By A Customer

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!