Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children (Paperback)

~ William Zinsser (Editor) "NO KIND of writing lodges itself so deeply in our memory, reverberating there for the rest of our lives, as the books that we met..." (more)
Key Phrases: Paul Revere, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sweet Pea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"No kind of writing lodges itself so deeply in our memory," writes William Zinsser in his introduction to Worlds of Childhood, "as the books that we met in our childhood." Reproduced here are essays by six celebrated children's book authors that came into being as a series of talks at the New York Public Library in 1989. Children's book writing is often deceptively simple, and perhaps the one overriding theme here is the seriousness with which these writers approach their work. "Writing for very young children is the most difficult discipline I know," says Rosemary Wells, whose Max and Ruby books were the first board books. (Does Wells find it so difficult in part because, as she says, "all really good picture books are written to be read five hundred times"?) Poet Jack Prelutsky, inventor of the "gloopy gloppers" and the "addle-pated paddlepuss," says he never condescends when he write for children. And Maurice Sendak, best known for his fantastically fuzzy wild things, says he's "never spent less than two years on the text of one of my picture books, even though each of them is approximately 380 words long. Only when the text is finished ... do I begin the pictures." --Jane Steinberg

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (July 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395901510
• ISBN-13: 978-0395901519
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #894,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration, January 17, 2007

By	The Handy Lady (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children (The Writer's Craft) (Paperback)

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.

0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Excuse to Diss America., January 25, 2008

By	James B. Johnson (HUDSON, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really wish authors would stick to the subject of writing and resist the temptation to give America the finger, too. People, stick to how to write for children and leave out the stuff about how rotten American is and was.

5 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art and Craft of Children's Writing by Connie Epstein, December 1, 1999

By A Customer

This book is an indepth look at writing from an editor's point of view. I found it very helpful.