“Writing ‘juveniles’ certainly modified my habits of composition. Thus: (a) It imposed a strict limit on vocabulary. (b) Excluded erotic love. (c) Cut down reflective and analytical passages. (d) Led me to produce chapters of nearly equal length for convenience in reading aloud.” –C.S. Lewis
Are these The Rules? What rules would you observe in writing for children? What (unwritten) rules on writing for children would you like to see dropped, if any? How is children’s literature different from adult literature?
4 thoughts on “Writing for Children”
I would love to see better vocabulary in children’s books. My children read very few books written in the 20th century and have a much better vocabulary than their mother. Modern children’s books are so watered down that I wonder how many wonderful words are endangered or already extinct.
I agree with Mrs. Happy Housewife. I’d like to see better vocabulary and less potty/gross-out humor. I’d also like to see less political correctness in modern children’s books.
So much depends upon the age of the child.
If Mr. Lewis was planning for his juvenile literature to be read aloud, then I would think the vocabulary should actually be above the child’s level. Also, read aloud books are, IMO, ideal entree’s into reflective and analytical passages because for a child, it is easier to think if one doesn’t have to worry about the additional task of decoding the words. However, Mr. Lewis did say “cut down” so maybe he just meant that long reflective passages would be too much and with that I would agree.
I would love to see better vocabulary in children’s books. My children read very few books written in the 20th century and have a much better vocabulary than their mother. Modern children’s books are so watered down that I wonder how many wonderful words are endangered or already extinct.
I agree with Mrs. Happy Housewife. I’d like to see better vocabulary and less potty/gross-out humor. I’d also like to see less political correctness in modern children’s books.
So much depends upon the age of the child.
If Mr. Lewis was planning for his juvenile literature to be read aloud, then I would think the vocabulary should actually be above the child’s level. Also, read aloud books are, IMO, ideal entree’s into reflective and analytical passages because for a child, it is easier to think if one doesn’t have to worry about the additional task of decoding the words. However, Mr. Lewis did say “cut down” so maybe he just meant that long reflective passages would be too much and with that I would agree.