While reading Jeanne M. Machado’s Early Childhood Experiences in Language Arts 11e I came across a chapter entitled CHILDREN AND BOOKS. In it, Machado outlines some tips for Early Childhood Educators on how to select great books for early educational settings.
One section in the chapter really caught my eye, not just as a children’s librarian, but as a picture book author. Entitled Criteria for Read-Alouds, Machado shares a number of criteria that educators should consider when selecting which books to read aloud with their groups. While Machado was writing primarily for Early Childhood Educators, her tips really are worth their weight in gold for children’s book authors, providing valuable insight into how educators assess books for merit. Machado shares a wide range of criteria in her list, and while I highly recommend picking up the book to read the entire list, here are just a few points that I think all children’s book authors should keep in mind when writing and editing their works.
Criteria for Read-Alouds
Jeanne M. Machado – Early Childhood Experiences in Language Arts 11e
- Was the book written with an understanding of preschool age-level characteristics?
- Is the text too long to sit through? Are there too many long words?
- Are there enough colourful or action-packed pictures or illustrations to hold attention?
- Can the child participate in the story by speaking or making actions?
- Is the author’s style memorable?
- Is the book written clearly with a vocabulary and sequence the children can understand?
- Are memorable words or phrases found in the book?
- Are repetitions of words, actions, rhymes, or story parts used? (Anticipated repetition is part of the young child’s enjoyment of stories).
- Does the story develop and end with a satisfying climax of events?
- Does it have education value?
- Could you use it to expand knowledge in any special way?
- Does it offer new vocabulary? Does it increase or broaden understanding?
As an author writing for children, taking some time to understand the basic principles of early literacy can make all the difference in turning a “good” picture book into a “great” one. Always remember your particular audience, whether that’s babies, toddlers or preschoolers, and their needs, their interests and their abilities, and keep this audience in mind at every step of the writing, editing, and illustrating process. Children are not simply miniature adults, and writing for children is not easy. Children’s librarians and early childhood educators are fantastic resources for picture book authors, as are educational texts written for this audience.
Now go forth and write, and don’t say I never do anything for you!