Why do so many people want to write books for children? There are as many reasons as there are children's authors, but I'll try to list some of these reasons below.
Childhood is fleeting. As children grow, their perspectives change. They lose some of their innocence. They start to see the world differently. And they are still learning about life, morality, choices and consequences. Childhood is the brief period of time when we can entertain them in a specific way, and when we can teach them, capturing their minds while they are still full of imagination.
Children need to believe that good can triumph over evil. In everyday life, things don't always happen for the better. Sometimes life can give people, even children, some hard knocks. But while they are still children, we can impart to them stories of good triumphing over evil and instil a sense of hope that they will need in order to make it through some of the trials life will eventually throw their way.
Children need to believe in magic. It doesn't have to be the magic of wizards and magicians, but the beauty that can be found in the world, in every beautiful flower, every new baby born, every wonderful creature living on the planet is a type of magic. Children need to believe in the beauty all around, and they need to believe that the impossible can be achieved in order for their imaginations to come up with impossible things and turn them into possibilities.
Children need to learn empathy. Studies have shown that children who read a lot are more likely to feel empathy for others. We have the ability to influence compassion and kindness in the children who read our stories.
Your reasons might not be listed above. I'd love to hear your reasons for writing for children in the comments.
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Give-away
One person who comments on this post will be selected by a random number generator to win a ChaBooCha teddy bear. As there are only a couple of days left of the challenge, you will be given until the 7th of October to leave a comment. The winner will be e-mailed.
Thanks for this post, Becky! I love all your reasons, especially the idea that children need magic of all kinds in their world. In addition to your reasons, I write for children to encourage them to connect to the world...perhaps to make connections with the characters, setting, or challenges in the book. I also hope they might connect with others who read the book through discussing what they have read. Thanks for chapter book challenge...where we can connect to this community or writers!
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DeleteLove your reasons, especially the belief in magic. As a child I read to escape. So I write to give hope for something better, to experience something new and fun, and to give them a place to go when life is overwhelming. I agree with Melissa, your ChaBooCha is amazing and has created a great community. Thanks.
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DeleteThe majority of books that left a lasting impression on me are the books I read in childhood. Those authors - Patricia C. Wrede, Lloyd Alexander, Richard Peck, among others - had a profound impact on my reading and writing. You make a great point about books helping children believe in magic and find the extraordinary in the ordinary. I hope one day a book of mine can connect with a young reader the same way books connected with me as a child.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Becky! I love all your reasons, especially that children need a belief in magic. A belief in magic helps children connect with their imagination. Most people remember their childhood books with affection. There is pleasure of falling into a book and living in other people's worlds.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I write children’s books? Because I still carry that sense of wonder that I had as a child. I would love to have one of my books loved to pieces, to be a the story that's read and reread and almost known by heart.
I love your response! ❤️
DeleteIt's magic to not only grow up in a house full of books, but to discover that books are magic in themselves.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that it is even harder to break into the market with children's books.
What a beautiful post Becky!! I love all those reasons, especially the one about hope in a world that seems lost. As authors, especially for children, I feel it is our duty to provide our children with a sense of security, especially before bedtime. (Peaceful stories) stories of hope and encouragement! Diversity and acceptance!! So important today. Thank you for the reminder of why we do what we do to try and make this world a better place for our children! ❤️
ReplyDeleteCatching up today, thanks for the great post and running the challenge again. I am going to be more organised for March!
ReplyDeleteNice post Becky Fyfe, yes really books are best friend of us. I love to read books and read many Free ebooks in PDF. Nice information, thanks for pointing all these important things that I remember forever.
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