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Africa has been marked by a dearth of books, especially picture story books for younger children reflecting an African environment both in textual context and illustration. Problems militating against a rapid growth in writing and publishing for children in Africa include the following:

(1) The bulk of reading matters available to the African child are textbooks rather than books for pleasure and enjoyment.

(2) Most children’s books are still imported. Such imported works are mostly insensitive to local culture, and unreflective of the social realities of the African child and his aspirations.

(3) Not enough African published children’s books are available.

(4) If they are available the illustrations in them are either

(a) of poor quality

(b) not in full colour

(c) Do not have beautiful dust jackets.

(5) And if they are in full colour, and of good quality, they are either much too expensive or for an elitist few and well beyond the reach of most African children, especially those in the rural areas.

(6) Most serious African authors do not bother to write for children since it is not accorded the same status as writing for adults.

Africa has very little concern for written literature. Even Nigeria which is rich in award-winning authors is marked by neglect of her authors. Writers are seldom as honoured.as footballers are. Hardly any foundations exist to boost the creativity of African writers. Prizes for literature are also in short supply. Book Development Councils seem to be either non-existent or collapsing except in Ghana. In Sierra Leone and the Gambia its absence is still being bemoaned. Whereas in Nigeria where one was once set up to develop indigenous book publishing, it hardly made any impact until it was swallowed up by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. In Africa generally adults seldom read children’s books – not even parents. Compared to the over 2,000 titles published every year for children in Britain, the output in Nigeria is hardly up to 60.

In spite of the over 100 publishers in Nigeria the situation remains bleak for children’s literature. This is due mainly to their textbook orientation which makes them lazily rely on a captive school market. It has been proven that if only African children had access to more books they would read outside the classroom. An illustration of this fact could be seen from the 1985 Ife Book Fair where the Children’s Literature Association of Nigeria (CLAN) held a special exhibition of books

Visitors to that stand were fascinated by the colourful poster illustrations of folktales decorating the wall, the top and back of shelves. Some even wanted to buy the poster-sized illustrations made by a very gifted woman artist from the Nigerian television authority. The festive air given to the stand by the balloons decorating it along with the colourful posters attracted many children. There was the astonishing sight of three children of varying ages reading one picture book at the same time, visibly very fascinated by this picture book entitled No Bread for Eze by Ifeoma Okoye and published by Fourth Dimension in Enugu. It was one of those picture books where both story and illustrations were ideally integrated. It was about a young boy Eze who loved bread and could not eat enough of it. He wanted bread all the time. So his exasperated parents made him eat nothing but bread. Eze was at first very happy. Nobody was pressurizing him to eat nourishing food. But he soon grew tired of eating bread all the time and pleaded with his parents to give him other types of food. But they would not relent. So Eze became tired of bread and stopped eating. He grew hungry and weak and could not even play football with his friends. In the end his parents relented and Eze began to enjoy a balanced diet, having learnt that boys shall not live by bread alone. This emphasizes the importance of illustrations in children’s books, for those children were fascinated not only by the story of Eze but also by the imaginative and sometimes humorously drawn pictures. If children are to acquire the reading habit, they must be given attractive books which also mean well-illustrated books. Even a two-year old baby can enjoy looking at a picture book. Picture books could indeed be expensive to some extent if one insists on printing in four colours which is ideal as could be seen in the lavishly illustrated folktale The Drum specially written for children by Chinua Achebe. But even line and wash drawings could be so well drawn that they too could be captivating.

Half-tone illustrations as in Adagbonyin’s The Singing Ashes (1981) can also be effective due to the masterly shading of the artist. Even one-colour children’s books could infectiously hold young readers as does Just in Case (1983) By Sandra Slater, illustrated by A.L. Satti.

Other good picture books include the colourful Amina the Milkmaid (1988) by Fatima Pam illustrated by K. Ofori Pam, a Ghanaian, The First Coin (1989) by Mabel Segun illustrated by the same artist and How the Leopard Got His Claws (1982) by Chinua Achebe and John Iroaganachi. This has two illustrated versions, the one in full colour being by Adrienne Kennaway.

Although Nigeria has a few good illustrators, most of the good illustrations there have been done by expatriates. It appears that many Nigerian illustrators cannot draw children’s faces and have problems with interpreting texts. In order to remedy these defects, CLAN has run two illustrators’ training workshops with UNESCO funding and published a book on Illustrating For Children (1988) edited by Mabel Segun.

But this problem can only be solved permanently by integrating text and illustrations, a feat best accomplished by an author illustrator The cost of publishing in full-colour could even be reduced through co-publishing with, a number of publishers working together to increase print runs and reduce the unit cost of books. Sometimes a book is published with texts in different languages using the same colour illustrations. In Nairobi, five publishers across Africa including Nigeria’s Daystar Press came together in 1983 under the auspices of the World Association for Christian Community (WACC) and co-published a number of children’s books in full colour under the imprint DUCCA.

The dearth of good children’s authors is also militating against the publishing of children’s literature in Africa. For, writing for children, is much more difficult than writing for adults, for not many adults can either enter into the child’s world and interact with him with understanding and lack of condescension whilst adapting the contents and language of her writing to the child’s age, experience and background… A good writer for children must understand a child’s psychology for the story not to ring false. Good children’s literature arouses a child’s imagination and extends his horizon giving him a knowledge of the past in relation to the present and imbuing him ideals and values necessary for national development. Work ethics. selflessness, loving relationships, acceptance of responsibility are amongst the values which can be so taught, not in a didactic, off-putting manner but with subtlety so that children can be mobilized towards national and international development. Good children’s literature develops a child’s creativity and inventiveness without which a people cannot hope to move into the technological age.

Good literature can also give a child personal identity in a continent which has been subjected to cultural imperialism through mass importation of foreign literature. Achebe does this through his well-written folktales such as The Flute, The Drum and the earlier How the Leopard Got His Claws co-authored with John Iroaganachi and published in 1972 by Nwamife Publishers. The latter was one of the first children’s picture story books published in Nigeria and remains one of the best and most successful ones, with an East African Publishing House. Chinua Achebe is quoted as saying it.. ‘Is one of the best things I have ever done.’ Mabel Segun does this through character-building books such as Olu and the Broken Statue (1985).

In neighbouring Ghana many other problems including the country’s balance of payments difficulties which cause constant short supplies of essential raw materials and

spare parts to repair defective printing equipments. Amongst The Ghana Publishing Corporations’ substantial number of children’s books published, one of the earliest and most attractive was Mesheck Asare’s picture story book, Tawia Goes to Sea published in 1970. This was probably the first African-published children’s book to gain world-wide recognition and it was also the first book from an African publisher to be translated into Japanese. Better still was the welcome news that a Ghanaian children’s book was the winner of the 1982 Noma Award. This $3,000 prize went to Mesheck Asare, for his engaging picture story book The Brassman’s Secret published by Educational Press and Manufacturers United of Kumasi in 1981.The jury in selecting it were impressed by its’ exciting and unusual children’s story, beautifully and imaginatively illustrated by the author, himself an artist, to bring out important aspects of his Asante culture. They also thought it remarkable that a book of such high quality was produced under such difficult conditions then prevalent in Ghana. Asare has like Achebe been rehabilitating the African child’s mind through literature designed to reveal to him his cultural heritage through all these fantasies as well as the adventure book Chipo and the Bird on the Hill and his more recent Sosu’s Call

Another G.P.C. item Mercy Owusu-Nimoh’s The Walking Calabash published in 1977 was singled out for ‘Honourable mention’ in the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa competition

Inspite of its many problems Ghana manages to maintain a lively and enterprising local book industry. Firms such as Aframs Publications, Adwinsa Publishers and the Wielerville Publishing House are among those whose list includes occasional children’s books.

In East Africa, the bulk of the children’s book publishing output is from Kenya. The East African Publishing House in Nairobi in particular, has an extensive list of picture-story books illustrated in full colours, as well as readers, and traditional stories and folklore. Especially appealing is their series called ‘Lioncubs.’ Charity Waciuma, Pamela Kola, Asenath Odaga and Cynthia Hunter are amongst the most prolific authors in the EAPH list. Another prolific children’s writer is Barbara Kimenye who publishes with the East African branch of Oxford University Press, some titles one of which is Martha the Millipede recounting the story of Martha who fed up with getting sore feet decided it was about time to get herself some shoes.

The Kenyan Literature Bureau taking over from the East African Literature Bureau has produced a few children’s books among which is Ray Prather’s A is for Africa A Colouring Book for Africa which contains forty full-page drawings depicting the various people of Africa, accompanied by small maps showing their geographical locations.

Foremost Kenyan writer, Ngugi Wa’Thiongo has joined his Nigerian counterpart, Achebe, in writing and publishing his first children’s book but unlike Achebe in his native Gikuyu language but later translating it as The Great Hero and the Flying Bus.

In Southern Africa, Zimbabwe Publishing House have already built up a most impressive collection. A government supported private commercial undertaking, it publishes books on education, politics, literature and creative writing, Zimbabwean history but with books for children featuring prominently. It sponsored a splendid magazine for children ANTS started by a panel of Zimbabwean children but which I have learnt with much regret has stopped publishing more than 15 years now.

Other publishers catering for children here are Mamba Press and the Zimbabwe Literature Bureau, the latter having a wide range of materials in Shona and Ndebele comprising novels, poetry, short story booklets, children’s comics and material for literacy development.

In Malawi another firm actively developing children’s books in the indigenous languages publishes the popular publications of Limbe.

In Lesotho the church-sponsored Mazenod Book Centre similarly has a substantial list of books for children in African Languages,

In Zambia and in Tanzania some children’s material is coming from the National Educational Company of Zambia and the Tanzania Publishing House.

In South Africa initially the small local market did not make it feasible to publish local children’s books in English. English children’s books written with a South African background or by a South African were usually published in England. Jock of the Bushveld (1907) written by Sir Percy FitzPatrick, is generally regarded as the first English South African children’s book. .This was published in South Africa during the second half of the twentieth century. Only during the 1970s did local publishers realize the need for indigenous children’s books in English and start exploiting the market. This change was brought about single handedly by the writer Marguerite Poland with her Mantis and the Moon which was published in 1979. The rise in price of imported children’s books made the publication of indigenous material more competitive. The political changes during the 1980s then brought improvement of the quality of education of African children and the decision that they could receive tuition in English. This created a large potential market for English children’s books in which some publishers specialize. At the end of the 1980s English children’s books were prominent in dealing with the political and socio-economic conditions in the country. The English children’s book was more explicit with regard to criticism of apartheid. with authors like Lesley Beake, Dianne Case and Lawrence Bransby taking the lead.

As a result of the small local market, few original books with full colour illustrations are published. Collaboration with overseas publishers and the simultaneous publication in various indigenous languages is often the only way to make a publication viable. Also, publishers of children’s books concentrate on the publishing series, beginner and second language readers.

The change in government in the country and the elevation of the African languages to official status, one should have expected would have led to the development of children’s literature in the African languages, but for several reasons this has not yet occurred. The rise of African consciousness and nationalism in the battle against apartheid has rather led to the identification of English as the language for education and freedom. For many African children prefer to read in English, and many African authors prefer to write in this language. Also only a small minority amongst African children read for recreation. Some publishers nevertheless try to publish children’s books of a high quality in African languages, but due to a shortage of indigenous writers most books are translations from English or Afrikaans.

This suggests the problem of language as another factor hindering the rapid development of children’s literature in Africa. The language problem posed by writers being forced to write in foreign languages which they have not really mastered raises the issue of writers being trained to write in their indigenous languages. But then this creates yet another problem as some of the authors of books written in African languages cannot distinguish between concepts for adults and concepts outside the experience of children. Similarly they use an off-putting adult language.

There is also an imbalanced attention to the various ages of childhood. For far more books are being written for the middle-aged (8-12) while very young children remain largely neglected. Very few books for adolescents have been written. One is Angi Ossai’s Tolulope (1979). Another is Joined by Love by Joy Ikede. The Kenyan Asenath Odaga’s work Jande’s Ambition is about choice of career which should be a prime concern at that age. Macmillan’s Pacesetter Series also appeals to young adults but their works are said to be of varying quality, featuring crime, espionage and love tangles.

There is in addition the chronic absence of children’s magazines in most parts of Africa. In Sierra Leone the attempt by The Sierra Leone Writers and Illustrators to establish one did not survive its second issue. But the invaluable role they could play in inculcating the reading habit in the child because of their wide variety of subjects, the form of presentation and the fact that children love to read what their peers have written and thus start having similar creative impulses is recognized.

Most parts of Africa are not book-friendly for there are few if any bookshops where the African child can buy books. Neither is his access to libraries especially so in rural areas easy. School libraries are a phenomenon of a distant past. Where public libraries are still available and functioning their children’s sections are poorly housed, poorly furnished, poorly ventilated, poorly equipped, poorly staffed and poorly sited. There is therefore an obvious need for thorough overhauling of library services in Africa. And efforts should be made to make it an essential public service from the central on to local government levels so as to give every community the opportunity of accessing and growing on books. Similarly every school should have a library that is well stocked and well-equipped.

The distribution of books is another area of difficulties. For this is usually left to private enterprise although some governments purchase textbooks in bulk to distribute to schools. Wholesale bookselling is best handled by private entrepreneurs trained in the discipline. But the main problem hindering this is that the book distributors tend to restrict themselves to using distribution methods more suited to countries with a high level of literacy where the wider citizenry is already converted to books. In Africa, publishers and book distributors cannot afford to wait for buyers to come to them. They must rather take their products to the people wherever they are. In Tanzania, therefore, enterprising publishers take books to the local markets. There shoppers mingle with books and enjoy lively discussions with the publishers on all aspects of books. The huge sales at these exhibitions have proved the usefulness of such innovative activities. This kind of promotion will no doubt create in adults an awareness of the need for literature.

Efforts made to promote and sell books in the West could be extended with adaptations, if necessary, to intra-African book distribution so that print runs will be longer for the prohibitive costs of books to be brought down. Why cannot children in Nairobi, for instance, read literature published by an indigenous publisher in Nigeria? Much is lost through the compartmentalization of African children’s literature. In 1976 an attempt to sell African books from all parts of the continent at the Second Pan African Trade Fair in Algiers collapsed when 4,000 such books had to be brought back because the Algerian government’s imposition of a 120% tax on the books had made them too expensive. Such tariffs need to be removed with communication and transport systems improved to facilitate trans-African movement of books.

The situation however seems poised for major changes with the intervention of a series of bodies and institutions thus complementing the efforts of others such as UNESCO that had been working assiduously in the field. There is a wide network of organizations geared towards supporting the growth of publishing in Africa. One of them is APNET which network exists to help strengthen book publishing by Africans in Africa. APNET has been working closely with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and has been supported by Bellagio. The Bellagio Group of donors has been exploring ways of improving support for a number of cultural industries, which it is hoped will eventually include African books for African children as there is now recognition among policy makers that culture of which books are an integral part is much of a key to development.

Book Fairs in Africa have been fastly becoming established institutions with a concerted series of initiatives to redressing the otherwise parlous state of books in Africa. The Pan African Children’s Book Fair (PACBF) started in Nairobi, Kenya in 1991 through the initiative of the Foundation for the Promotion of Children’s Science Publications in Africa (GHISCI). The fair has been trying to stimulate a learning environment that captures and nurtures the African child’s inherent qualities of imagination, curiosity and creativity. It has created a dynamic atmosphere to enhance the preciousness of books in the learning life of the child. Through a variety of activities such as art, toys, fun with science, debates, quizzes, creative writing, story-telling, and reading aloud, Kenyan children have come to love and comfortably identify with this event with increasing numbers thronging it every year. In 1994 a children’s library introduced within the fair further whet the children’s appetite by enabling children who could not buy books to have the opportunity to read a couple of books at the fair. Since 1994 the Reading Tent has been a major attraction to all children visiting the fair. This has resulted in other African book fairs widely emulating this innovation. Exhibitors also have been steadily improving their marketing skills thus reaching out to the children in more proactive ways, engaging them into books with new titles introduced. The 1998 PACBK had a spectacular advance with each stand becoming a mini library. Yet another innovation – A Children’s Home Library Campaign – was launched with children responding with tremendous enthusiasm, buying books and promising to start their own home libraries.

The Zimbabwe International Book Fair has been another important stimulant for the development of the book industry in Africa.The1998 fair was of especial significance because its theme and that of the accompanying Indaba was ‘BOOKS AND CHILDREN’

At the sessions of the inaugural Indaba it was emphasized that up to the 1990’s book production for children has been weak if not non-existent in some countries. But since 1987 spectacular growth in children’s publishing, in both European and African languages have been reported. In Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria production has notably increased in the last ten to twenty years. Print runs have also increased significantly averaging 3,000 to 5,000 copies per title with possibilities of frequent reprinting.

This progress has been attributed to the following:

1. The creativity of African publishers enabling them to produce well-made children’s books in terms of content, production quality and price.

2. Continuing increases in state purchases of books for schools and libraries.

3. Appreciable support being provided to publishing and book acquisitions by development agencies, international organizations and N.GO’S.

4. Noticeable increases in sales resulting from efforts publishers are making to promote their books nationally and internationally.

5. Co-operation between publishers and distributors enabling the development of export sales.

But in spite of this difficulties still remain or have been created in the following areas:

1 Wide differences between countries. The situation in South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania is very much better than in other countries in their regions. In francophone West Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Togo stand out clearly.

2 Difficulties in finding good authors and illustrators still persist.

3 Readership is not sufficiently developed, given the level of illiteracy and the lack of a reading culture or habit.

4 Even where a readership exists, its purchasing power is limited. For books is not as high a basic priority as basic needs.

5 The library network is not developed, especially in the rural areas.

6 The distribution network is not developed.

7 The intense political situation in Zimbabwe has negatively affected the most favorable climate created there for the growth of books not only there but the whole of Africa and has robbed The Zimbabwe International Book Fair of its international flavour.

Arthur Edgar E. Smith was born, grew up and was schooled in Freetown, Sierra Leone.. He has taught English since 1977 at Prince of Wales School and, Milton Margai College of Education. He is now at Fourah Bay Collegewhere he has been lecturing English, Literature, as well as Creative Writing for the past seven years rising to the rank of Senior Lecturer.

Mr Smith is widely published both locally as well as internationally with his writings appearing in local newspapers as well as in West Africa Magazine, Index on Censorship,Focus on Library and Information Work amongst others .

He was one of 17 international visitors who participated in a seminar on contemporary American Literature sponsored by the U.S.State Department from June to August 2006. His growing thoughts and reflections on this trip which took him to various US sights and sounds inLouisville,, San Francisco, Cincinnatti and Washington D.C. could be read at http://www.lisnews.org

A tractors is a farm machinery that is used in the preparation of land and during planting. Buying a tractor can be quite challenging if you do not know how to get a good one. A good tractor is that has high performance and can last for a long time. Here are some of the considerations you should put in mind before buying a tractor.

Tractor type

It is important for you to know the make of the tractors you want to buy or purchase before searching it on the internet. There are different models of tractors. This ranges from Massey Ferguson, John Deere, Ford, and New Holland, Same etc. Different tractors have different performance depending on the make. So to avoid regretting in the future you must keep in mind the model you know it is of high performance. You should consider reading the manual of the different types to be exact on a model of your choice.

The condition of the tractor

When buying a used tractor online, make sure you are well conversant on the condition of it. Some used tractors might have been exhausted or have been used to an extent that its no longer worthy to perform in the farm. You should ensure that the tractor is not damage either from water, fire or has been involved in an accident. Check the tires if they are in good condition, the battery and the lights. Make sure that the engine has no problem since it is what makes the tractor move. A well condition tractor is the one which whenever you start the engine it takes less time and produces a clear smoke.

Age of the tractor

Make sure you know the day when the tractor was made. This will help you in knowing the number of years the tractor has been on the farm. If you buy a tractor that is no longer in the market, you may have a problem in finding its spare parts. It is advisable to know the new models that are currently in the market. The tractor should not be too new such that you don’t know its performance. Tractors brake down quite often, thus replacing these parts should be done on a regular basis.

The price of the tractor

Consider the amount of money you have before entering into a deal of buying a tractor. Make sure the tractor you are buying is worth the price you intent to pay. You may buy an expensive tractor that will not bear any return when you are using. Also, when the price of the tractor is too cheap, take caution because cheap is expensive.

General performance of the tractor

Some tractor models are designed to perform light works whereas others can do virtually everything. If you are buying a tractor to mow the compound, for example, you should consider buying a small one that will be efficient and effective to the type of work it is meant to perform. Large tractors normally are meant for working in plantations where the general performance is considered to be high.

Robert Tate – Region Sales Manager of Mascus UK. Mascus is an electronic marketplace for new tractors, used tractors and used trucks. Mascus makes trading in used machines and trucks quicker and more efficient by collecting all information about supply and demand in one place. All dealers, producers and end users are welcome to offer their used machines and trucks for sale via the marketplace.

Decide Use of Garden Tractors Or Lawn Tractors

When you have a small garden the question of using the garden tractor seems like a waste of money. When a smaller lawn tractor will do your work equally well, why spend more money in buying the garden tractor? Well, there are some points in favor of both the ideas and we will take look at both sides of the coin.

Garden Tractor Vs Lawn Tractors

Lawn tractors: Smaller gardens with an area of less than 2 to 3 acres can make do with smaller tractors better known as lawn tractors. Essentially these are used for lawn mowing and no other work. If your garden is small and has only the lawn, you may continue to use the lawn tractor. Small lawn tractors have a capacity of about 4 to 6 HP.

However, if you do some gardening and have some agricultural produce, it makes sense to buy a garden tractor. The agricultural work involves loading and unloading of the agricultural inputs and outputs and it is difficult for lawn tractors to handle such loads. The attachments that can be attached to a lawn tractor are limited and it cannot definitely take the front end loader attachment that can be required for leveling the ground or flattening it.

The garden tractors are also useful to you in saving time for the other work. With lawn tractor, the time required for the same work will be much higher than the time required for equivalent work for a garden tractor. Since agricultural work is not the main business of a small landholder, it makes sense to have a tractor that can do the work quickly and get on with other jobs that you have in hand.

With a garden tractor, you can do many things that are impossible for the lawn mower to do with or without attachments. For example, you cannot use your lawn tractor for aerating the field, leveling the driveway, or hauling the firewood from far corners of your garden.

With a larger machine like a garden tractor, you can do many things that are unthinkable with small lawn tractors. The removal of stones in your garden or shifting of the stones for beautification of the garden are impossible to be done with small lawn tractor but it can be easily done with a small garden tractor and you can save lot of money in doing this.

Granted that the lawn tractor costs less money for purchase, but think of other jobs that you will be outsourcing in developing your garden and if you buy the garden tractor right at the start of your work, it will be economical to you in the longer run. If later you find it not being used completely, remember that it has saved you enough money to pay for itself and is still saving your time. Remember the wise old saying that ‘time is money’ and now you can save time and utilize it in higher yield business that you are in now.

The idle investment garden tractor can also make money for you if you rent it. If you are not the kind of person, who likes to rent his/her equipments, just remember that the garden tractor has done its work for you during the development stage of your garden and allow the garden tractor the well earned rest in your garden

So in the final analysis you will agree that using the tractor in a garden is a wise decision.

The writer Andrew Caxton publishes quite often new articles to [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com], an online magazine specialized in lawn tractors and lawnmowers. Andrew helps people to find the best solutions for different types of gardens. Reach further information on garden tractors [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/garden-tractors.html]

Many people believe that writing for children is easy, that anyone can do it. Having children doesn’t make a person qualified to write for children either. For example, just because I have a heart doesn’t mean I can do open heart surgery. Writing of any kind takes training, starting with reading the type of literature to be written, studying how to write and for a certain audience. In fact writing for children is harder than writing for adults because the length of a children’s story is shorter: the plot, characters, conflict, and action has to be concise and precise. Also a child’s attention span is shorter.

So how can a person learn to write for children? One way is to attend conferences and workshops about writing for children. Which brings us to today.

Hopefully you have a few children’s books with you to examine as we discuss what is needed to write successful stories (which hopefully can become books) for children.

Let’s look at some suggestions for writing successful children’s stories:

1. Learn how to write. Children’s stories should be well written, but they can’t be if the author hasn’t mastered how to write. Ways to learn include taking courses, reading books, joining a writing group that has discussions and/or workshops to help a person improve writing skills (there are online courses and conferences, too). Chasing a publishing contract comes at the end of a long journey.

Some people believe that writings for children can be about anything, written any kind of way, not necessarily of high quality. If anything, works for children should be of the highest quality.

2. Write a good story with a fast-paced plot. Write from the child’s perspective. Action is an important part of any story, but action close to the beginning of a children’s book is a must to grab attention and keep it. A plot is important for any story or book, and one should be included in any child’s story/book. A fast-paced plot with action hold a child’s attention.

In other words, a children’s book should have well-developed characters, plot, conflict, dialogue, a climax to the conflict, and resolution – all written for the audience’s perspective and maturity level. The younger the audience, the less likely an author should have sub-plots. The real difference between a story written for children and one written for adults is the interest level, the focus, and the perspective.

I’ve read stories and books written about children, but for adults. A child’s story should be written from the child’s perspective. We need to approach our writing from the reader’s frame of reference. We need to put ourselves into the mind of a child the age of our audience.

3. Use correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure. Too many “writers” believe that they do not have to be concerned about grammar because that’s the editor’s job. Wrong. If a manuscript has grammar, spelling, or verb tense problems, whatever, most times an editor will not read much more than a paragraph at most before discarding the writing. So what do editors consider problem areas? Let’s look at the handout, which includes a sampling of problem areas.

Avoid using all capitals. If a character shouts, show that with words and how they are said.

Then the use of exclamation points is a troublesome area in writing anything. They should be used sparingly and then only in dialogue.

Italics should be used to show a character’s thoughts.

Spelling words correctly and using the correct word are necessary. Computer spell check will find misspelled words but not homophones: their/they’re/there, to/too/two, our/hour, your/you’re, for example.

Since we don’t have time to do a complete English grammar lesson and if you’re not good with grammar and punctuation, use a good online grammar site, find a book about grammar that you find understandable, ask an English teacher. One website that is a source of easy to grasp grammar help is http://www.grammarnow.com/#resources.

4. Active voice and action verbs and show, don’t tell. Using active voice rather than passive was mentioned briefly in the handout, but action verbs need to be used more than state-of-being verbs. The stories need to have lots of action, and using active voice and action verbs helps develop action.

One way that action decreases is when a writer uses expository dialogue. Dialogue is need, in fact required, to write a good story of any kind, but it needs to move the story, the plot along. Expository uses dialogue to “tell” what is happening rather than “showing” what happens. When a character explains his actions or someone else’s actions to the reader, the author is telling, not showing. For example, if the character walks down the street muttering to himself, “I don’t know where I am. I’ve never been in this part of the city before. I think I’ll walk to the corner and turn left. Maybe I’ll see someone to ask for directions. It sure is cold tonight.” That’s expository dialogue.

But if the same scene is written as follows:

Josh looked at the unfamiliar buildings. “Where are all the people?” he asked himself. “Maybe I can find someone around the corner who can help me.” He blew on his hands, trying to warm them. “Mom told me to wear my coat. I hate it when she’s right.”

Using active voice and action verbs also helps an author show rather than tell. When reading scenes in a story, the reader should be able to see the action in his/her mind. The expository example is also an example of telling, or lecturing. The second example shows us what was happening.

Showing is good in writing. Telling, except in few instances, is not good writing.

5. Vocabulary. According to “experts,” a few challenging words in a story is fine. Picture books are often read to a young child, and the reader can explain what a word means. This increases the child’s vocabulary. Also when a child starts reading for himself, a few challenging words, especially if context can help the child understand the meaning.

However, the author should not use vocabulary that is too far above the reader’s understanding.

6. Insert humor, well-defined characters, and avoid clichés. Let’s start with humor. Making a child laugh helps build a pleasant association with reading. Therefore, where possible, a writer should use humor to help a child, especially a reluctant reader, want to read or hear more. Humor in picture books is broad and very visual. Easy readers (and some picture books for ages 6 and up) begin to introduce verbal humor. Chapter books start to work in jokes needing a setup and payoff played out over several scenes. Dialogue, how characters react to one another, or the situation in which a character finds himself may be humorous.

Well-defined characters are a must for any story. Many children want to identify with the characters in books. No mater how the character appears on the outside, the character needs to deal with situations that the reader can relate to or understand. Book characters should be rounded, have multi-dimensional personalities, not be caricatures or one sided. They should have strengths and weaknesses as people really do so that the reader will care about them and want to finish the whole story. To make children in a story realistic, observe children the age of the characters: note how they talk, act, react.

Clichés weaken any type of writing. Using them is lazy writing and avoids showing the story in a way that the reader “sees” what is happening. The brainy boy who can never attract the pretty girl but somehow saves her is a cliché. The idea that a blond is dumb or an athlete is, both are clichés. Use originality to make a story entertaining and characters believable.

7. Story should translate into illustrations. A story for a picture book should be written with paragraphs that translates into illustrations. This idea goes along with the show, don’t tell idea, too. Only paragraphs with action can be “translated” into illustrations.

8. Morals or lessons should not be “preachy.” A writer’s job is to entertain. If a story has a message, the author should tell it through the plot and characters, not by attaching a moral at the end.

9. Stories should be relevant to the age group. The text should be relevant with plot, approach, and language. Books for children don’t necessarily have a little kid in them. In fact, most children prefer characters to be a bit older than they rather than younger. The plot should be one that the reader can understand and follow without someone having to explain.

Children shouldn’t be “talked down to.” If a writer is condescending or patronizing, children will not want to read the story.

We want children to enjoy our books, not be frightened or exposed to ideas too mature for them, not should they be expected to read things that are stupid. Many children find bodily functions funny, but that doesn’t mean such functions make good topics for children’s literature.

10. The story shouldn’t be too long or wordy. Every word, every sentence should be needed for the story. Avoiding wordiness equals tight writing. If a description or narrative doesn’t move the plot along or isn’t necessary to the story, it should be deleted.. Extra words that add nothing to the story makes listening or reading boring.

Also remember, a child’s attention span depends on the child, but most the age of those listening to or reading picture books will not be interested in a long story.

11. Alliteration, meter, and rhyme must be used well or not at all. Many publishers no longer accept children’s books written in poetry or with alliteration. The reason is too many authors do not know how to use them well.

Alliteration tickles children’s ears, and they like the sounds. However, too much of even a good thing is too much.

Many who try to write stories in poetry form convolute wording to “force” a rhyme. The result is confusion for the one listening or reading.

12. Use talking animals carefully. Animal characters must be as well developed as a human character. They should have strengths and weaknesses, three-dimensional with quirks, failings, motivations, and personalities.

Many times a novice writer incorporates animals as characters in a story resulting in clichés: the ugly duckling that turns into a swan; shy creatures that suddenly become bold enough to save the day; apparently moral-filled stories that show it’s okay to be different.

According to Write4Kids.com, using talking animals isn’t all bad. “What’s important is that your animals have completely developed, unique personalities and characteristics.” Children will not be drawn to characters that are stereotypes, even if they are animals.

13. Use serious and/or controversial subjects appropriately. Children are bombarded with serious subjects every day, many times without understanding them. Television and video games, as well as web sites surfed, smoother kids with tragedy, even if death and violence hasn’t touched them personally. A story that introduces topics such as death and handles the subject in a realistic, sensitive way actually help children cope with the realities of the world. Often the plot of a book will open the door for parents to answer questions that disturb their children.

In one of my children’s story, the main character, Louie the Duck, doesn’t understand why Gus Goose has to live with his grandparents. Mrs. Goose tries to explain that hunters were allowed at the lake where Gus and his parents lived. Louie doesn’t completely understand, but he gets the message that hunters did something that left Gus alone.

14. Research material for a children’s book. Imagination gives some leeway in writing fiction; however, a writer needs to literally to have his facts straight when writing about anything factual. False information in a children’s story is as bad, if not worse, than if in a story or book written for adults.

15. Adults should not “carry the day.” Plots need to empower the young protagonist. Of course adults are needed, and their help may be required. However, the solution shouldn’t be an adult making a miraculous save, but the character or characters solving problems.

16. Use a large dose of imagination.

17. Illustrations. An author, unless a professional quality illustrator or artist, should not try to illustrate his own book. In fact, most publishers require that one of their illustrators do the work unless the author is a professional artist.

By using the tips and suggestions presented, a person can write a better children’s story/book.

After teaching composition for years and becoming an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ a site for Poetry, Vivian Gilbert Zabel produced Hidden Lies and Other Stores, Walking the Earth:, The Base Stealers Club, and Case of the Missing Coach, found on Amazon.com.

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