Writing in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, Mary-Liz Shaw does a great job of summing up the challenges of writing children’s books:
“The misperception that it is easy to write means children's literature attracts a larger proportion of wannabe scribes - people with a minimum of skills who think they can knock out a kids' book by dinner.”
She quotes John Warren Stewig, director of the Center for Children’s Literature at Carthage College. He says, "Most people have a warm and fuzzy and kind of inaccurate idea of what children's literature is." We may remember the kids’ books we read, but, the article points out, “Among the markets for middle-grade and young-adult readers, both of which have grown in the wake of the Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket publishing phenomena, editors and readers demand a standard of literary sophistication far above that of 20 years ago.”
But if just about every actress and singer is putting out kids’ books these days, how hard can it be? The article confirms what we’ve known all along: “With a few exceptions, they read like exactly what they are: cash cows knocked out quickly and pushed on an unsuspecting market, says Mary Lee Donovan, executive editor at Candlewick Press, an independent children's publishing house.”
Thanks to author Carolyn Greene for pointing me to an active link to the article (“Child’s Play? No Way! It’s Not Easy Writing Books for Kids”).
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