How to Share a Child Poem

By Gray Ward

For a child, poems are very abstract. They do not have the flashy colors, vibrant energy or loud explosions of Saturday morning cartoons and display little of the exciting, adventurous tones of a particularly engaging comic book. However, to a child, poems that strike the right cord are not impossible to find. You just need to find the right child poem. A child poem is not very much unlike a normal poem. It is however, written and directed toward children, offering details that they would enjoy.

Poetry is a fickle art form with millions of examples; many of them brilliant, many of them awful, and a great deal of them quite dull or too complicated for a child. To strike the right note early on with a child, poems that are simple and interesting are vital. They also serve to create a growing interest in reading at a young age.

What to look for in a Child Poem

Children’s poetry in the 20th century has a very unique flavor to it, having been developed and institutionalized by writers like Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. However, they were not the first to write child poems and should not be the last place a parent looks when trying to find the perfect one. With that in mind, what exactly should those parents look for?

A child poem should be lighthearted
A compelling storyline is also a great selling point for a child poem.
Abstract emotion and metaphor will bore a child.
Child Poems should not create unwanted situations with awkward, touchy subjects.
A child poem should be written to entertain, not solely teach. A good combination is always good though.

Who to turn to for a Child Poem

Many of the great writers of children’s literature also wrote poetry during their lives. Lewis Carroll is a great example. Famous for Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Carroll’s poetry is equally as compelling. Jabberwocky is a great, funny nonsense child poem from those books:

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

Rudyard Kipling also wrote his fair share of poetry alongside his novels. Famous for his work on The Jungle Book among many other adventurous children’s stories, Kipling wrote poems like Gunga Din, long story driven pieces that were both funny and compelling for young children.

Louisa May Alcott, the famous author of Little Women and Little Men and an almost essential writer in the canon of American literature wrote her own share of goofy child poems as well. Poems such as "The Rock and the Bubble" and "A Song from the Suds" are funny, entertaining distractions for children. Her poems especially strike at the curiosity of a child, the most important target for any literary work, lest that child grows bored too quickly

Gray Ward loves to use poems to express his feelings for the right occasion, why not enjoy more articles and poems by visiting his website at http://www.poemanswers.com where you too will find the right poem for you.

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Book Review: How to Get Your Child to Love Reading

By Fran Santoro Hamilton

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived when author Esmé Raji Codell was staring at a shriveled potato that was sprouting eyes. She wondered, " . . . if I had a potato, nothing but a potato, how could I teach a classroom full of children? Well, I could cut a potato in half. (I can use the paring knife from my own kitchen, right?) We could review fractions. With one half, I could cut a design and do potato prints. We could plant the eyes from the other half of the potato (it can have eyes, right?) and grow more potatoes, charting their growth." The ideas cascade: writing a story about a potato, making a book of potato recipes or potato poems, making potato stamps of all the letters, teaching reading, getting books from the library about potatoes, talking about the Irish potato famine, writing letters to executives about potato chips or Mr. Potato Head.

The preceding excerpt illustrates the boundless creativity of Esmé Raji Codell. On this first page she establishes the metaphor that recurs throughout How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: "Children’s literature is our national potato." It is the seed that, through its many shoots, can help our children become caring, educated citizens.

Although the cover dubs How to Get Your Child to Love Reading a "Parent’s Guide," this book is a treasure trove for teachers, librarians, grandparents, anyone who cares about children and books. It provides "activities, ideas, and inspiration for exploring everything in the world through books." It is a valuable resource for nourishing juvenile readers, both the reluctant and the ravenous.

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading includes over 3,000 titles recommended for children from birth through eighth grade. However, it doesn’t stop with mere recommendations. As Esmé says, "This book is a recipe book for children’s literature: how to serve it up so it’s delicious and varied."

After a section on reading with "the littlest bambinos," How to Get Your Child to Love Reading is organized by subject matter: social studies, math and science, story books, etc. Esmé subdivides the broad categories, however, so that book lists have very specific headings. She offers books for specific seasons, for special occasions (such as the arrival of a sibling or the loss of a tooth), for dealing with everyday problems (tattling or the hiccups).

Because the categories are so specific, many books are listed simply by title and author. That is sufficient. Sometimes Esmé adds just a word or two of description. For example, in the math section the note "place value" beside the title The King’s Commissioners is extremely elucidating. For some books Esmé provides sentence summaries. For others she provides more information, even excerpts. She provides just enough information to whet our appetites.

But How to Get Your Child to Love Reading has so much more! Esmé’s wisdom and revelry shine through on every page. Esmé includes dozens of articles, some on controversial subjects (for example, should reading be rewarded?). She has recurring features honoring "reading heroes" and addressing questions about various aspects of reading. She provides a list of benefits of reading aloud, a "Happy Childhood Checklist," a list of "Must-Reads by the Time You’re Thirteen," six pages of story starters. She offers suggestions for integrating literature with life, often in celebration — a parade of books, a storytelling festival, an unbirthday party. She recommends additional resources, many of them on the Internet.

Appendices and indices round out How to Get Your Child to Love Reading. The appendices include Newbery and Caldecott Award honorees as well as winners. Information about a specific book is easy to find since the books are triply indexed — by title, author, and subject.

I am thrilled to have discovered Esmé Raji Codell. She is indeed an exuberant, eloquent young voice for promoting literacy through children’s literature. How to Get Your Child to Love Reading may well offer the best hope for stemming the current tide of illiteracy.

A parent and former teacher, Fran Hamilton is the author of Hands-On English, now in its second edition. Hands-On English gives quick access to English fundamentals and makes grammar visual by using icons to represent parts of speech. The book is for anyone 9 years or older, including adults. Fran also publishes companion products to Hands-On English and free e-mail newsletters: LinguaPhile, published monthly, is for people who teach and/or enjoy English; Acu-Write, published weekly, addresses common errors in English. For more information, visit http://www.GrammarAndMore.com.

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Writing A Children’s Book

By Robert A. McClure

A lot of people think that writing children’s books is easy. Well, it is - once you know how.
That’s the important bit - once you know how.

Publishers and agents receive thousands of manuscripts every year - some every week. A lot of the publishers and agents complain that 99% of these submissions are unpublishable.

Why?

It’s simple.

The writers don’t know what they’re doing. They haven’t taken the time to learn about writing children’s books.

Let’s face it, you wouldn’t try to fly a jumbo jet without first taking flying lessons. So why do so many people think they can write a children’s book without first learning how?

Now, this is good news for you, my friend.

Because you can learn how to write a great children’s book. The information is right here. Everything you need to know.

Almost everyone assumes that writing children’s books is so easy, they don’t listen to good advice!

So what’s the secret? It’s actually blindingly obvious:
In order to get your children’s book published, you MUST give children’s publishers EXACTLY what they want. And, more good news, they are screaming out for good children’s books. As I mentioned above, 99% of what they receive is unpublishable. You can be in that 1% that is publishable - once you know how.

Like many people first starting out, I believed that you simply sat down and wrote a children’s book.

I didn’t know that there were different types of children’s books for different age groups. I didn’t know that there were restrictions within these categories.

I didn’t know what made a good children’s book. I didn’t know what to do to improve my chances of being published. I do now. I have more than 70 published titles! And an upcoming movie based on one of my books.

You, my friend, don’t need to spend many years learning about writing children’s books. I have done the work for you. And I’m happy to share my knowledge with you. In my book, I have passed on many secrets that will help you produce a children’s book in days.
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Writing a Picture Book or E-Books
This book is jam-packed with exclusive information designed to jump start your dreams of being a children’s writer and turn a ‘hobby’ into a publishing career. What are you waiting for? Launch your writing career today.
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Children’s Books - Bring Pleasures For Your Kids

By Adam Jaylin

Reading is an important habit that needs to be developed in children. It is necessary for survival in today’s stiff competition. It helps the kids in learning new subjects and finding helpful information they want to know. In spite of the present era of computers, the books have their own significance. Many people believe that the magic of printed words is no more, but the fact is that internet has made reading more popular these days.

It is true that more the children read, the better they become at reading. There are many enjoyable things to read which give them the opportunity to have fun while reading. Kids find reading children’s books a pleasurable activity since such literatures give them a lot of entertaining tales and interesting information. These also help them in enhancing their language skills, vocabulary power and their ability to express themselves.

Children Books bring up new worlds and enrich lives of kids. These give children the opportunity to learn about people and places from different parts of the world. They can expand their accumulated knowledge of mankind by reading these books. The novels that broaden children’s imagination encourage teens to experiment and test new ideas. In fact, these literatures enhance the critical thinking of kids and give them the liberty to think about various topics such as the concepts of cause & effect, problem solving, logical conclusions, etc. Now, the most important thing that comes to the mind is how to find the best books for the children. The following points can be helpful for finding such items.

* The easiest way is to go for the books you loved as a child. Thinking like a child, one can know the exact requirements of her or his kids.

* The idea of purchasing the favorite books of trusted friends and family members is also not bad. Your friends and colleagues can suggest some great ideas that might be helpful in searching the best children’s books.

* The award-winning literatures can be availed because such items are appreciated by a large number of readers.

* Going for the classic children’s literatures and the best reviewed books can also be helpful.

* Many online websites offer the list of best selling literatures for the kids. One can easily find his or her favourite books there.

In most of the cases, kids start reading the course books. However, there are many kinds of such literatures that come with an innovative way of writing. The pocket sized "board books" come in themed collections. Such items are based on a number of themes which excite the kids. Another popular style of children’s literature is the simple picture book. These contain different pictures that give some messages. As kids are not very careful for their belongings, the physical construction of such books is designed to resist the rough handling of children.

The best children’s books can be found on the online shopping portals. These websites offer the customers many attractive schemes and deals. One can also find free gifts, incentives and cashback offers on these online marketplaces. The online shoppers should look for the authentic and reliable sites for purchasing any items. A number of shopping portals are popular in the UK markets. These are Abebooks, Waterstones, Penguin.uk, etc. Abebooks offers a large collection of more than 13,500 booksellers that have introduced their books on its portal. Many value-added benefits are provided by the other websites so that the customers could get the most astonishing shopping experience.

Some of the best known children’s books are the Harry Potter series, Disney High School Musical, KS2 Science, Heart to Heart, etc. These literatures have been written by the reputed authors in the world. On the whole, it is an open secret that the children’s literature business is growing at a rapid speed in the UK and the arrival of internet has benefited this industry.

Know more about Aliens Love Underpants! and buy books at cheap price.

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Writing For Children - Do You Have What It Takes?

By Jill Mcdougall

As a professional children’s writer, I tutor in a Writing for Children course. Over the years I’ve encouraged hundreds of students to achieve their dream of becoming a children’s writer.

Could you become a successful children’s writer?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you constantly dream up story ideas?

• Do you get ideas for stories at the strangest times?

• Do you feel excited at the idea of starting with a blank page (or screen)?

• Do you feel excited at the thought of reading your story to children?

• If you had to give up writing altogether, would you miss it?

Writers are passionate people who write because they love writing. Writers for children love writing but also care about creating great stories for children.

Do you identify with any of these statements?

• I have an inner drive to be creative

• I love playing with words

• I have a wacky sense of humour

• I’m a natural storyteller

• I’m a child at heart

• I feel I can write better children’s books than the ones already out there

Children’s writers identify strongly with children. They remember vividly what it was like to experience the world as a child. They want to recapture those thoughts and feelings and make them real for today’s children.

So is that it? Is that all you need to become a successful children’s writer? Of course not. Writing for children is a business like any other. To be successful you must know the market and target your product carefully. You need to understand the different kinds of children’s books and what publishers are looking for. You must also understand the role of the ‘gatekeepers’ - those people who judge whether your story is ’suitable’ for children. All this takes research, time and energy so the BIG question is …

Can you make a good income writing children’s books?

Yes. Here’s an example …

I wrote a book called Hide! in just half an hour. Hide! was published as a small paperback as well as a Big Book for school teachers to use in classrooms. Over the years, it has been sold in the USA, Mexico, Europe, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and South Africa. Half an hour of creative effort has earned me thousands of dollars! I expect to earn thousands more.

The marketplace for children’s books is massive. Every classroom in the world needs books. Every children’s library needs books. Bookstores and department stores have sections dedicated to the sale of children’s books. Someone has to write all those books. Why not you?

Jill McDougall is a professional children’s writer and writing tutor. At her website http://www.jillmcdougall.com.au you can download a free preview of her ebook: Become a Children’s Writer: Insider Secrets

Jill McDougall is a professional children’s writer with over 100 published books. She is also a writing tutor with a passion for helping others achieve their dream.

You can visit her website at http://www.jillmcdougall.com.au and download a free preview of her ebook: Become a Children’s Writer:Insider Secrets

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The Inside Secrets To Writing and Publishing A Childrens Book

By Eric Znoj

Writing and Publishing a Children’s Book is a dream for many people. Unfortunately, it is often a difficult dream to realize since most talented writers do not know or understand which steps to take first to begin the process of becoming known and getting published.

Do you need an agent, illustrator, assistant, consultant or book marketer? Do you know which Children’s Publishing Houses should be the first ones to submit your work to for maximum profit & the highest probability of acceptance? Have you decided on type of of Children’s Book you plan on writing?

The Children’s Book Publishing business can be complicated for the ill-informed, but easy to navigate for those that understand it. For those that are knowledgeable, writing & actually introducing your work to the marketplace is clockwork.

You may have the the next popular children’s book, but the fact is, if you don’t know how to introduce it to the marketplace, you’ll just keep running into walls which is what most struggling children’s writers go through and sadly, never emerge from the initial phase of the publishing process.

Consultants can be expensive, and seasoned & well known Children’s Book Publishers will rarely reveal their industry inside secrets to children’s book publisher’s. After all, why would they want to put themselves at literary risk, and in a position to lose their book popularity & income. Finding an honest individual to explain how the industry works as a whole will pose to be a daunting task.

Yes, you will find hundreds of publications as to how to go about writing, promoting & publishing a children’s book, but most do not make it easy for the reader to understand the publishing process. The truth is if you follow most of the Children’s Book Publishing tutorials, you will learn that they are inefficient, and could possibly cost you tremendous amounts of time.

An auto-pilot formula that not other Children’s Book Publishing guide can match. No writer wants to sift through hundreds of pages of Children’s Book Publishing techniques & ideas. To be successful in this business, you need to get to the point, and make it happen.

Whether you are looking to write, sell, promote and/or publish your Childrens Book, regardless if it’s a picture book or regular book, education is key.

There are hundreds of thousands of writer’s that go unnoticed every year, with priceless Children’s Book’s eventually shelved or never sold to a publishing house because of a lack of knowledge in the business. Don’t let this be you!

You must learn how to target your age group, brainstorm story ideas, develop your characters, make a story line, introduce your characters with descriptions of physical and personality traits, create a problem or a conflict, and learn how to set the state for a climax. Character development, plots, conflict, and resolution, to marketing & publishing, are the things you need to know to become a successful childrens writer.

Eric Znoj is a professional online publisher of niche industry publications designed to assist people to achieve their personal & financial goals quickly and easily. Visit his site at: http://www.writeachildrensbookaz.com

At WriteAChildrensBookAZ.com we offer a tutorial that takes you step-by-step in an A-Z, 123 easy-to-follow format that doesn’t use complicated industry terminology. Instead, our site offers a Children’s Book Publishing guide intended for the real world, designed so that anybody can quickly and easily write, promote, sell or publish a Children’s Book without the headaches.

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Picture Book Review - William Steig - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

By Ty Hulse

In Children’s Literature their are few illustrators so skilled at creating picture books that impact adult emotions as William Steig. His book "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" is a book that is will loved by children, as a fun and fascinating tale, and it is this. For many parents however it is an emotionally heart wrenching story, a year lost that can never be regained. This is what is meant when it is said that children’s books at least high quality ones can speak to both parents and children.

In this book Sylvester lives with his mother and father, in a closed and tight picture, with warm pink backdrop. Sylvester in the first scene is looking at a rock collection. This opens us up for the transition to him searching for rocks, and finding a flaming red shiny, and perfectly round rock. The pebble as it turns out is magical giving him whatever he wishes for. Within the realm of literature wishes are dangerous things, for what we want or what we do by accident in such situations is the catalyst for many problems. And so it is that Sylvester later confronted by a lion wishes he where a rock, so that the lion would not get him.

Now Sylvester is left alone as a giant rock, with his pebble sitting but inches from him, in a giant double spread picture. One can see how lonely Sylvester is in this picture, though not cold it is wide open. Most artists would have drawn this picture as cold, Steig however needs to keep the picture somewhat bright for the story and his keeping the initial pictures fairly warm shows his genius for foreshadowing with pictures, for this scene is what will prompt Sylvester’s parents to stop here a year later.

In the home Mr. and Mrs. Duncan are seen to stair out the window as parents would when their young child did not come home, they are crying. They do not know what has happened but they know it is bad. Their heartache can and should be used to explain why people who love each other tell each other where they will be. For their search is futile, as is the search of all their neighbors. Steig is careful not to show Sylvester’s location, for they did not know where he was. Of course being a rock he is not findable, or one would presume.

For within a year the parents go off to eat in the beautiful scene where Sylvester was transformed, and it is here that they find the pebble and put it on the rock, for this rock being beautiful reminds them of their son. Allowing Sylvester to transform and once again sit on his parents laps at home.

This book is one of the better picture books and is a perhaps a must read for children, I will however note two things. For the feminist critics one can see in the opening picture that while the mother is sweeping the father is reading a paper. One can overcome the problems such pictures might present by making a note of this, as perhaps the father started and the mother finished. Remember children’s books are read to children by parents often times, at least in the case of picture books such as this. Parents therefore have a certain amount of control over the message they give.

Equally worthy of note is the lack of tears in the father’s eyes, for as Sylvester’s mother cries at the loss of her son he stands sadly. Should the loss be any less painful for him? It is a sad factor that while most of the attention has gone to women’s rolls and feelings in literature, the portrayal of men has often been ignored. The father should be just as sad, just as able to express this sorrow, but he is not.

Ty Hulse has degree’s in art and psychology with both with a children’s and a cross-cultural focus. He is currently working to create the site Zeluna.net which discusses Children’s Literature and Picture Books, as will as Fairy Tales.

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