I need some help. A....friend.....of mine has this "drinking" problem, and im afraid shes going to get too carried away and seriously hurt someone. im to afraid to tell her myself bacause im afraid of what the result might be. i truley need advice. i dont know what to do. if anyone has any advice plz tell me before someone gets hurt. o,,O8
Writing children's books takes a unique talent, an eye for capturing children's imagination, and a love for bringing children's worlds to life. While it's a fun and creative career track, some authors find themselves wanting to branch out and reach a more mature audience. For those who want to branch off and write for adults, it can seem like a daunting task. Nevertheless, many young adult or children's book writers have been able to do it. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, just penned her first adult novel and she's not alone. Here are some others.
- Madeline L'Engle wrote both A Wrinkle in Time and The Small Rain
- R.L. Stine wrote the famously "creepy" Goosebumps series and then went on to pen adult horror stories.
- Roald Dahl wrote about more than just giant peaches and chocolate factories. He also wrote several stories that turned into Alfred Hitchcock films.
- Judy Blume has written everything from children's books to young adult novels and even some adult favorites.
Would you want to write for adults too?
Known for his tattoos, mutli-colored hair, drunk driving records, and love of wearing wacky clothing, Dennis Rodman isn't someone you'd expect to be "family friendly". After going through a divorce, the former basketball star didn't see his children much. As a solution, he decided to write a children's book and dedicate it to them. His book chronicles events in his own life, except instead of a child experiencing them, it's a bull.
Dennis The Wild Bull hasn't released any major plot points, except that it's about coming into your own skin. The book's website says, "the book has “the sole purpose of conveying good lessons to children based on Dennis’s own experiences as a world class athlete while overcoming obstacles as a child.”
Although this is his first children's book, this is far from Dennis's first time writing. He has penned four autobiographical works. He's also not writing alone: screenwriter and author Dustin Warburton and illustrator Dan Monroe are assisting.
As a student interested in writing children's books, what do you think of this?
When it comes to making a career in writing chidren's books finding a publisher is vital. Having someone who will aid you in getting your book on shelves is the difference in making it a hobby versus a future job. In order to find a publisher, you will have to work hard, but the results will pay off. Here's a "how to" guide from eHow:
- Search online for publishing resources. Look through the larger sites that publish lists of reputable publishers and the appropriate contact information.
- Subscribe to a few well-known publishing newsletters that announce book deals that tell you what publishers are buying and what types of books are getting contracts.
- Look at examples of the type of books you want to publish, and pay attention to who published them. Note those names, and find their contact information online or in a directory that lists publishers.
- Buy the latest copy of the Writer's Market, which changes significantly every year. Study the Writer's Market to get an idea about how a legitimate publisher operates and what types of communication and submissions are generally acceptable. Submit your manuscripts to the contacts listed.
- Sign up for the online version of the Writer's Market, which you can purchase online or by using a code found inside special versions of the book. Check out the online version to get the most recent submission and contact information.
- Hire an agent. Rely on your agent to send submissions to publishers, many who only accept manuscripts from agents.
What other advice do you have?
With the 2012 London Olympic games coming up, all eyes are on the sports, the athletes, and the history of the games themselves. Children and adults alike will be tuned in and watching to see the triumphs, successes, and defeats by the world's best. Children especially will dream of someday being on that world stage and feeling the joys of winning a medal. For those who are interested, many kids books about the olympics are being published by those in writing children's books careers to satisfy the children in their thirst for knowledge.
- Fitter, Faster, Funnier Olympics - This book by Michael Cox tells interesting facts and figures about the games and the athletes throughout the olympics history. It also gives young hopefuls advice on how to make their olympic dreams come true.
- I Want To Win (Little Princess) - Written by Tony Ross, this cute picture book tells of a young princess who is used to winning everything at the palace, but when she starts to compete against her friends at school, she has to learn how to win (and lose) with grace.
- Ring Force - NBC Sports producer Brian Brown writes a chapter book for kids about a team of exceptional young athletes fighting a mysterious evil force. The official description says, "children from around the world are brought together by the gods of Olympus with a single mission of hope: to keep the Olympic spirit alive in the hearts of humanity."
Would you read any of these to your kids?
Besides math and science, schools are always looking for a way to improve their students reading skills. One elementary school principal decided to strike a wager with the students at his school saying if they read more than 10,000 children's books by the time the school year finished, he would let them pick something crazy for him to do. In the end, the 170 students at the Roger Clap Innovation School had surpassed their goal by 3,000 books and their principal, Justin Vernon, had to pay up.
Justin came to school dressed head to toe as the pop singer Lady Gaga. Complete with a dress, makeup, and tiara, Justin's students giggled as he climbed out of the car. But that wasn't the only way Justin had to pay up. "They pushed back on me, saying 'If we're going to have to read all these books to meet our goal, you've got to do something for us," Vernon said. "Somehow I got stuck with dressing up as Lady Gaga and milking a cow."
The students, who are from Boston, aren't used to seeing a real life heffer let alone having one at their school. Many of the students were more impressed with the cow and watching their principal milk it than they were to see him in a dress.
What do you think of this competition?
When it comes to a career writing children's books, you probably wouldn't think the wife of the Vice President to embark on one, yet she has done just that. Amongst appearing at public events and supporting the political aspirations of her husband, Jill Biden wrote a book for kids that is very close to her heart. Jill and Joe Biden have a son, Beau, who was deployed in Baghdad. While he was there, Jill was putting his young daughter, her granddaughter, Natalie, to bed when Natalie said, "don't forget, God bless our troops."
That sentence stuck with Jill and she went on to use it as the title for her new book. The children's book tells the story of a young girl, also named Natalie, who is dealing with her father's deployment overseas. USA Today writes, "the story tracks key events of the year and the ways Natalie and her family cope with his absence. Before making the final yank to pull out her first tooth, they wait until her father can watch via Skype. When her younger brother begins to cry for his dad while they are playing with their Army action figures, she holds her GI Joe in front of her face and, in a deep faux-father voice, urges him: "Don't cry, Hunter! Be a big, strong boy."
This book isn't just written for families with a mother or father overseas. It is also designed to teach other children what kids their age may be going through too.
Would you read this?
Jill Biden and her son, Beau.
Let the wild rumpus start! With those words, many generations of readers fell in love with the children's books Maurice Sendak wrote. His most popular story, Where the Wild Things Are, has been translated into dozens of languages, made into a motion picture, and even read by President Obama at the White House Easter Egg Roll. On May 8, the world lost this innovative author, but his works will live on.
Maurice Sendak didn't plan on writing children's books initially, but he found kids to be very interesting. Maurice found that children aren't as delicate and fragile as many of the adults pegged them to be. He thought they could handle darker, more disturbing stories and because of that, his books weren't all fluffy kitties and rainbows. Maurice once said, "from their earliest years, children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions — fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, they continually cope with frustrations as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming wild things."
His other books caused controversy too. In The Night Kitchen featured a male child protagonist who appears naked - and anatomically correct. Even so, his books are cherished by many generations and will continue to hold a place on children's bookshelves for years to come.
What's your favorite Maurice Sendak book? Any favorite memories associated with his works?
All parents want what’s best for their children. They want their kids to eat healthy, learn as much as possible, and try to grow up to be great people. Parents read books about sharing, saying I’m sorry, and many other life lessons that are important for kids to know. One author of children’s books is trying to teach children another important lesson: why they should go vegan.
This controversial new book explains the vegan lifestyle in regards to food, clothing, and entertainment. The author says the angle of the story is to show kids how by making a few choices every day, they’re helping save the world. While her intentions may be for the good of the world, some worry this book is only going to cause more problems. One dietician said, “The main problem I have with this book is that children are impressionable, and this is too sensitive of a topic to have a child read this book. It could easily scare a young child into eating vegan, and, without proper guidance, that child could become malnourished."
What do you think?
Children grow up reading about the amazing Spiderman, the indestructable Superman, and the clever Batman, but it's not everyday the children reading the books turn into superheros themselves. Jeremy Wuitschick was riding the school bus on his way to school like every morning, but this time, something was different. He noticed the bus driver's eyes were bulging and he was flapping his arms. Jeremy and another student jumped out of their seats and got right to work.
Jeremy jumped behind the wheel of the bus and steered the bus just in time to prevent it from going over a curb. The other student (who knows CPR) immediately began chest compressions on the driver. Jeremy then pulled the ignition key out and saved the bus, and the other children on board, from heading into a crash. As it turns out, Jeremy had just been reading a children's book about a superhero who saves a bus.
What kind of lesson do you hope children take away from your books?
Country band The Zac Brown Band is known for their relaxing beachy tunes and their approachable demeanor, but one member of the band is looking to get noticed for something else. Guitarist Coy Bowles has written an anti-bullying children's book inspired by his, and his bandmates', kids. In the book, a little girl named Amy Giggles finds herself being teased for her unusual laugh. The main character was based off of a girl Coy met at a dinner party who would stifle her laugh. When someone asked her why, she said she taught herself to muffle her laughter because other kids used to tease her.
Writing this book wasn't that challenging for Coy. "I came up with a rhyme, and the crazy thing about it is that the band’s success has been so insane over the last three or four years, it took me 15 minutes to write the book and two years on and off the road to finish the book, he said.
What do you think about this?
Hollywood has drawn more inspriation from best selling books forever. The two genres naturally go hand in hand and influence the sales of the other medium. Lately, young adult series, like Twilight, Harry Potter, and now The Hunger Games, have been branching out from their pages and hitting the big screen. Like with any adaptation, the book-to-movie transitions do draw comparisons.
First, many fans of the series will compare the movie to the original novel. From the way readers imagine the characters in their heads to the way the public imagines the scenery to look, there will always be the pressure for the movie to live up to expectations.
Not only that, but the comparisons will likely be drawn to other books-turned-movies too. For example, the newest installment, Hunger Games, is already drawing comparison to the mega hit Twilight. Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss Everdeen, has her doubts. "Hunger Games is not Twilight," she said. "And while I hear the comparisons, it's really premature to say that it will be the same phenomenon."
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Books from authors like Dr. Seuss, Stan and Jan Berenstein, and Eric Carle have been around for generations. It's even possible you first heard about these stories from your mother and have now passed them down to share with your children. It's curious what makes these books withstand the test of time when other books just get put into a closet.
“Great children’s literature has all the components of great adult literature: good plot, good theme, good character development,” said one teacher of children’s literature. “A good children’s book also features relatability, colorful illustrations and a touch of whimsy. Children like stories that are fun, plots that hit home but that also add some fantasy, such as talking animals or magic.”
The way a book is written also helps. Repetition like in Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See as well as rhyming, like Goodnight Moon will also help the book to become a classic.
What books have you shared with your children?
American Girl has always taken snippets of history and turned them into "must reads" for young children, mostly girls. Besides having their historical figure girls, the brand has now adapted to "girl of the year" where they design one girl that best represents their average reader of that year. 2012 is the year of McKenna, an average ten-year-old girl who has some reading disabilities. The stories go on to show how she doesn't let her disability control her life.
In honor of McKenna's disability, the American Girl brand has done something different with their books this year. To combine both the online world and the tangible book series, an online quiz related to McKenna is aimed at helping girls discover their strengths and offers them a trophy for completing 10 offline challenges. For each trophy, American Girl says it will donate 25 cents, up to a maximum of $50,000, to Save the Children's U.S. literacy program.
The company is hoping McKenna will help girls overcome the "4th grade slump", which a spokesperson from American Girl says is when students switch from learning to read to reading to learn.
What do you think of this children's book?
