Write a Children's Book

Ok, so when writing picture books, publishers really want your story to be perfect and polished. Here are some things you should think about on your post first-edit revision:

1. Is the man character in you story identifiable? At the end of the day, this character will have a full frontal role in solving any problems that occur during your story, so they need to stand out and be noticed.
2. Think about what your character does to move the story along. Don’t forget when writing picture books that they also have a beginning, middle and finish, like most other books.
3. Are the emotions in the story easily identifiable? Usually a main character has attributes of conflicts, emotional growth and change.
4. By re-reading your story, do you feel you have presented the story in an age appropriate way? Sometimes you can read something back once or twice and realise there may be information in your story that a child may not understand or be ready to deal with. Some topics don’t have to be out of bounds, as it’s all about the way you present it.
5. Rewrite and revise by reading the story out loud and think about the language you have used. Is it entertaining to hear? Remember that rather than reading it themselves, children, especially the very young, will have the stories read to them by someone else.
6. It’s a known fact that children will pull a book out to read, or have it read to them over and over again, so does your story have depth? Very young children generally like the sounds words can make, and the way the illustrations work with the words. It’s an association which is important for a child’s development – especially the meaning of words. Children may not pick up on these attributes in one single read, so when writing picture books think about having enough depth to make it re-readable.
7. A satisfying ending is always a must, as children like to feel satisfied with a sense of conclusion. It doesn’t matter if that’s funny or silly.

Essentially the same kind of rules apply when writing picture books to other children’s books.  You just may need to consider your words more carefully due to them being lesser in number and accompanied with wonderful imagery.