Children’s Book Writing Project

Due Date:

Introduction

You are going to write a children’s book. I’m sure you will enjoy this creative writing project and I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading your books.

Before you begin, go to the library and visit the Children’s Book Section. Take some time to look at the titles and notice the different genres of children’s books. See their different sizes and shapes and illustrations. Read a few books of your choice. I will have some in my room as well.

Guidelines

  • Must be a minimum of 10 pages. A standard children’s book is 30 pages.
  • Must have a cover page with the title of the book centered. Your name, date and grade should be in the lower right hand corner.
  • Must be typed. (Any font type and size)
  • Must be illustrated- ILLUSTRATIONS MUST BE DONE IN FREE HAND AND MAY BE DRAWN WITH ANY UTENCIL- MARKERS, PAINT, CRAYONS, PENCIL, INK, PASTELS, ETC. ***CLIPART, COMPUTER OR MACHINE GENERAED ILLUSARTIONS, PHOTOS, MAGAZINE BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS, PRE-MADE AND/OR SCRAP BOOKING MATERIALS ARE NOT PERMITTED!***
  • Once finished, use a paper clip or a folder to enclose it. I will bind the book for you. Don’t staple it together.

Enjoy your writing. Don’t forget! All your work must be original!

Great Children’s Book Ideas: What to Write About?

1Nature. Writing about nature opens a wide range of topics and possible turns that children love. A good idea is to choose the weather characters (such as Wind, Rain, Snow, etc.), the seasons characters (such as Winter, Summer, Autumn, Spring), or nature elements (such as Leaf, Ground, Flower, Moon, Sun, etc.).

2Veggies. Vegetables could actually be a great source for fun stories. The beautiful and boastful Cherry or old and wise Pumpkin can make up a great book.

3Animals. The stories about different animals are extremely popular among children, especially those who have pets at home. The thing is that kids like such heroes as bears, foxes, rabbits, squirrels, etc.

4Space. Writing about stars, planets or space ships will make children think beyond their “mind box”. Who didn’t like the books about fantastic space travels and different planets? Exploring new things has always been a great entertainment for everybody.

5Children. You can choose to develop a story based on the life or adventures of other children. Such stories are great for teaching some lessons and kids love to read about their peers.

6Miracles. Children don’t look for any proofs to believe in miracles. They just believe them because they are told by adults. Besides, miracles allow creating fascinating and easy-to-follow plots.

7Bible. This book is a great inspiration for developing interesting stories with a teaching element. Different books of the Bible (Old Testament in particular) are rich for engaging events and great characters.

8Toys. Because children play with toys every day, it can be exciting for them to read a story about one of the toys. So why not try and make the toys alive for a while in the minds of children.

9Furniture is not a typical area of children’s interest, but if you can give lives to such things, as furniutures, it can turn out quite a story.

10Imagined characters. You can create characters from scratch and that is absolutely fine. Just make sure the characters are understandable for children. It requires more skills and understanding of children’s thinking though.

Grading Rubric for the Children’s Picture Storybook

Category / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / TOTAL
Cover / Title and illustration on cover clearly relate to the story and entice readers to pick up the book. / Title and illustration clearly relate to the story. / Title and illustration are poorly done or do not relate to the story. / No Title. No Illustration.
Text / The font and legibility of the text do not interfere with or disrupt communication of ideas to the reader in any area of the work. / The font and legibility of the text interfere with but do not disrupt the communication of ideas to the reader. / The font and legibility of the text interfere with and disrupt the communication of ideas to the reader. / Messy and unclear.
Grammar and Spelling / There are no grammar or spelling errors anywhere in the work. / One or two grammar or spelling errors occur in the work. / Three or more grammar or spelling errors occur in the work. / 4 or more grammar and/or spelling errors.
Use of Literary Devices / Three different literary devices are used in the work. / Two different literary devices are used in the work. / One or no literary devices are used in the work. / No use of literary devices.
Plot Development / All five areas of the plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) are present and are clearly developed. / One of the five areas of the plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) is not present and/or is not clearly developed. / Two or more of the five areas of the plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) are not present and/or are not clearly developed. / Plot is unclear and underdeveloped.
The Illustrations’ Support of the Plot / The illustrations help present the plot throughout all areas in the work. / The illustrations help present the plot in a majority of areas throughout the work. / The illustrations help present the plot in only a minority of areas throughout the work. / No illustrations present.
Execution of Illustrations / Illustrations are neat and visually pleasing throughout the entire work. / Illustrations are neat and visually pleasing throughout a majority of the work. / Illustrations need more details and attention to visual appearance. / No illustrations.

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