Guest Author - Lucinda Moriarty

If you are just starting out, you may not know which genre your book idea falls into. Here is a condensed list of the many children's book genres just waiting for new stories -- maybe yours! Look through this list and if one strikes your fancy, do some more research about the genre, and soon you will be on your way to writing your first children's book.

Baby Books —These are the first books a child is introduced to. They are created for infants and toddlers, and are designed for adults to read aloud to baby. Books in this category are often thought of as “bedtime” books to be read to baby as he falls asleep. Baby books may contain rhymes, lullabies, and pictures.

Toddler Books — These are study books created to withstand rough treatment by active toddlers. Words are sensory and pictures are brightly colored.

Picture Books — Picture books include both of the categories above, plus books for children who are in kindergarten or just starting school and are not yet reading on their own. Stories are simple and the colorful illustrations play a major part of the telling of the story. Picture books are not lengthy – usually running 32 pages.

Easy Readers — Intended for children just starting to read on their own, the easy reader may also called an “I Can Read” book. Like the picture book, the easy reader contains colorful pictures. The story is told through simple words printed in large type. – only a few sentences are on each page. The story must be full of action to engage the young reader and hold his attention. Characters are often children in the reader’s age group or small animals with human-like characteristics.

Chapter Books — Written for ages seven to ten, these books include stories with more substance than the easy reader. Illustrations are very few, if any, and are usually colored in black and white only. Chapter books are longer than the easy reader – going from 60 – 80 pages broken down into several chapters. Chapter books provide a bridge between the easy reader and the more meaty mid-grade novels.

Middle Grade Novels — This category can be split into fiction and non-fiction titles. Written for more sophisticated readers from 8 – 11 years of age, the mid-grade novel pulls no punches. Stories must be well organized and characters well developed. Fiction titles must contain action to hold the reader’s attention. Non-fiction titles must be well researched and written to engage the reader while educating her.

Young Adult/Teen — Written for ages 12 and up, these books start to explore more complex topics such as relationships and values. Characters are human, and are in the same age group as the reader. Plots contain subject matter interesting and topical the young adult reader.

Hi-Lo Books — Hi-Lo’s assist readers who have high interest in reading, but are reading at a lower level; than others in the same age group. The stories must include topics that are particularly interesting to the reader to hold his attention throughout the book. Stories should be short to keep him reading, further developing his reading skills.