Parents: This is a free activity for children to write their own book. This is a “nuts and bolts” outline for writing a children’s book. If your children are lower elementary or younger, I recommend that you read and guide them through their first book.

©2016  Dr. Wanda C. Phillips

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Steps for Young Authors to Write a Children’s Book

1. 1. Ask yourself the following questions:  what age will my readers be (targeted audience), what is my purpose (to entertain, to inform, etc.), and do I want a theme (the alphabet, for example).
      If you need a few book examples to inspire you, I suggest the following:
      • Read Ira Sleeps Over; Ira faces a dilemma (problem).
      • Read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; this is a series of events.
      • Read Leo the Lop; this story has a moral.   (These may be checked out of your local library.)
   2. Select three children’s books to examine its book components.  (It’s fun to discuss these with a friend.)
      1. What is on the cover?  What do you want to include on your cover?
      2. What is on the title page?  What will you include? Create a company name.
      3. What is on the copyright page?  What will you include on yours?
      4. Is there a dedication page?  Do you want to dedicate your book?  What will you say?
      5. Look at the first page.  The norm is to start on the right-hand page (labeled 1).
         • Some authors place print and pictures on the same page.  Ex.—  Ira Sleeps Over
         • Some place print on one page and picture(s) on the next.  Ex.—  Leo the Lop 
      6. What is on the back cover?  What will you include on your back cover?
      1. Write your story, skipping every other line for ease in editing; title it.  This is your rough draft.
         (I suggest you put this away for a few days so that you will be able to look at your story with “fresh eyes.”)
      2. Go back to your edited rough draft or a copy of it.  Make changes.  (I use this process daily until I’m
         satisfied with every word. This step may take me a week.)
      3. In pencil, draw a circle around the words or sentences you want on page 1.  (This is a challenge
         for me! In my children’s book, My Mother Doesn’t Like to Cook, I changed my mind a dozen times.)  Do this for
         each page, labeling 2, 3, etc.  Think of ideas for the illustration(s) for each page.
      4. You are now ready to create a prototype, which is simply blank writing papers stapled together
         to form all pages of your book.   Count one page for every circle plus a cover page, a title page, a
         copyright page, a dedication page (if you want one), an extra page for a biographical sketch that you may
         write as your very last page, and a back-cover page.   (Relax; you may always add blank pages!)
         1. On your prototype, lightly print what each page is–cover, title page, copyright page, and dedication page.  Where will you begin  your storyline?  Print your circled words and/or sentences for page 1 there.  Write your page number where you want it. Continue your storyline, placing your text (circled writing) on the appropriate prototype pages.  Number pages.  (You may wish to use a bottom-of-the-page layout for your first book.)
         2. Your illustrator (that may be you) will not draw in your prototype.  That is for the final (published) copy.  Simply place a box  with an X exactly how large and where you want each picture to appear eventually on each page.  You may create your cover,  title page, etc., when you choose.
         3. Consider having an adult edit your completed prototype. 
      5. Write your published (final) copy in book form.

​Do you want to write a biographical sketch?  (My students placed this on the last page with a picture.)  Read an author’s biographical sketch and use this as a guide.  Ask someone to interview you, using the same type of questions.  If you have trouble writing it from another’s perspective, ask for help.  Be sure to edit it and/or have an adult edit it.  Include it in the published (final) copy of your children’s book.                     

​Wanda Phillips, Ed.D., is author of Easy Grammar series, Daily Grams: Guided Review Aiding Mastery Skills series, Easy Writing, and Easy Grammar Ultimate Series (Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12+).