Spiders & Crickets

I switched gears today from adult literature (still plugging my way through Atlas Shrugged) to children's literature; children's magazines to be specific. The simplicity of the writing was refreshing. The ideas were to the point, vivid, and short. With as few words as possible, stories are told to enhance a child's understanding of the world.

As adults, it's easy to forget that children are not programmed to understand everything that goes on around them. Experience is necessary for understanding. Thunder is a big sound until a child understands that lightning and severe weather can follow it; then it becomes scary. Crickets are a thing of wonder until is hops onto your bare arm and you can feel the prickly feet, then the sensation of touch adds a memory. A child will eventually experience enough to learn love, joy, and compassion, but also hatred, anger, and fear. Stories can provide a means of learning about new emotions before they actually occur. Or, worse case scenario, stories give the child a tool as a means of understanding the sadness in his or her world.

I picked four different children's magazines today (I read them all. After spending hours in Atlas Shrugged and not even half-way through, it was refreshing to actually finish something.) The stories were about the world of nature mostly, sometimes friendship, and the ever-present threat of global warming. In past workshops, I've been warned that children don't like stories that are preachy. They don't like stories in which a parent helps the main character solve the problem. Children do like poetry that is rhythmic with rhymes. They like to chant familiar lines and hear the song in stories.

I've attempted to write a great amount of children's literature in the past. So I revisited some of my efforts. Using a poem I wrote for my daughter a few months back and following the rhythm of a poem from one of the magazines, I gave it a second try.

Spring Senses


Feel the sunshine on my face,
Melting winter’s icy hold.
Snow is now fading trace,
Casting sunny beams of gold.

Hear the birds’ new calling song,
Singing shrill from yonder nest.
Twittering voices high and strong
Never stop to take a rest.

Smell the flowers on the breeze,
Tulips, primrose, daffodils,
Breaking through the thinning freeze,
Clothing meadows and the hills.

See reds, yellows, and greens sprout
All along the grassy lane
Purples, blues and pinks shout out,
Blooming after April’s rain.

Taste red berries, Oh! so sweet.
Nature’s candy on my lips
Share with friends, this seedy treat,
Eat in bites, big chomps, and snips.

What I know...
- that the old advice: "less is more" is perfect for children's literature.
- that finding rhythm in poetry is like dancing...there are a few awkward steps before you find that inner beat.
- children love to hear stories that give them imagery. Use words that bring to life their senses.
- that I will continue to read books and magazines for the age group and with the genre that I want to write. What better way is there to learn what publishers are looking for?