Appropriate subject for children's book
If you have spelling or grammar questions, please post them in the International Grammar section.
If you want feedback for poetry or short stories you have written, please post the poem or short story in either the Creative Original Works: Short Stories section or the Creative Original Works: Poetry section.
If you have a book that you want reviewed, click here to submit your book for review.
- Bob Richley
- Posts: 15
- Joined: 29 Jun 2016, 16:48
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 3
- Reading Device: B00HCNHDN0
Appropriate subject for children's book
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice in Space
- Bookshelf Size: 2288
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
- Rebeccaej
- Posts: 107
- Joined: 03 Sep 2016, 19:49
- Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 815">Imago (Xenogenesis Series #3)</a>
- Bookshelf Size: 15
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rebeccaej.html
- Latest Review: "The Reich Device" by Richard D. Handy
Kids need to learn about death when they're young enough to find comfort sitting in their parents lap. It is not fair to children or young adults to send them out into the world unprepared for the basic realities of life. Give them a chance to start grappling with it in a safe, supportive environment so they have a basic level of understanding BEFORE somebody they love dies in real life.
edit: oh hey, that ended with a question about how I would write it. I don't really write children's books, but I think the important parts would be to show realistic grief and then showing family and friends providing real comfort. For a very young audience, something like little Johnny being angry at his grandma for "leaving," walking by the house and thinking she MUST be in there, and hurting again when she remembers she isn't, and then talking to his mom and her saying that she misses her too, and them just...sitting together with that and finding ways to remember her together.
I think I'd also include somebody saying something that's meant to be supportive and isn't, like "God needed another angel," and somehow including the message that that's a hurtful thing to say, but probably the person saying it is confused and hurting also, and doesn't know how to handle it.
I think I'd probably end by skipping forward in time to a point where grief is starting to abate, and touching on the question of, "I still miss her, and it still hurts sometimes, but I'm feeling better, too. I can remember good times now and be happy that I got a chance to know them." Or maybe leave it a little more open-ended, so it doesn't dictate how you're "supposed" to heal.
That all feels really simplistic, but I'm assuming a "baby's first introduction to death," book aimed at 5-year-olds. Basically, I think the most important part is to provide a realistic walk-through of what grief is actually like.
Huh, to that end, it would probably be best to start before the dying character is sick/approaching death, so that the kid gets a chance to bond with them a little.
- bruin
- Posts: 287
- Joined: 24 Aug 2016, 14:48
- Currently Reading: Cracking the Genome
- Bookshelf Size: 235
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bruin.html
- Latest Review: Havana 1995 -english version- by Ileana Gonzalez Monserrat
I would think about how I would want to introduce death and to what age group. For ages 4-6, a picture book with animals to explain what happens when a pet dies and to the people who are grieving. For ages 7-9, I would write about people experiencing death in the family with details about what happens and the emotions involved.
These books would be used to answer any questions children have about death and to explain it in ways that they can understand and relate to.
- Amagine
- Posts: 5441
- Joined: 04 Mar 2017, 19:27
- Bookshelf Size: 721
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-amagine.html
- Latest Review: "Salome and Gogo visit Soweto" by Cora Groenewald
- Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG
In a book, I would write about a pet dying or something along those lines. I don't want it to be too heavy if this is the child's first time thinking about death.
"I am grateful for all the books that sparked my imagination." -Unknown
- Mr Benji
- Posts: 420
- Joined: 16 Jan 2018, 03:34
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 73
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mr-benji.html
- Latest Review: Dynomike: Pay It Forward by Frankie B. Rabbit
Yours sincerely,
Bok48.
- DancingLady
- Posts: 284
- Joined: 11 Feb 2018, 10:31
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 108
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-dancinglady.html
- Latest Review: Believe What You Want To Believe by Alicia Kristine and George Williams
As a Christian, I understand that death is a consequence of sin, and sin is anything that is contrary to the nature of God. Focusing on death and all the things that go with it is the opposite of our calling, which is “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Phillipians 4:8
With that in mind, for me, it is appropriate to write a story for children, or any age, that includes death, as it is part of this fallen world, but the ultimate focus needs to be on good things, like the hope we have in Jesus, the love we give to to the hurting or receive when we are hurting.
- authorswrite
- Posts: 15
- Joined: 14 Mar 2018, 20:44
- Currently Reading: From Hill Town to Strieby
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Libs_Books
- Posts: 755
- Joined: 13 Feb 2018, 12:54
- Favorite Book: The year of the flood
- Currently Reading: Mason Dixon
- Bookshelf Size: 273
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-libs-books.html
- Latest Review: Dont Panic Its Organic by Dr. Andy Lopez
- Polgesteirg
- Posts: 53
- Joined: 30 Jan 2018, 08:54
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 28
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-polgesteirg.html
- Latest Review: Final Notice by Van Fleisher
- Amandajk
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 10 Mar 2018, 19:43
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Kim Ann
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 19 Mar 2018, 09:26
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- kegoffeney
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 06 Mar 2018, 07:56
- Currently Reading: Elastic Girl
- Bookshelf Size: 10
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kegoffeney.html
- Latest Review: Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren
- Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG
Long answer: Kids understand way more than we adults give them credit for, and the truly great programs and books for kids understand this (think of how many "hard" topics the show "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" dealt with). The trick is to tailor the topic to the age group. Don't "dumb it down," but do frame it in an age appropriate way. But most of all, don't shy away from being honest about even the hardest of topics. Kids can usually tell when you're feeding them a line and, like most adults, appreciate an honest explanation way more than a light and fluffy one.
- wilykit104
- Posts: 16
- Joined: 06 Apr 2018, 09:22
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 9
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wilykit104.html
- Latest Review: Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi
Personally I feel that a strong emphasis on the person's life, the people they affected, and how we will remember them is more important and useful than a "where do we go when we die" approach.
- lbhatters
- Posts: 264
- Joined: 19 Mar 2018, 03:31
- Favorite Book: Life is Too Short to Waste and Do Nothing
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 30
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lbhatters.html
- Latest Review: Life is to Short to Waste and do Nothing by Gracie Curry Holman
- Reading Device: B077WTB2LY
authorswrite wrote: ↑15 Mar 2018, 19:29 Death is done in picture books. But done differently than in other stories. Maybe you have a story about a momma bird that dies, and the baby has to survive and learn by herself. The readers can then see it through the bird's eyes. Stories like that are well-received.
I remember seeing a dead cat on the side of the road when I was about 6 or 7 and was my first encounter with death. I wonder if I had been exposed to it in a book if I would have received it better. I just remember going home, lying on my bed and feeling depressed.
I think a good book that introduced the topic might have been helpful at that time
-Fransis of Assisi
It's perfectly ok to write garbage, as long as you edit brilliantly.
-C.J. Cherryh