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https://theconversation.com/im-a-childrens-writer-and-celebrity-childrens-books-undervalue-my-craft-243821>
"I have been an editor and author of children’s and young adult books for over
20 years. I’ve taught writing for children and young adult fiction to
hardworking and serious emerging writers since 2010.
So yes, it yanks my chain when I read that Keira Knightley has written and
illustrated a “modern classic”: a children’s picture book called
I Love You
Just the Same, scheduled for publication next year. And of course, that Jamie
Oliver pulled his children’s book last week, apologising (along with his
publisher, Penguin Random House UK), for falling short when it comes to
Indigenous representation. They join the likes of Madonna, Meghan Markle, Jimmy
Barnes, Keith Richards and more.
Children’s authors and illustrators occupy a highly specialised niche of
publishing. Picture book writer Mem Fox, who has written 49 picture books for
children, took three years to write her most recent book,
Meerkat Mayhem,
illustrated by Judy Horacek.
Picture books are written to be read aloud, and every word needs to be
carefully chosen for meaning, rhythm, readability and musicality.
My middle-grade novel,
The Endsister, was written for the same age group as
Jamie Oliver’s book. It tells the story of a family who inherit a house and
move to London. It took several drafts to find the right balance between the
child protagonists and the adult characters.
In children’s literature, kids need to make mistakes and solve their own
problems. Moving to London is adult business, but how the young characters in
my book respond and what they do next is the beating heart of the story.
Being a children’s writer, and learning how to make these kinds of storytelling
decisions (in a way that should feel easy to readers), is a careful craft."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
