Writing Children’s Books for Dummies

By Lisa Rojany Buccieri and Peter Economy

     Writing Children’s Books for Dummies does a wonderful job of exploring the writing process. The book takes us from understanding the different children’s book formats to writing them – including setting up workspace, brainstorming, getting to know kids—and then teaches us about the mechanics of the writing process. I found a lot to appreciate in the writing sections. The material on characterization and how the character changes through the plot was excellent. The advice on dialogue was also first rate. The writers approach these things with two important tools – expert input and lots of examples. They asked writers, editors, agents, etc for tips on making good books. This kind of input came together to create some really nice writing advice. The latter half of the book – on submission, selling, and promotion – didn’t really meet the level of quality of the first half. In some place, the book gives bad advice: suggesting it’s okay to staple manuscripts and recommending paid editorial services. I would recommend researching any advice from the submission/selling/promoting end before stepping out to do something expensive that you may not need. But with the writing portion of the book being so good, I would recommend the book to any writer looking for ways to improve his/her craft.