PHEW! What makes a great children’s book?

It’s amazing how some books can be read again and again and still bring joy and delight to both child and parent, whereas others lose their appeal very quickly.

This is an image of some of my very favourite preschool books – ones that I loved reading with my children throughout their baby and toddler years. It seems to me that these books, while being quite different, all have a few things in common. Here’s what I think the main ones are…

• They’re very simple.

• They’re aimed at the child reader, not the adult.

• But adults get pleasure from them too!

• They have friendly, engaging characters.

• The text is simple, straightforward, probably quite repetitive, and easy to understand on the first reading. It might rhyme, but not necessarily.

• If they have a novelty, it’s intrinsic to the reading experience – it advances the story, and the story needs it.

• The novelty is for the child to use, not the adult.

• If it doesn’t have a novelty then the page-turn is used to deliver fun, surprise and interest.

• Text, illustrations and novelty all complement each other.

• They may well be funny.

• They definitely have warmth.

• They’ll have a strong, possibly surprising, ending.

• The cover will have instant impact.

• Finally, if it’s a great novelty book, one that sells for years and years and ends up being what we call a ‘classic’, then it will certainly have some undefinable, magic touch of genius.

When it comes to creating books, this is a lot to bear in mind so, when I sit down to write, I try to remember that every book should have Purpose, Heart, Edge and Wit. In other words… PHEW!