If I were to write a childrens book, how would I write it?

[Wings]

Would I write it like an average novel? Or would I write it like, "Jimmy still can't find his teddy, do you know where his teddy is?" "That's right, it's behind the curtain! Thank you for helping Jimmy find his favourite toy!"

If I'm wrong on both counts, can anybody give me some examples lol? I'm looking at some children's books now, but I'm scared on writing one then sending it only to have the publisher say "What is wrong with you? That is not how you write a child's book" Because I don't know if authors books get edited or cut, any help at all would be great!

Thank you!

[Crystal]

It depends on how old the children you want them to read. If it is for 5-year-olds, make it simple but yet educational. 7-year-olds, more words that develop into a story but still simple and educational. Don't worry if you can't publish your story! Every writer, every author, has a book that gets rejected by some publishers!

[Nouman Khan]

don't have any idea

[mummymonkey]

Define your target age group and then pick up some books from your local library that are aimed at that age. This will give you some ideas of how you should be writing. Once you know this you can work on what story you want to tell etc.
I'm a mum of two (3 and 5) who love books and reading and their favorite stories are told without words through pictures. Check out peter collington and oliver jeffers in particular.
You're either aiming to tell a story that hasn't been told before, or re-telling one in a different way. Otherwise no agent will take you on.
That is another point that you'll want to submit any work to a literary agent for them to present to publishing houses rather than going to them direct or you won't be taken seriously.
Anyway...once written, get in touch with your local preschool and see if you can go in and read your story to the children. As a preschool committee secretary I can tell you that you would be welcome as preschools are always looking for different things for the children to experience.
You can gauge how well your story might be received by the childrens response and this will give you a further reccomendation to a literary agent if you mention it in your cover note.
Hope that's of some help.

[Flynn]

You are wrong on both accounts, unfortunately.
It all depends on how old the child is - the style and vocabulary must be tailored specially to the child's age.
The style of book also depends. A picture book would have few words; letting the vibrant pictures doing the talking. A novel for small children wouldn't read like a normal novel, but with simpler sentences and words.
You need to envision how old your target audience is, because an average novel would be targeted at at youngest an eleven year old, whereas a book with phrases such as "That's right, it's behind the curtain!" are more for a two to five year old. Only then can you know how advanced the language in the book will be.

[Lou C. Ferr]

You need to get a software package that will analyze your writing.

It will take a paragraph and tell you the reading level it was written to.

[Joss]

I learned this very small tidbit from a children's editor whom I saw on TV. She said that not only does the vocabulary has to be age appropriate but the themes also have to be age-appropriate. For example, in this case with 5 year olds, she said that a them of - accept yourself for who you are (not exactly these words, but that's the theme in a nutshell) - is too big a theme for a 5 year old to understand. & you don't want to make the book too easy. DK publishing has some great books that are marked by age. I checked one out at the library that was a level 2, which is for those who are learning to read on their own. It had a guide on the book for each reading level and how each level differs from the other. I agree with the others that you should read as many books as you can for the age group you plan on writing for to get the gist for language and theme. Then give it a try. Don't expect it to be perfect on your first try and like everything else, you have to practice to get better at it. And, it's possible that you'll have to write many of those types of books before you write something that's worth a publisher reading, so don't be afraid to send off your work once you've gotten feedback from other writers who are writing for young children and polishing it. Rejection is part of the process and have to get used it if you want to succeed.

There are some writer's organizations for those writing children's books and you can see about joining that and find critique group for children's writers. Feedback is very important. If you can, attend writers conferences and seminars directed at those writing for children. Follow other writers of the same group on twitter and interact with them for support and they'll also try to help you with any questions you have. There are many literary agents who rep children's books who tweet, facebook, and blog and they give out great advice. If you're serious, try to attend seminars and conferences. & follow some of your favorite children's book authors on twitter and visit their website to see if they offer any writing & publishing advice.

Believe me, editors and agents have seen it all when it comes to those who aren't good (yet) at writing children's books, so you're not going to stand out in that realm (IF you happen to be one of them, who knows, you might be better than you think). You'll be remembered if you start sending angry emails after you get rejected. I wouldn't worry about rejection and what the editor will think. Thousands of writers get rejected every year and it's part of the process, especially when every editor isn't going to like what you've written, even if it's publishable. GL with it!

I know you're in the UK, but you can see if this org is international or not. This is the biggest org of it's kind.
http://www.scbwi.org/

A blog by an agent who reps children's books.
http://kidlit.com/