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Children's Book Genres

© Sue Reichard

The publishing industry can be very confusing for those new to the business of writing for children. In this column I will list and define the different categories of books. In future columns I will delve into each category in depth.

Picture Books — A picture book is a book in which the illustrations play a significant role in telling the story. There are several types of books under this category:

1. Baby books —These books are for infants and young toddlers, and are usually lullabies, nursery rhymes, fingerplays or wordless books. The length and format can vary with the content.

2. Toddler books — These are very simple stories for ages one to three, usually under 300 words. They are familiar to a child's everyday life, or they are concept books which teach colors, numbers, shapes etc. Books are short with a 12-page average and the format can be board books (sturdy paper-over board construction), pop-ups, lift-the flaps or novelty books (books that make sounds or have different textures).

3. Picture books — Traditionally, picture books are 32-page books for ages four to eight. Manuscripts are up to 1500 words, with 1000 being the average length. Plots are simple with one main character who embodies the child's emotions, concerns and viewpoint. The illustrations, which are on every page or every other page, play as great a role as the text in telling the story. Sometimes picture books will exceed 1500 words, but these are geared toward the upper end of the age spectrum. Picture books cover a wide range of topics and styles. Non-fiction in the picture book format can go up to age 10, 48 pages, or up to 2000 words.

4. Early picture books — This is a term for picture books geared toward the lower end of the four-to-eight range. These stories are simple and contain under 1000 words. Many early picture books have been reprinted in the board book format.

Easy Readers — These books are also called "easy-to-read" and are for children just starting to read on their own (ages 6-8). They have color illustrations on every page like a picture book, but the format is more "grown-up." There is smaller trim size and are sometimes broken into short chapters. The length varies greatly by publisher. The books can be 32-64 pages with 200-1500 words and can have as many as 2000 words. The stories are told through action and dialogue in simple sentences. Books can average two to five sentences per page.

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