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Writing a Children’s Book
CADV 453: Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Dr. Nancy Miodrag
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to apply the developmental concepts and constructs that you have learned about children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders into an applied format: you will plan, write, and illustrate your own children’s book.
There are many steps to writing a good children’s book. Follow them here:
Review some illustrated children’s books in the field to gain an understanding of the creative process and the elements that help make a children’s book successful.
See what others have done. When you visit the Amazon website (be sure to change the search menu to Books), you might notice that your idea has already been published. That’s not exactly bad news. It suggests there a niche for the topic. Add a twist that will make your story unique – Surprise ending? Unique to your population (e.g., children with a rare genetic disorder)? Maybe there is a unique character? Be creative!
Choose a topic. What really interests you? Then narrow that topic down even more. Be sure that the topic relates to the course concepts and materials in some way. We cover a range of developmental disabilities and topics.
Decide on the age group you will write for. Must be for at children between 5-18, but you should specify which range. Is it a children’s picture book? A more advanced children’s book? A graphic novel or comic-type book for older children?
Figure out how long the book should be. Length should coincide with what age range you’re writing for, and then write within that word count. A general rule of thumb: Ages 4-8 (older picture book that has more complex work structure and vocabulary); Ages 5-10 (chapter book); Ages 10+ (you could do a comic-type book or graphic novel). 12-20 pages is a good estimate for a picture book, but do not be wedded to this range. You must however, have a minimum of 12 pages.
NOTE: You cannot write a book for infants/young toddlers.
Start drafting.
Children’s book authors often employ literary tools to help make the story more vivid in the readers’ minds. Commonly used literary tools are rhythm, alliteration, repetition, refrains, onomatopoeia, simile, personification, rhyme, and imagery. Remember that your book needs to be developmentally appropriate (i.e., think about Piaget’s stages of cognitive development here), so give this some critical thought.
Your children’s book must be appropriate for… children! If you don’t want the audience to get young children, then choose the comic book format or graphic novel, which is appropriate for older children.
Your book must have at least one developed character.
Your book must have a basic plot line or a developed idea.
Your book should have dialogue or character interaction.
Your book must have a goal. Choose one of the following: (1) teach a lesson, (2) teach a task, or (3) tell a story.
Add a Table of Contents if the book is for older children only.
Your book will follow proper book format. Have (a) front cover, (b) content pages (yours will be in the format of PowerPoint slides), (c) Resource for Adults page, (d) Concepts Page, and (e) back cover.
Concepts Page: Choose 3 concepts from the course and describe how each concept relates to your book. The concepts can be from lecture, from the Volkmar book, or from any articles I assigned.
Dedication: Include an acknowledgement and/or dedication page.
Resource for Adults Page: You will dedicate one page at the end of your book. Call it Resource for Adults: This page is to guide adults about the subject matter. It is not part of the actual story. For example, if the book is about sibling rivalry that stems from one of the siblings having a disability, then the resource page will outline strategies for managing conflict amongst siblings, provide helpful tips, give suggestions about what to stay/what not to say in these circumstances, and citing resources that caregivers/teachers can access. Be creative and add what you believe adults would need based on the topic you chose. You cannot simply list resources. You must write this in paragraph format.
Include an About the Author page. YOU are the author!
Reflection: Reflect on what you learned writing your very first children’s book – who will you share it with? What challenges did you face? Where did you draw your inspiration from?
Images: Graphics/illustrations/picture/: Create original graphics using a graphics program like Publisher, draw original graphics/illustrations and then scan the images, search the internet for pictures. Use pictures of your family/friends/events ONLY IF THEY GIVE PERMISSION. If you use an image from an internet source, be sure to cite the source of the image on the PowerPoint slide with the image. As you are not actually publishing this book, you will not be infringing upon anyone’s copyright illustrations found online.
Format: You must use Microsoft PowerPoint to create your children’s book. Your PowerPoint slide deck will be the pages in your book so each “page” should include text (a part of the story) and a graphic/illustration/picture. You cannot use Microsoft Word. Do not use google docs that I then need permission to open. Do not use Prezi. Do not use other funky programs. Just PPT.
What to remember as you develop your book
Grab the reader’s attention in the first page or two! The idea/plot/story needs to be a hook, line and sinker. The pacing should be fast. You do not have lots of pages so get to the point. The plot/story should be focused on topics related to ASD or other disabilities (see list on Canvas). Provide a satisfying conclusion and wrap up all the storylines.
Make every single word, every single phrase, every single sentence matter.
Choosing a title might be the most important thing you do. Your goal is to give enough information that the person picking the book up to say, “Huh, that sounds interesting/relevant/important to me- I want to read it”.
Some picture books have an illustration on the front cover that presents the main conflict or point of the story.
Have fun with this! When else will you become an author?
Grading: see grading rubric on Canvas.