An eclectic list of 99 things that children like was given to me by a writing friend last year after she attended a conference.  The list was courtesy of children’s sports author Andy Gutelle…and here I’ve added 400+ more (and more)!  I hope this list gives a spark to your writing for children, but I wonder what it will do to my search engine hits?!

If you like this page, follow its visual companion on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/taralazar/things-kids-like/

Note: this list is more targeted toward picture-book-age children (8 and under) than tweens (9-12) or teens.

(And also check out the list of things kids don’t like.)

1. 3D Movies
2. Acrobats
3. Air Hockey
4. Airplanes
5. Aliens
6. Allowance
7. Amusement Parks
8. Aquariums
9. Arts & Crafts
10. Astronauts
11. Autumn Leaves
12. Awards
13. Babies
14. Backpacks
15. Bacon
16. Badminton
17. Baggy Clothes
18. Balloon Animals
19. Balloons
20. Band-Aids
21. Basketball
22. Bathroom Humor
23. BB Guns
24. Beaches
25. Beanbag Chairs
26. Being Independent
27. Being Older Than Another Kid
28. Being Loved

by David Michael Slater

Greetings!

My name is David Michael Slater. As an author of 20+ books (for children, teens, and adults) I am always interested in new ways of reaching readers. Self-publishing has never appealed to me. I have nothing whatsoever against it, but the sky-high pile of self-published titles one must compete with is simply too daunting, especially when so many people report not wanting to take the time to sift through that pile for the gems. The traditional route is as daunting as ever, but I do not bash it either. But it is a rough go, especially with a project that seems risky in any way.

Enter Inkshares.

My newest picture book, Hanukkah Howie vs. Santa Claus, recently launched with this newfangled “crowd-directed” publisher. Inkshares makes final decisions about projects based on pre-sales. This is a fascinating new approach that, thus far, I find extremely reasonable.

Why?

As I was preparing this post, my daughter said, “Mommy, you always read LOUD!”

She’s right. So if you’d like a LOUDMOUTH to read to your class on World Read Aloud Day this March 4th, look no further.

I’m offering free, 20-minute Skype sessions throughout the day. I’ll read my picture book THE MONSTORE, answer questions from your students, and give everyone a sneak peek of my upcoming books, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK and LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD. I’ll also wear the jammies of your class’s choosing. (I’ve got five awesome pairs from which to choose.)

Kindergarten classes from Mahomet, IL tried to predict what jammies I’d wear.

If you’re interested, email me at tarawrites at yahoo dot com. Suggest a time (be sure to include your time zone so I can calculate if I’m living in the future or the past) and I’ll book you! If…

I’ll admit it, I’m a chocoholic. Totally, extremely, unashamedly so. I would never go to a meeting of Chocoholics Anonymous and confess my addiction, if there were such meetings. I bet they’d serve cocoa and brownies. You name it, if it’s chocolate, I’ll eat it – candy, cake, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, the list is long and delicious.

http://kclr96fm.com/kclr-nights

I was stimulated to write this post by the Story Reading Ape, who had a post on chocolate the other day, and David Prosser, who complained the chocolate added to his waistline. I won’t deny it, chocolate can do that. But it has benefits as well – see Women’s Health http://www.womenshealthmag.com/printwhlist?nid=31240ll – for the full story and the studies.

Cardiovascular benefits: One or two servings of dark chocolate each week can cut your risk for heart failure by as much as a third and lower your blood pressure and risk of heart…

As much as I love language and believe in the magic of the written word, I must admit that we humans are innately visual creatures living in a visually driven era. From print magazines to television, film, and now social media, our world is consumed via highly visual mediums that use images to attract attention, convey information, and tell stories.

We writers can’t be blamed for being somewhat affronted by this state of affairs. For those of us who love to read and write, society’s general disdain for the written word can feel like a personal insult.  In my work as a copywriter and content marketer, I am often forced to concede that the best solutions require less text and more visuals. Brevity and the ability to marry words and images have become indispensible skills in today’s communication arts.

As a writer, you may resist embracing the visual. You…

by Darcy Pattison

You’ve written a picture book manuscript and now you want to know if it’s ready to send out. Here are seven crucial questions to answer.

Overall:
The first three questions focus on the overall story.

1. Topic: Is the story kid appropriate, kid appealing?

2. Language: Is the story age appropriate? Have you used interesting, fun language? Have you allowed places for kids to join in, such as a refrain to repeat?

3. Illustrations: Have you left space for the illustrator? Don’t describe every visual, but leave that to the illustrator. However, DO add things you touch, smell, taste and hear.

From BEAR SNORES ON by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

The next four questions focus on the structure and how well the story will lay out in a 32-page format. 

Instructions for these questions:  Divide your manuscript into a minimum of fourteen sections, with each…