When you were a kid, there were stories that you loved to read, that you kept on your important shelf, that you took on holiday, that you wanted to be read to before bed and that you wanted to collect as a series. That was a nostalgic introduction, wasn’t it? Let’s take it to the next level.
A few months ago I had to stay in hospital as an accompanying person. I was there for almost ten days and during that time we were on the fourth floor. There was a children’s ward on the floor below. Of course, whenever I went up the stairs, my eyes always went there. It made me sad to see children spending their days in hospital. Especially when you spend some time in a hospital environment, you become more emotional. I wanted each of them to be well and I wanted to do something for them. But I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to do something not just for them, but for everyone.
After the discharge process, I had to do my military service. As you can imagine, you have a lot of disciplined days to think. It’s quite an interesting experience. Of course, like everyone else, I thought about what I wanted to do when I got back and made notes. One of those things was to write different stories for children. I liked writing stories and I was already doing it. I thought I could do it for children. I thought I could fulfil my wish for them, because writing was something I could do. It was nice to see that my imagination hadn’t diminished during my time in the military.
When I came back, I didn’t want to waste much time. I put my other writing aside for a while and planned to write children’s stories. But guess what? I began to realise that it wasn’t as easy as I thought. Instead of not realising that I would face various difficulties, I honestly didn’t expect to struggle so much. I also wanted to try writing in different genres.
Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash
One of the most famous children’s books in the world is “The Little Prince”. We’re talking about a book that has been translated into dozens of languages and even dialects. It’s unlikely that you don’t know it, even if you haven’t read it. Before I ever thought about writing children’s stories, I wanted my mother and father to read this book. I liked it when I read it and I wanted to share with them this book that was written for children but seemed more for adults. Nevertheless, I made them read it, pointing out that it was a children’s book.
They both had similar thoughts: simple and childlike, but also a bit complex and meaningless. I was intrigued by their comment that it was both simple and complex, but I didn’t expect them to say that. I’m still not sure whether I approached the book with too much childishness or whether they read it with the reality of adulthood.
I made a mistake, I realised. On the previous occasion, I should have taken their comments into account before I started writing. So I thought, “Why does writing a children’s story seem so simple and yet so complex?” After all, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author, was an adult and a war pilot. When the reality hit me, I started researching what I should have done before.
First and foremost, of course, is age appropriateness. The level of difficulty of the sentences and words I use must be suitable. As their reading skills are at a low level, the choice of story should reflect this, although it may vary depending on the age group. The most complex word that these little individuals will probably be proud to say should be “dinosaur”. Seriously, it’s a challenge. Congratulations.
Another factor is the need for the story to be engaging and entertaining. When you read a novel or a story, there are points where the setting is introduced or the focus is on the character’s past, and there may be political or scientific terms flying around, depending on the subject. As an adult with reading experience and awareness, you don’t question the naturalness of these scenes and narratives. Moreover, they are ideal sections to deepen and elaborate the story. But I don’t think children would tolerate it. We shouldn’t forget that children interpret things literally and have difficulty understanding metaphors and idioms.
“What do you mean, my dinosaurs will be poor creatures, wiped off the face of the earth by a giant asteroid, and their fossils will be exhibited in museums today?” I think they can understand the situation, but I don’t think they’ll cooperate.
Photo by Joyce Adams on Unsplash
As I said, it has to be simple and yet complex… It may not mean much to adults — as I said, it may also depend on how you read it, with what kind of emotions — but it is important to capture children’s attention. We said it should be engaging and fun, but we also have to balance where it should be simple and where it should be complex. Complexity is more in the meaning it conveys than in the writing itself. There should be an underlying feeling. A feeling that children can experience after reading. I think that’s the hardest part. Don’t be fooled by the fact that there are tons of children’s stories on the market.
We haven’t talked about the need to be visually appealing. There is no doubt that colour and different shades will attract children’s attention when choosing a storybook. Getting the story across to children is not just a matter of liking to write and being able to write. Where the words go on the page, what font they are in and how long they are also help children to concentrate on the story. I can assure you of this because I have worked in the industry.
Some books, in addition to having the aforementioned qualities, become part of the educational system. Every school in the world has certain curricula in its educational system. Especially in the education of the common foreign language, no matter which book you examine, the main topics and units have a high chance of similarity. This is natural and necessary. Therefore, these English books used in pre-school education are considered as a preparatory stage for school. So, not only the writing of the story, but also the choice of words and sentence structure should be careful and achieve this goal. It can be said that in these stories prepared for school, curriculum conformity also takes the place of imagination.
Of course, if I just wanted to write a story from my own imagination, that would be enough. But I also wanted to mention how children’s books are produced. On the other hand, it varies according to the local language and culture. Every country has its own culture and local differences. I think that is great. But how to reflect that in children’s books is of course very important.
We know that the lullabies of some cultures contain elements of horror. Do you want your children to develop their imaginations with such stories? If your answer is yes, I recommend the famous example of Gothic literature, “Frankenstein”. It is a work that occupies an important place in literary history and questions humanity from an ethical point of view. I am sure your child will love it — when they are a bit older. Note: The monster’s name is not Frankenstein, it’s the name of the doctor (Victor Frankenstein).
Considering all these factors, there are aspects that I can overcome and areas where I need to consult with pre-school teachers or educators to improve. To understand children of all ages, it is better to spend time with them than to try to behave like a child. It is necessary to listen to their thoughts and observe their reactions to events. Unfortunately, as I no longer have kids in my family, it is unlikely that I will be able to observe this and accurately reflect it in my stories. However, I would like to write a story for my child(ren) and read it to them at bedtime, even if it’s not as great as The Hobbit.
On the other hand, I hope that one day I will be able to keep my promise to the children.
Comments