The preschooler was confused by the pictures, and identified some of the children as "grownups" because of their appearance. Who are these miniature adults, dressed in highly gendered styles more appropriate for the 1950's than any time since? The illustrator carefully included one token POC child, whose shirt and tie (?!?) clearly shows that they are non-threatening and of the appropriate social status. This book shows a middle to upper-middle class expectation of education that was out of reach for many, and is now out of reach for most. Kindergarten wasn't available or accessible to my rural upbringing in a poor state. My disclaimer is that I have no personal experience with mid-century kindergartens in the United States, but maybe that's the point. There are so many things wrong with this book, from the Hallmark Card cover and illustrations, to how dated and anachronistic it is - and was, even at its 1965 publication date. Now that I've read it, I can't believe it is still in print. I recommend looking at a large variety to avoid exceptions.I've always wondered about this books, which seems to be a perennial in the Little Golden Books Series. Tip! Use Renaissance Learning to research word counts on existing titles. Writing for Children - Age Categories Determine the Guidelines for Your Children’s Book at Suite 101.įor non-fiction MG/YA I looked at 2009 nonfiction mg/ya nominations for YALSA and the Cybils. Hi-Lo Books for Upper Elementary Grades at ALA (example titles ranging from 10-90k words). Hi/Lo Books: Writing for Reluctant Readers at Writing World (stated count of 400-1200 words). On Word Counts and Novel Length at The Swivet. Word Count For Novels and Children's Books at the Guide to Literary Agents Blog.įrom Picture Books to YA - Information to Get You Started at .Ĭounting Chickens - A Few Words About Word Counts at Hope Vestergaard's site. How Long Does a Book Have to Be at Writing for Children and Teens. While some need the length (and those tend to stand out) most simply need more revision and tightening. There are a lot of agents that will reject on atypical word count alone.įrom my own experience as an intern, I tend to be more critical of YA manuscripts exceeding 80-90k and have to be blown away to want to read a full that length or longer. I recommend staying within (or close to) the recommended word count for your age category/genre unless you've received a lot of feedback verifying it needs every word (or doesn't need more if you're low). We all know there are exceptions, but I wouldn't count on being one. Memoirs seem to fall within the same range as novels for their age group. Nonfiction MG/YA: 5,000 - 70,000 words, varies greatly (with some exceeding 100k) depending on the type of book and age level (I recommend researching similar titles to what you're writing/proposing to find appropriate range). 80-90k is safe (there are some as high as 120k, but I recommend staying below 100k, if possible). Longer word counts allowed for fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, historical. Up to 60-70k is probably safe (though there are even longer exceptions). Longer word counts allowed for fantasy, sci-fi, historical. Some 60-90k YA books get classified as Hi-Lo, but I don't think they were specifically written for the category. A large number fall between 500 - 20k words. Hi-Lo Books: 500 - 50,000 words, varies greatly depending on age level. Nonfiction Picture Books: 500 - 2,000 words.Įarly Readers: 200 - 3,500 words, depending on age level. I'm sure my readers will chime in with their knowledge and opinion! Check out the links I've provided below and read the comments of this post. Though, please note that most of the sources I found had slightly different numbers (and I think I'm missing a couple sub-categories). Since opinions vary greatly, I did some research to verify the numbers in my head. I received a request awhile ago to do a post on word counts for different age categories in children's lit.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |