What Genre Is This?

A guide for children's book writers

Every children’s book genre has standards (rules that you may or may not want to follow). It’s helpful to articulate what genre you’re writing, even if you’re blurring the lines. It will guide your creative decisions, as you’re working on the book, and it will make it easier for your agent to position the book when it’s time to share it with editors. Categorizing a book is definitely an art not a science, but knowing the genre or age range, will help an editor understand what to expect. It helps a bookseller know where to shelve your book in the store. And it helps reader discover your book at just the right moment, when they’re looking for something wonderful, but they don’t know what it is yet! Below are some guidelines and questions to help you sort out what you’re working on.

Board Books

• Ages 0-3

• Less than 100 words

• 5-10 words per page

• Often follow young children of animals

• Simple POV

• Little to no plot, but takes the reader on a journey with a gentle climax

• High-contrast illustrations

• Encourage multiple readings

• Develop a love of books and reading together

• Show how the world works (basic concepts like colors, shapes, manners, etc)

• Often reformatting of a popular picture book