Advantages Of Childrens Literature Store

By Sarah Todd

Titled "Welcome to the Dead House", the book was an instant bestseller and became the first in the highly successful "Goosebumps" series. "Welcome to the Dead House" tell the story of a town called Dark Falls, a place hiding a secret - all the residents are the living dead, and need fresh blood to sustain their "lives". Whenever a new family arrives in the sound they move to The Dead House. The heroes, Josh and Amanda, learn this secret and proceed to save their parents, send the townspeople back to their graves and escape Dark Falls.

Author Robert Lawrence Stine wrote 62 books in the series, as well as a number of spinoffs. Stine, who’s been called "The Stephen King of Children’s Literature", has said a lot of his books were inspired by classic science fiction and horror stories, with influences also drawn from classic fairy tales. "Night of the Living Dummy" is a variation on the "Pinocchio" theme - twin sisters Lindy and Kris find a discarded ventriloquist’s dummy, and Lindy decides to keep him. As she develops comedy routines with the dummy Kris obtains her own dummy. One night the girls go into their room, finding the dummies lying on the floor, the new dummy’s hands around the older dummy’s neck. Coincidence? No - the younger dummy is alive, and malicious. After a string of unpleasant events the girls manage to dispose of the dummy, but then discover the other one is also alive.

Christopher Pike is another successful children’s horror story writer. He includes references to Egyptian, Hindu and Greek mythology in his novels, and quotes authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Agatha Christie and Stephen King among his influences. His "Spooksville" series of 24 books includes one titled "The Wicked Cat", in which Adam and his friends find a black cat during a walk in the local woods. Strange things begin to happen in the town; a house burns down and a tree suddenly falls down. At every strange occurrence the cat is in attendance, watching everything with its strange green eyes. Then it turns its supernatural powers on Adam and his friends…

Another noted children’s author is Lee Striker, the pseudonym of Australian Children’s author Margaret Clarke. She chose her name after hearing about Stine’s "Goosebumps" series, and decided she wanted her children’s horror fiction placed next to his books on the bookshops. She has 12 books in her "Hair-Raiser" series, which contains titles such as "The Revenge of the Vampire Librarian" (remember to get your library books back on time…) and "Curse of the Mummy", where a man brings back a new wife after a business trip to Egypt. But what kind of MUMMY is she, because she smells odd and uses a lot of bandages and band aids, and cats behave strangely when she is near.

Children’s horror writing is not a new concept, and it didn’t start with fairytales. Originally fairytales were not originally intended to be read by children. The Brothers’ Grimm’s writing was aimed at adults, and met the then increasing demand for literature based around local folklore in the early 19th century. Anyone who has seen the film "The Brothers’ Grimm" will probably back me on this - that film is most definitely NOT for children! As the Horror genre evolved "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" made the average fairytale appear somewhat childish, so the different stories were reworked and rewritten by adults so they would be more suitable for children. By the Victorian era the average Grimm fairy tale was far less graphic and violent than the original, and Disney’s handling of the stories has "tamed" them still further.

While the Grimms were compiling their collection of adult fairytales other writers were already producing children’s stories, many of which contained elements of horror. Hans Christian Andersen’s "Tales Told For Children" was published in 1835, and some of the stories in that book are excellent references for children’s horror literature:

"The Red Shoes" are a pair of beautiful, cursed slippers which force their wearer to dance continually. A vain young girl slips them onto her feet, and finds herself unable to stop dancing. So bad is the problem she cannot go to church, and is unable to attend her adoptive mother’s funeral because she cannot stop dancing. Condemned by and angle to dance forever as a warning to all vain children, she begs an executioner to cut off her feet. For the rest of the story she is haunted by the animated shoes, which dance before her as she moves on wooden feet with the help of crutches.

"The Little Mermaid", yearning to be with a handsome human prince with whom she has fallen in love, gives a witch her tongue in exchange for a potion that turns her tail into legs. She must get her prince to marry her to give her a soul, and she sets out to find her love, even though every step she takes is as painful as waking on sharpened knife blades. Even though she is mute the prince does fall in love with her, and is enchanted by the way she dances for him, never knowing the agony she suffers at every step. The course of true love never did run true, and the prince marries someone else. The heartbroken mermaid throws herself into the sea and turns into foam.

"The Little Match Girl" sells matches on the icy streets to keep warm. One New Year’s Eve, she lights her matches to keep warm. In their light she sees wonderful warm banquets with tables full of wonderful food and a sparkling Christmas tree. Looking up she sees a shooting star, and remembers it means someone is about to die. Lighting her last match she sees her grandmother, the only person who ever treated her kindly. Her grandmother has come to take her to Heaven, and the following morning her frozen little body is discovered, surrounded by burnt out matches.

Charles Kingsley’s "The Water Babies" features a chimney sweep named Tom, who meets a young girl called Ellie at her house. After he is chased away he falls into a river and drowns. He is turned into a water baby, and experiences several adventures while learning life’s lessons under the tutelage of the fairies. Once a week he is allowed to see Ellie, who had the misfortune to fall into the river just after Tom. Eventually he proves himself worthy to return to human form, and lives a full life. He is reunited with Ellie, but they never marry.

Children’s horror writing is a challenging genre, and although the stories may have changed slightly over the years there’s still a demand for these kind of books from a young, enthusiatic audience. It’s a genre that’s going to be with us for many years to come.

The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Todd

By Richard Lave

What is a personalized children’s book?

Quite simply it is one in which the child actually becomes an integral part of the story by his or her name becoming the hero or heroine. Modern technology in the printing world has now made this quite wonderful idea an affordable reality for everyone.

Personalized children’s books are usually based upon animal themes or fairy stories that all children seem to love. They often introduce an educational element too. However, the fact that the boy or girl is actually in the story brings them to life in a totally new, different and fascinating way. You can see the child’s excitement build as they realize they have actually been woven into the story. They see their own names, their friends and their home town actually playing a key role as events unfold.

Why should you purchase a personalized children’s book?

Of course these books make wonderful gifts. Children are invariably absolutely delighted when they see that they are the hero or heroine of one of their favorite stories.

Across the United States ever increasing numbers of parents and grandparents are purchasing personalized children’s books for their young relatives. They become items that are treasured by the child and parent alike. The personalized book is something that will be enjoyed by the child right now but will remain a treasured item and reminder of the growing up period for many years.

Personalized children’s books can be given to children at almost any occasion. They make wonderful gifts for all celebrations including Christmas, birthdays and kindergarten graduation ceremonies.

How are these personalized children’s books produced?

Personalized books are printed by the use of a modern digital press that allows every single sheet of paper coming out to be completely unique every time. This relatively recent technology allows the creation and printing of books with different content on every page. Printing is just another area where digital processes make new things possible and affordable.

The benefits of personalized children’s books

Personalized children’s books are educationally sound because they are written and produced by people who understand the different stages of a child growing up. The involvement of the child in the story sparks imagination and acts a stimulus to reading and understanding the book. This can have a positive effect on rapid literary development.

Another benefit is that the child being the central figure in the story helps them develop their own self-confidence. As they read their own story they start to see themselves as individuals; self-esteem and self-worth build.

One final major and often unconsidered advantage of personalized children’s books is that they make great fundraising items. Because they are so popular they are easy to sell. This means that they are ideal for neighbourhood or charitable fundraising efforts. What works for a lot of fundraisers is to take local advance orders and then give the books to the children during the actual event.

So, whether or not you are planning a fundraising event or simply want a very special gift for a much loved little boy or girl, do give thought to the unusual idea of a personalized children’s book. The recipient will without doubt be glad that you did.

There is a superb selection of personalized children’s books available through the unique Babydazey site. http://babydazey.com/personalized-books/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Lave

By Caterina Christakos

How Personalized Child Books Can Be the Key to Faster Learning

Have you ever noticed how your child learned his or her name first, before mommy, daddy or anything else you tried to teach him? His name becomes equal to his identity. He immediately becomes more interested in objects and concepts as it relates to him.

A children’s story book that includes his name will instantly be more meaningful than a run of the mill children’s book. Personalized stories with life lessons that include his name and some of the things he loves to do will have that much more of a chance of really sinking in.

The more personal information included in the story, the more of an impact it will have on your child. Choose books that include their name, age, and activities that he truly enjoys.

A book that is catered to your child is one that he will have probably for the rest of his life. It is part of his upbringing now and a wonderful keepsake that he can share with his children later in life.

About The Author
Caterina Christakos is a children’s book and how to write a children’s book author. To choose wonderful stories personalized for your child go to:http://www.allpersonalizedchildbooks.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caterina_Christakos

By Brian Vogt

For a long time I struggled with the idea of "how to write a children’s book". For one reason or another, writing books for kids seemed more intimidating and more difficult than writing for adults. Being able to "write on their level" was something that I thought was only reserved for a few gifted people. I was wrong. I’m about to tell you why.

I have known a method of writing for some time that has made writing process as a whole easier than I ever thought it would be. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized that this concept could be applied to children’s books. The method, in it’s simplest form, centers on the concept of "divide and conquer". I’m going to give you the basic steps to take advantage of this concept and enable yourself to start writing children’s books today.

Step 1: Write A Short Story

The first step is to write your story using the method and style of your choosing. Choose a topic suitable for children, but beyond that FORGET that you are trying to write a children’s book. Just get it written. Don’t worry about being fancy. I would recommend that you don’t even worry about spelling, typos, or corrections of any kind. This stage of writing, for this method of writing a children’s book, is just intermittent. We’re not trying to create a finished product here, but just to get the story down on paper… whether that takes 20 pages or 100 pages! Don’t worry, this will work for toddler books too. We’re not going to keep the 20 page book! The only reason for writing a "normal" story is because for many of us, that’s a lot easier than writing a children’s story!

Step 2: Choose A Single Theme Or Lesson From Your Story To Highlight

All you have to do to accomplish this step is decide on what lesson your book will teach. What is the "moral of the story" that can be learned from what you just wrote? Whatever it is, find it, and write it down. Then move on to Step 3!

Step 3: Divide And Conquer

The third step is really the fun part. Start using "divide and conquer" to break your story down smaller parts. If you can get your story into15 to 20 sections of related material (usually the main "events" of your story) you’re doing well. Now look at the parts you have broken your story into. These are the pages of your children’s book. Now you take each of these sections and paraphrase it into a few short sentences. Once you have done that, with as many of these as possible, you take the paraphrased version and paraphrase THAT. What you will end up with is a short, simple, concise version of what you started with. Some pages will have 2 or 3 sentences, others may have only 1. This is the rough draft for your children’s book!

Now you simply go through and make sure it all makes sense together. Shorten where needed, add more where needed. It’s a good idea to check your writing to make sure it is at a proper reading level for your intended audience. There are formulas available to help you do this and also some free tools online that will do it for you automatically.

There are countless ways to go about writing a children’s book. This is my favorite. The reason I like it is because it allows a "regular writer" to break things down to the level needed for a young child. Whatever method you choose, the important thing is to keep at it. Your first children’s book will most likely not be your best. Don’t stress about that. Just finish it, call it an accomplishment, and keep writing!

To learn more about this method of writing, visit the How To Write Almost Anything website. Brian Vogt is a Programmer, Author and creator of Text Block Author, the writing software designed specifically for use with this method of writing. To learn more about Text Block Author, visit this link:Great Software For Writers

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Vogt

By Tanis Wahl

If you are interested in new Children’s Books on the scene – or you know somebody who is – then take a moment of your time to have a look at this charming little story: Old Narmaah-Cat’s Secret Toy. It involves two characters, the Tiny Girl and Old Narmaah-Cat, who just can’t seem to make a connection with each other… The Old Cat simply refuses to come out from his hiding place to play with her, while the Tiny Girl just can’t figure out which toy Narmaah-Cat would be enticed with. She tries just about everything that a cat-afficianado could think of, and just about gives up on the idea. But then with a stroke of luck, something happens…

This story is full of large, colorful illustrations and is written in rhyming verse similar to the Dr. Seuss publications. The story font is in a large ‘Times New Roman’ and is very easy to read. Potential readership is geared towards children who are learning to read, and intermediate readers (3 to 9 years old) – plus, of course, their parents who are guaranteed a good laugh as well!

In addition to downloading the Children’s eBook for a reasonable price, the package also includes a free Coloring Book download. The coloring book is based directly upon the story itself, and uses the same illustrations included in “Old Narmaah-Cat’s Secret Toy”. Also, the coloring book uses captions beneath each image that offer both questions and suggestions as to what to draw, or how to color them, using the children’s own imagination.

Fun for everybody, to say the least. You can find the main page here: www.storytimetanis.com

Tanis Wahl
http://www.storytimetanis.com

Writer, Illustrator, Graphic Designer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tanis_Wahl

By Valerie Khoo

Very few authors manage to cross the gap between writing for children and writing for adults. However, prolific Australian author Catherine Jinks has done just that. Catherine successfully manages to write both children’s and adult books. Her eighth adult novel The Secret Familiar - Confessions of an Inquisitor’s Spy will be released in November 2006 by Allen & Unwin. It’s a medieval murder mystery.I spoke to Catherine about her creative writing process.

Valerie Khoo: You manage to successfully write for both adults and children. Do you find that you have to put on a different ‘hat’ or go into a different ’space’ and switch between the two when you write?

Catherine Jinks: There are certainly differences, but I wouldn’t say I go into a different ’space’. When I get an idea for a story, I simply decide right from the get-go whether it’s an idea for children or an idea for adults. Then I find that everything stems from the initial choice of category, and I don’t have to spend much time worrying about what ‘hat’ I am wearing. When I am writing for children, there are more restrictions on content and writing style, but absolutely no restraints on ideas - the sky’s the limit. When I am writing for adults, the reverse applies. Adults won’t necessarily ‘go with’ you as far as a child will, but are far more amenable when it comes to big words, sex, violence and slow, meandering plots.

Valerie Khoo: Where does your interest in medieval history come from?

Catherine Jinks: Aesthetic appreciation. As a very young child, I loved the look of the castles, clothes and churches of the Middle Ages. This visual preference eventually led to a deeper appreciation of the era as I researched it more thoroughly. Although I find the medieval mindset incredibly foreign (and endlessly fascinating), at the same time I feel quite comfortable moving around in the Middle Ages. Perhaps it’s because I have lived with the period for so long. Either that, or I am a reincarnated fourteenth-century monk.

Valerie Khoo: What portion of your work for this book has been research and what portion actual writing and creativity?

Catherine Jinks: This is a hard question to answer. I spent about six months writing The Secret Familiar, but I have spent the last twenty years slowly building up a database of medieval research. Both my previous books dealing with the medieval inquisition - The Inquisitor and The Notary - covered different aspects of the same immensely fruitful subject. So, although the research that I did specifically for The Secret Familiar only took me a few weeks, it was built on years and years of preliminary research into subjects like heresy, papal inquisitors, the Albigensian Crusade and so forth.

Valerie Khoo: What would your advice be for aspiring writers who would like to tackle both children’s and adult markets? Any tips?

Catherine Jinks: Here’s a brutally honest tip: if you’re determined to tackle both markets, don’t do it the way I did it. Don’t start out writing children’s books, then proceed to writing adult books. Do it the way Tim Winton, Peter Carey and Nick Earls have done it; start as a writer of adult books, then graduate to children’s literature. Otherwise you’ll find it hard getting people to take you seriously as a writer of books for adults. Not impossible, mind you - but hard.

Valerie Khoo: When did you know you wanted to write full time and how did you make this happen?

Catherine Jinks: I have pretty much always wanted to write full time, but of course that wasn’t an option, initially. It takes years to lay the groundwork for a novel-writing career. Writing full time as a journalist can work. Writing full time as a novelist is a rare achievement. I have been publishing for seventeen years, but I’ve only been a full-time novelist for thirteen of those years, and making a reasonable living for about nine of them. I believe that my main advantages are as follows:

1) I am pretty prolific (thirty-odd books in seventeen years).
2) I have been married for fourteen years to a great little earner.
3) I have spread myself over a fair number of markets - adult, young adult, younger readers, early childhood - so I can publish more than one book a year in Australia and not saturate any particular market.
4) I seem to export quite well, having been sold into the USA, the UK, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Russia, France and Thailand. (This is partly because my agent is so good, and partly because my subject matter isn’t exclusively Australian.) When you have foreign money coming in, it’s much easier to survive as an Australian novelist - especially if you haven’t had any humungous bestsellers.
5) In the early days, I received a grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council. I am very grateful for that, because it got me started; now I don’t need to apply for grants, and I am grateful for that, too!

About the Author: Valerie Khoo is director of the Sydney Writers’ Centre in Australia. The Sydney Writers’ Centre offers short courses in creative writing, feature writing, business writing and much more. She is author of five books and a regular writer for The Sydney Morning Herald. Valerie is passionate about helping other people achieve their writing goals. http://www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Khoo

By Steve Hill

Raising children is a tough job. There are so many responsibilities and chores involved that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. With more and more parents working outside the home or working two jobs to meet the heavy financial demand of raising children, it becomes difficult to find time for those little things that really are not so little in terms of importance to our children.

Between running to the office, fixing tomorrows lunches, doing dishes from supper and trying to stay on top of the ever-growing pile of laundry, we can have a hard time finding those extra moments to sit down in addition, read a book with our kids. Most of us have wonderful memories of snuggling deep into the pillows with Mom or Dad and listening to a story filled with funny voices, scary pictures or silly songs. As parents, we cherish these moments with our children almost as much as they do.

If you are looking for a new way to add story time back into your day, consider finding an audio book of a children’s story. Often, the audio book will be read with full dramatic effect, providing animated voices, sound effects, music and more to create an atmosphere of fantasy for your child that is sure to keep them listening. If your toddler is outgrowing her nap earlier than you would like, an audio book can be a perfect way to help her lay on that bed for just a little longer.

When our kids are growing, it can seem as if their schedules are just as hectic as our own, which leads to an awful lot of time spent driving back and forth. It is easy to begin to feel like a glorified chauffeur as you run endless errands with the kids in the car. Instead of fighting over the radio or spending lots of time and money on DVDs for in the care, why not consider listening to a children’s story on an audio book? Audio books are a great way to bring back that special family time back with your children. From the classic stories that are told from one generation to the next, to the newest delight from your kid’s favorite author, audio children’s books are a quick easy and convenient way to share the love of stories and reading with your children.

There are a number of benefits to audio children’s stories! Children’s stories offer life lesson’s in a fun, relaxing manner. They can help instill a sense of safety and order into our kids’ lives. By listening to children’s stories from an audio book, you can enter in to the experience with your children and help them see the benefits of escaping into a world of imagination and fantasy. As this magical world expands, it fills your child’s mind with the wonder of storytelling. His creativity will be nurtured and his taste for adventure will be peaked.

Steve Hill helps to promote a number of websites including;

children’s audiobooks

stuttering information

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Hill