Early readers, such as Mo Willems’ We Are in a Book, are very short with text designed to assist children ages 5 to 9 in developing their reading skills. These two categories sometimes overlap in regards to the ages of their audiences. For example, the indie-published counting book 5 Polar Bears by Wes Nehring is perfect for pre-school aged readers, while the emotional complexity of Neil Waldman’s Al and Teddy appeals to early grade schoolers.

In general, picture books should appeal to ages 3-8, but the age of your target audience is really determined by how complex the story is and how much text is involved. Board books appeal to babies and toddlers, while picture books connect with slightly older kids who appreciate the colorful pictures and simple storylines. First, let’s take a closer look at children’s books and how each category is defined.Īt first glance, these categories might seem pretty straight forward.

This is problematic for several reasons, which I’ll explain a little later. Recently, in my writers’ group, a new writer raised this question-Which category does my book fit into? Too many new writers start writing with the general idea that their audience will be children but have no idea which group of children they should target.

If you are as avid a reader as I am, you are probably familiar with the term “children’s books,” but if you write for children, you should also be familiar with the specific categories of children’s books, and there are quite a few. By Laurisa White Reyes, of the Indie Authors Series

Faery Swap by Susan Kaye Quinn