Children's Animal Stories

by Anonymous

Question: I hope you can give some advice. I would like to write a fictional children's book about animals and perhaps publish it online on my website together with pictures of animals. Can you provide some advice on how to start brainstorming a children's book about animals that even adults could enjoy reading? My interests are in cows and rabbits as well as many other varieties of animals.


How can I start getting ideas? I'm always searching for ideas and wonder if there is an effective way of doing this.

Answer: I would suggest you start by considering that many of the best stories about animals are not really about animals. They are about characters who look like animals but have very human problems which the children who read these books can relate to.

For example, Peter Rabbit is really about a mischievous child who pays the price for his risky behaviour. The film Babe is about a child trying to prove he can make a worthwhile contribution while overcoming other people's prejudice. And while real donkeys don't care about birthdays, what child wouldn't feel sorry for Eeyore the donkey when everyone forgets his?

So regardless what type of animal you write about, think about the types of problems your readers might experience that you can also emphasize with and would like to write about. Think about the problems you faced as a child, or the problems children you know face.

When you find an idea that really grabs you, create an animal character who must cope with the same difficulty.



Comments for Children's Animal Stories

Click here to add your own comments

Good
by: Anonymous

Good Question. Great answer.

Insightful
by: Sophie

Brilliant answer.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and submit your own question/topic! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Genre Invite.