Worlds Of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children

by William Zinsser

Six prominent children's authors, including Maurice Sendak, Rosemary Wells, and Jack Prelutsky, agree that to enter the worlds that children inhabit, you must possess the magic word - honesty.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Childrens, Essays

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 1990

About the author

William Knowlton Zinsser is an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic, and editorial writer. He has been a longtime contributor to leading magazines.

Reviews

[Liaken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of talks-turned-essays from an excellent group of writers. They give their unique and compelling perspectives about how and why they write what they do and how they approach writing for children. I enjoyed every essay; they're really very easy reading, but rich in soul. I could hear their voices as I read, especially Maurice Sendak and Katherine Paterson (as I've heard them speak and know their voices and faces). But the others were wonderful, too. I loved getting another glimpse into Jean Fritz and enjoying the poetic romp of Jack Prelutsky. Truly, every essay offered something unique. So many genres were addressed. If you write for children or young adults, give this book a read. OH! AND SKIP THE INTRODUCTION!! Yes, this is important. Skip the intro. Zinsser gives all his favorite bits of the essays which kind of spoils them in a way. And the intro doesn't really add much. Read it after you've finished the essays, not before.

[Kate Schwarz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays from very famous writers about writing for children. As you'd expect, the six authors have a different approach, different mindset, different body of work (but all wrote a lot, all were successful, or else no one would care what they had to say) behind them. Again as you'd expect, some of the authors' words spoke to me a whole lot more than others. Within all of the essays there were a few nuggets, but I found Maurice Sendak and Rosemary Wells to have the most pertinent messages for me.

And, with each author's list of "books that sustained me" at the end, now I feel like I have even more books to read! Funny how that works.

A 3 1/2 star book (alas, no half stars here on Goodreads).

[Cathy Mealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://bit.ly/1Kd3uJB

I had the good fortune to hear Brian Lies (Bats at the BeachBats at the Beach) speak at Lesley University recently while he was sharing some book writing and illustrating wisdom with MFA students. Brian is a thoughtful, eloquent speaker who tugged at our heartstrings while sharing his inspiration for Bats at the Library. If you ever have a chance to hear him speak – go! I’m certain he also delivers dynamic school visits to wow the kiddos as well.

Brian’s presentation included slides of his works in progress, illustrations as well as a tall stack of yellow-lined notepads filled with words, scribbles and cross-outs! He also shared a list of books to consult for further information about picture book writing. One title was new to me, so I jotted it down and found it at the library. Let me tell you – it was a treasure!

Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for ChildrenWorlds of Childhood The Art and Craft of WRITING FOR CHILDREN, Edited by William Zinsser.
Each chapter is devoted to one author, transcribed and adapted by Zinsser from talks given at The New York Public Library in 1989. The voice of each author, though modified for print, really shines, reflecting his or her unique perspective on writing for children. Sendak talks about music, and how he was impacted by The Wizard of Oz. Rosemary Wells digs deeply into the reasons that all good picture books require emotional truths. Jack Prelutsky’s discourse on poetry is delightfully playful and inventive, filled with marvelous examples of his work. My favorite? The seredipity of a local seismosaurus discovery and his use of a thesaurus while wrapping up a book on dinosaur poems.

If you are a fan of Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula NordstromDear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, collected and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, I highly recommend that you read Zinsser’s book as well. Brian Lies was right. There’s nothing like hearing from the masters to encourage and inspire you!

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a delight to get into the minds of 6 famous children's authors. It gave insight into their backgrounds and their inspirations but in a concise and enjoyably quick read.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of these essays. Some are more serious and others more entertaining, but all are illuminating--even if you haven't read all the authors. (I haven't read Jean Fritz, the biographer, but I want to now, because of the way she described Benedict Arnold, and because of her love of language.) Maurice Sendak's essay is great--you can feel how strongly he keeps the feeling of being a kid in a confusing world. (Since reading it, I've told everyone I know that he set out to write "Where the Wild Horses Are" -- it's so hard to think of his classic picture book as a work in progress. Thankfully he found the monsters, his relatives, who "ruined every Sunday" and "ate all our food.")

[Megan Uy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love reading about writers and their creative process. This book has some really valuable advice about writing for children, but I think my favorite essay came from Katherine Paterson ("Bridge to Terabithia," "Jacob Have I Loved," etc.). I may want to be her when I grow up now. And the suggested reading from each of the authors at the end is much appreciated. A Goodreads commenter I read recommended not reading the introduction because the book's editor spoiled too many essays by noting too many of his favorite parts in the intro--wish I had read that before reading the book!

[Jarm Boccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "must-read" for anyone who considers themselves a children's book writer. Here one finds the source of the author's material for their stories...right within their own lives and experiences. They have shaped the author and his/her writings. It's a privilege to take a peek into their worlds!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read Jean Fritz, Katherine Paterson and Jean Lee Latham. But their "talks" that were transcribed were helpful.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting glimpse into the craft of writing for children. Well worth getting a hold of just for the Maurice Sendak chapter.

[Sarah H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great insights into writing for kids--and plenty of helpful resources, good examples, etc.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a library book sale because I recognized the name of the Editor, William Zinsser, as the author of a writing manual recommended in my high school homeschool curriculum. I don’t have a personal interest in writing for children, but I am familiar with the works of each of the contributors, excepting Jill Krementz.

I think the talks-turned-essays are for anyone generally interested in the world of children’s literature. Aren’t we all chewing on what makes a good story and why some show so much promise but don’t quite hit the mark? I found the authors’ defenses fascinating and funny. I especially enjoyed the bibliography from each author included at the end. I probably added 50 books to my personal TBR list, as they were listed as exemplars of beautiful language or engaging plot or of a particular genre.

[Andrew Boen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this book for school but it turned out to be a decent read. Not much commentary on it but it does provide insightful information about what really goes into writing for children. It’s much deeper than most may think.

[Ktbird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essays by preeminent authors of children's books. Some relevant insights, and some interesting context around notable series.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see the perspectives of the various authors; would have loved to have heard these as talks.

[Matthew Goodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good, gentle reminder of why we write for children.

[Viviennemonique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for class but I read it so it counts !! Honestly valid, entertaining to some degree and if you wanna write children’s books then solid advice

[Viki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inšpiratívne v tom ako každý zo spovedaných autorov vníma (aj malé) deti ako veľmi vnímavých rozumných a preto veľmi náročných čitateľov. Potrebujú od autorov úctu a nie prízemné a lacné veršíky či sladké ilustrácie.