|
Preschoolers Kindergartners' Stories:Great Ideas for Writing a BookWrite for Preschoolers kindergartners! Here are creative story ideas culled from studies of what appeals to readers aged 3 to 6, with examples from bestselling kindergarten books: Preschoolers Kindergartners Enjoy Stories About Family and School LifePreschoolers kindergartners love simple adventure stories revolving round the familiar world of home, family, pets, preschool and friends. These readers look for security, love and happiness; at the same time, they enjoy joining vicariously in the escapades of mischievous child/animal protagonists their own age or slightly older.
Look out for bestsellers like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, (comforts kids when they're going through one of those days themselves); Madeline and sequels by Ludwig Bemelmans (humorous tales of a resourceful heroine); and the Alfie books and tales of Trotter Street by Shirley Hughes (the most age-appropriate titles are Alfie Gives a Hand; Angel Mae; The Big Concrete Lorry; Wheels; The Snow Lady; Moving Molly)
Books featuring animal characters are the top sellers in this genre, especially if the stories come in a series: for example, Little Crittur series by Mercer Mayer, Berenstain Bear series by Stan and Jan Berenstain, Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik, and Amanda Pig series by Jean Van Leeuwen.
Meet Preschoolers Kindergartners' Needs for Love, Acceptance and Self-EsteemPreschoolers kindergartners need love and acceptance. Kids at this age are venturing out into the world beyond home for the first time. They want to appear as tough and brash as their peers; at the same time they long for the key people in their lives to love them unconditionally and totally - even though they're no longer the adorable babies they once were.
Well-written books that build kids' self-esteem and confidence are much sought after; check out these favorites: On the Day You were Born by Debra Frasier; A Very Special Crittur by Mercer Mayer; Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis; God Made You Nose to Toes by Leslie Parrott.
Stories that help foster the bond between parent/grandparent and child are also popular; for example, Just Me and My Dad, Just Me and My Mom, Just Grandma and Me, and Just Grandpa and Me, all by Mercer Mayer; and Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.
For more tips and ideas, go to
How to Write a Book of Inspirational Stories for Children
Help Preschoolers Kindergartners Deal with ChallengesChildhood fears are common at this age: fear of the dark, fear of being lost, fear of strangers, monsters or the playground bully; and fear of losing a parent, pet or friends. Stories help kids to externalize and overcome their fears.
Check out these great reads: The Berenstain Bears in the Dark and The Berenstain Bears and the Bully, both by Stan and Jan Berenstain; Franklin in the Dark by Paulette Bourgeouis; There's an Alligator Under My Bed, There's a Nightmare in My Closet, and There's Something in My Attic, all by Mercer Mayer; and Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.
Other bestsellers that help preschoolers-kindergartners deal with challenges: Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes (coping with jealousy, birth of sibling); The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare and The Berenstain Bears and the In Crowd by Stan and Jan Berenstain (handling peer pressure); The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst (coming to terms with a friend's death).
For more tips and ideas, go to
How to Write a Book of Inspirational Stories for Children
Help Preschoolers Kindergartners Stretch Their ImaginationFantasy stories open up an imaginary, magical world where anything is possible. Preschoolers need fantasy adventure books to stretch their imagination and help them explore new worlds and ideas.
Best selling fantasy stories include the Catwings series by Ursula Le Guin; Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak; Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig; Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail; The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship by Arthur Ransome; and Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg.
Preschoolers Kindergartners Love Funny StoriesKids flipping through a storybook will most often ask: Is this fun to read?
Preschoolers seek out stories that give them plenty of laughs: slapstick comedy, jokes, puns, tall stories, funny incidents, comical characters, humorous twists in the plot.
Get a taste of kid humor from bestsellers such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Give a Pig a Pancake, all by Laura Numeroff; the Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish; The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Catling; Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff; I Have to Go and Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch; and The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl.
Preschoolers Kindergartners Enjoy Kids' Poetry and Funny PoemsPreschoolers delight in the rhythm and repetition of simple poems, and in the word play and fun of nonsense verse, doggerel, limericks and tongue twisters.
These kids also enjoy funny poems with nonsense words. Nonsense words let children savour the sound of words without thinking about the meaning, and this develops their feel for language and imaginative use of words.
Look out for popular kids' poetry such as Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Mr Brown Can Moo, Can You? and There's a Wocket in My Pocket! by Dr Seuss, Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, Go, Dog, Go! by PD Eastman; The Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Jack Prelutsky; Inky Pinky Ponky: Children's Playground Rhymes by Michael Rosen and Susanna Steele; and Owls and Pussy-Cats: Nonsense Verse by Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll.
Preschoolers Kindergartners Prefer Books in SeriesPreschoolers kindergartners prefer their books to come in a series. Where child readers have come to identify with the protagonist(s) in a story, they will look eagerly for more books in the same series, especially if these contain the same cast of characters.
Check out these bestsellers: Little Crittur series by Mercer Mayer; Little Bear series by Else Holmelund Minarik; Berenstain Bear series by Stan and Jan Berenstain; Amanda Pig series by Jean Van Leeuwen; and the Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish.
|
