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Writing children’s literature is just as hard as writing for adults, especially if the work is typically shorter. There’s also the added challenge of understanding and writing about the challenges faced by kids today, which can be different than those you faced ten or twenty years ago.
#1 Theme plays an important role. You can explore topical social issues, like homelessness, immigration and alternative family structures. Use symbolism and imagery to imbue simple or childlike elements with depth of meaning.
#2 Make the problems faced by adults the anchor of the story. When the narrator is a child, he is surrounded by adults who are dealing with adult problems and situations; their stories of loss and longing are the beating heart of the book. Make these stories the anchor of the book, and add an element that the child focuses on, which might be mundane but is the background of a deep-rooted issue, for example, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
#3 Avoid writing simplified descriptions. Another thing that you have to keep in mind is that the child is describing what they see right in front of them or hears from other people. While writing about their interpretation of the same, avoid writing simplified descriptions, according to the level of comprehension that the child might have, because the reader can get tired…
