Ravenstone Press - Bibliography - Children as Writers

Ravenstone Press *Stories of Kansas and the Great Plains*
Bibliography: Children as Writers

Teaching Children How to Write - Nonfiction Resources

A Celebration of Bees: Helping Children to Write Poetry by Barbara Juster Esbensen,
1996
If You're Trying to Teach Kids How to Write, You've Gotta Have This Book!
by Marjorie Frank, 1979
The Market Guide for Young Writers: Where and How to Sell What You Write
by Kathy Henderson, 1996
What Do Authors Do? by Eileen Christelow, 1995 (picture book format)
What's Your Story? A Young Person's Guide to Writing Fiction
by Marion Dane Bauer, 1992.
Written and Illustrated By---A Revolutionary Two-Brain Approach for Teaching Students How to Write and Illustrate Amazing Books by David Melton, 1985

Young Author's Do-It-Yourself Book: How to Write, Illustrate and Produce Your Own Book by Donna Guthrie, Nancy Bentley and Katy Keck Arnsteen, 1994.

Notes on these books written by adults about children as writers:

Many of the children who "write" in these books are journal or letter-writers rather than writers of fiction, poetry or articles, such as reporting for a school newspaper. In some cases, while the child is writing the story, the reader is not likely to be aware of the writing process. The character may seem to be portrayed as "telling" the story in first person with a mention that it being written, such as a long theme or school assignment.

This bibliography is divided by type of writing and then by these categories: fiction ("chapter books" from about grades three through eight), easy readers, picture books and "young adult," which Manhattan Public Library (Manhattan KS) has defined as books intended for a high school reader. (*Some of Jerri's favorites)

There are also books which are written by children. They are not included on this bibliography, though a short selection of them is included on our page Children's Writing. Many others available in print are contest winners (such as those by Landmark Editions) or are nonfiction titles or collections of poems.

Click below for one of these lists:

Writers of fiction, journalism or poetry (or "would-be writers")
Writers of Diaries and Journals
Writers of Letters
Short Bibliography of books written by children

A few miscellaneous books that don't fit into the above categories:

Learning handwriting - Fiction
Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary, 1990 (Maggie learns cursive writing.)

Learning handwriting - Picture Books
The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide, 1990
(Ahmed learns to write his name in Arabic.)

Fiction featuring cats as characters, or boys and cats
The Daydreamer* by Ian McEwan. Outstanding book about imagination.

Fiction featuring boys and words
Frindle* by Andrew Clements, 1996
(wonderful, unsual story about a boy who makes up a new word)

Last Updated November 1, 2003