Use case
Children's books
Picture-book text and early chapter books, matched carefully to reading age and read-aloud rhythm.
Picture-book text and early chapter books, matched carefully to reading age. Give the child's name, one thing they love and one thing they find difficult, and the story will have somewhere to go. Sentences stay short, vocabulary stays in range, and each chapter ends on a small hook so the next page gets turned.
Who it is for
Parents, grandparents, teachers and first-time children's authors
Typical length
800 – 8,000 words
What to include in your brief
- The exact reading age, not a range
- The main character's name and one thing they love
- The small problem the story solves
- Any words, themes or scares to avoid
- Whether you want rhyme or plain prose
Example brief
A bedtime story for a six-year-old called Maya who loves rock pools but is scared of the dark. Gentle, warm, no rhyme, eight short chapters, a friendly crab who helps her find her way home.
Try this briefA shape that usually works
- 01Meet the child and the thing they love
- 02The small problem appears
- 03A first try that does not work
- 04A friend or helper arrives
- 05The brave moment
- 06Home, safe, and a little braver
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Asking for a moral and a plot in the same sentence — say the moral once, then let the story carry it
- Leaving the reading age vague, which pushes vocabulary too high
Tip: Set the age group precisely — seven and nine are very different readers.