A List of Books Written and/or Illustrated by Children #YourKidsCreations

We have published so many books written by children and anthologies with stories written and illustrated by children here ate Your Kids' Creations that I started to wonder about other published books that were written and, possibly illustrated, by children. I did some research on Amazon, and here is a list of books that I found (amongst the first six pages in the Amazon.com search and including our published books):

The Purple Pony: A Children's Book Written By a Child by Vanessa Schön (November 2016):

Vanessa Schön began writing at the age of seven. "The Purple Pony" was the first short story she ever wrote. Taken from the heart and mind of a child, this book tells the story of Purple, a little pony struggling to accept himself among his "normal" peers. Purple explores what it means to be different, and how it isn't so bad after all.

***** 

Hamsters on the Run: A Book about Hamsters (Books By Kids 1) by Miah Pluta (August 2016):

A children's book about what hamsters do. Written by Miah Pluta at age 4 and illustrated by artist Jessica Ling Findley

*****  

Kangaroo: A Wonderful Heartfelt Mother & Baby Kangaroo Tale Written by a Child by Miss Katrina AM Western (May 2011):

Story adapted from a Poem Written by Katrina A.M. Western (age 5)

***** 

Volcano Stories: A Collection of Stories Written by Children in Montserrat W.I, edited by Natalie Edgecomb (December 2016):

Eighteen years into the eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory invited children and teenagers to submit stories with the theme A Volcano's Touch for its annual Creative Writing Competition.
This collection features the 26 winning stories, accompanied by colourful illustrations. It is a one-of-a-kind storybook for children and adults, which takes the reader to fantastical worlds on volcanic adventures of all kinds, and also to explore Montserrat, the beautiful Caribbean island where so many lives have been touched and forever changed by a volcano.

*****  

Kids Create, Edited by L. Hollar (December 2014):

Kids Create is a collection of stories written by children, parents, and teachers. It is filled with magic. Inside you will find pirates, butterflies, dragons, skunks, aliens and quite a few imaginative children. This anthology is the first of what we hope to be many offerings. The proceeds from this book will be donated to children's literacy.

***** 

The Butterfly StoryBook (2016): STORIES WRITTEN BY CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN: A project of The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean 7020 (Volume 4) (April 2016) (There are three previous books in this series.):

The butterfly StoryBook (2016) is a unique collection of ten short stories for children  written by the 2016 winners of an annual contest sponsored by the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean 7020.The authors are all between the ages of seven and eleven. The stories are illustrations of good deeds. Although the Caribbean culture is present in the stories, readers will recognize similar events, situations, and experiences in their own lives. The inspiration from the minds of children in these stories will delight and encourage readers. Children will enjoy reading stories which provide an insight into the lives of the people in the Caribbean as seen through the eyes of children their own age. The book is available in English, French, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Teachers will find the books a useful tool for encouragement of story writing. The goal of this Rotary project is to improve literacy throughout the world by providing a book that can be read by children in all parts of the world, at the same time giving young authors an opportunity to be published. Through your purchase and enjoyment of the Butterfly  Storybook, you can support  Rotary in its commitment to literacy throughout the world. 100% of royalties support the humanitarian service of Rotary in the Caribbean and worldwide. 

*****

T is for Texas: Written By Kids For Kids (See My State), edited by Michelle McCann (June 2014):

The seventh title in the See My State series, T is for Texas combines vibrant photos with fun and informative couplets that elaborate on the pictures and offer clear picture/word associations. The couplets were written by kids, for kids, and are therefore very accessible and entertaining to read and learn from. Combines photographs with couplets written for each letter of the alphabet sharing important state landmarks, people, resources, nature, and more. Facts in the back of the book make it an effective educational tool. The imagery also leaves a lasting impression in each child’s mind as they learn about what makes their state so beautiful and unique. At the back of the book, two pages of intriguing facts add to the learning experience. The See My State Series includes CO, OK, CA, WA, OR, and NY (AK coming soon!)

*****

BEST DAY EVER: A children's book written by a child by Maya Alvoid-Zenardi (January 2015):

A little girl dreams of taking ballet classes but can not afford it, she will solve her own problem and fulfill her dream and more!

*****

The World As I See It: Children's Poetry Written By a Child Poet by Aaron C. Padgett Jr. (July 2014):

“All the bad memories I wish you could erase, you are the source of the pain on my face.” ~ Aaron C. Padgett Jr.
My name is Aaron C. Padgett Jr. You are about to read a collection of children’s poems that I have written over the years. I started off writing small sentences about how I was feeling at the time. As the years moved along, my writing improved. My father submitted some of my poems to children’s organization and a few of them have been published. My pop told me I should continue to write for children like me. There are adults who write children’s poems but none of them can speak from a child’s point of view. “The World As I See It” is children’s poetry, written by a child poet. I write about struggles in school, problems at home, and the journey to become better at whatever sport I am playing. I am the brains and my father is the muscle. I write my poems and he works to get other people to see them. He says it is something we can do together while I am young and still want to spend time with him. 

*****

A Week in the Magic Garden by Rosie Lockyear (March 2016):

Rosie follows a magic star to a unicorn at the bottom of her garden, and that’s where her adventure begins. With Sparkle, her unicorn friend, Rosie meets goblins, fairies and more, as they journey together to new and fantastic magical worlds.

***** 

Dark Unicorn by Isabella Fyfe (December 2014):

When Pearl’s best friend Sky the unicorn, is turned evil through magic, Pearl must travel to find the ingredients she needs for the cure. Can she find all of the ingredients to make the potion that will cure her friend? Or will she find out that the magic she needed was within her all along?

*****

Tiger Boy (The Tiger Boy Chronicles Book 1) by Cameron Fyfe (November 2015):

In a visit to a man-made jungle reservation in England, Cameron stumbles across a secret research facility. An encounter with an escaped tiger changes his life forever and gives him special powers. With his new feline friend, Cameron becomes Tiger Boy. Can he learn to use his powers effectively to fight crime and rescue those who need rescuing?

*****

Tiger Boy & the Zombie Problem (The Tiger Boy Chronicles Book 2) by Cameron Fyfe (November 2016):

Tiger Boy has been keeping his city safe all year, but he’s never faced zombies before. Can he find out who is controlling the zombies and put a stop to him before the zombie army takes over his city? Or will it prove to be too much for the young Tiger Boy?

***** 

A Hero's Adventure (A Hero's Adventure Book 1) by Connor Fyfe (August 2015):

When Joe finds out he has a special ability, he offers his services to the king and finds himself facing a horrible opponent. Can Joe survive the battle to come? And will he find the strength to save the kingdom?

***** 

The Hero and the Dragon (A Hero's Adventure Book 2) by Connor Fyfe (September 2016):

It’s been a year since Joe defeated the monster called Cheater, but Joe’s gut tells him that Cheater isn’t through causing havoc in the kingdom. Is Joe strong enough to defeat Cheater and his army once again? Or, this time, will Cheater and his evil plans prevail?

***** 

Grabbed by the Shadows by Gabriella Fyfe (September 2015):

Erica, Sally and Adrien are best friends. They live typical teenage lives until the day they find out that monsters are real. Can they survive in a world full of giant monsters that hunger for human flesh? Sometimes, your worst fears really do come true.

*****

The Talisman Chronicles: A Collection of Stories Written & Illustrated By Children (Kids' Chronicles) (BLACK AND WHITE EDITION), edited by Rebecca Fyfe (December 2013):

Children of all ages, from as young as the age of two to as old as the age of fourteen, have been finding magical talismans all over the world. In some cases, the talismans take them on a magical adventure and in other cases, the enchanted charms give them a vision of someone else's mystical adventure. These stories have been gathered here, in The Talisman Chronicles, as each child tells their story. Each charm found has a different story, and each story has been collected here. 
Enjoy these imaginative stories about pirate dogs and friendly dragons. Delve into the imaginations of children and let these charming stories, written by children from around the world, enchant you.

***** 

The Talisman Chronicles: A Collection of Stories Written & Illustrated By Children (Kids' Chronicles) (FULL COLOUR EDITION), edited by Rebecca Fyfe (December 2013):

Children of all ages, from as young as the age of two to as old as the age of fourteen, have been finding magical talismans all over the world. In some cases, the talismans take them on a magical adventure and in other cases, the enchanted charms give them a vision of someone else's mystical adventure. These stories have been gathered here, in The Talisman Chronicles, as each child tells their story. Each charm found has a different story, and each story has been collected here. Enjoy these imaginative stories about pirate dogs and friendly dragons. Delve into the imaginations of children and let these charming stories, written by children from around the world, enchant you.

***** 

Superhero Chronicles: A Collection of Superhero Stories Written & Illustrated By Children (Kids' Chronicles) (BLACK & WHITE EDITION), edited by Rebecca Fyfe (September 2015):

What does a child like best about superheroes? If a child could create a superhero, what kind of superhero would he or she create? Find answers to these questions in this collection of superhero stories, written entirely by children. Fourteen young authors, from six years old to thirteen years old, from all around the world, have come together to create this anthology of twenty-two superhero stories. Delight in these short stories of superheroes, from super animals and eco-warriors to masterminds and super witches. Enjoy reading about superheroes who have special powers and abilities, as well as superheroes who have no special powers and yet still manage to make the world a better place.

***** 

Superhero Chronicles: A Collection of Superhero Stories Written & Illustrated By Children (Kids' Chronicles) (FULL COLOUR EDITION), edited by Rebecca Fyfe (September 2015):

What does a child like best about superheroes? If a child could create a superhero, what kind of superhero would he or she create? Find answers to these questions in this collection of superhero stories, written entirely by children. Fourteen young authors, from six years old to thirteen years old, from all around the world, have come together to create this anthology of twenty-two superhero stories. Delight in these short stories of superheroes, from super animals and eco-warriors to masterminds and super witches. Enjoy reading about superheroes who have special powers and abilities, as well as superheroes who have no special powers and yet still manage to make the world a better place.

***** 

Superhero Chronicles: A Collection of Superhero Stories Written & Illustrated By Children (Kids' Chronicles) (SPECIAL EDITION), edited by Rebecca Fyfe (September 2015):

What does a child like best about superheroes? If a child could create a superhero, what kind of superhero would he or she create? Find answers to these questions in this collection of superhero stories, written entirely by children. Fourteen young authors, from six years old to thirteen years old, from all around the world, have come together to create this anthology of twenty-two superhero stories. Delight in these short stories of superheroes, from super animals and eco-warriors to masterminds and super witches. Enjoy reading about superheroes who have special powers and abilities, as well as superheroes who have no special powers and yet still manage to make the world a better place.

Story Starter - Week Fifteen

This is the last installment of Story Starters that you will find here. Story Starters is not stopping though. After today, you can find the weekly Story Starters on the Story Starters blog.

This week's Story Starter is a small beginning to a story. Write a story or poem inspired by the paragraphs below. You can use the "beginning" anywhere in your story; it doesn't just have to start your story. Or you can just use it to inspire a completely different story having nothing to do with the sentences below.

The moon's light glinted off the tombstones, surrounding the cemetery in an iridescent light. Tammy didn't think it was a good idea to come to the cemetery; she'd only come along at the insistence of her friends. They thought it would be fun to see who was brave enough to stay in the cemetery the longest. 

But then Tammy saw the grey-colored hand, with torn and eaten-away flesh, start to push its way up out of the ground. 

As always, I love to read what you are writing, so please copy and paste your story or poem into the comments, if you would like to share.

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Story Starter - Week Thirteen

This week's Story Starter is a small beginning to a story. Write a story or poem inspired by the beginning below. You can use the "beginning" anywhere in your story; it doesn't just have to start your story. Or you can just use it to inspire a completely different story having nothing to do with the sentences below.

David took the bandage off his wrist. the skin underneath was still red and angry looking. A beautiful mermaid, in full color looked back at him from the lines of the tattoo. 

'"David, we have work to do. you need to do exactly as I say." 

The female voice appeared to be coming from his new tattoo, but that was crazy. Right?

As always, I would love to read what you write, so please copy and paste what you've written into the comments, if you feel like doing so.

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Story Starter - Week Twelve

This week's Story Starter is a picture. Write a story or poem inspired by the paragraph below. The paragraph can begin your story, end your story or be found anywhere within your story, or you can just use it to inspire a completely different story having nothing to do with the sentence.

"Camryn woke up from the strangest dream and immediately felt that something had changed. Her body felt different, stronger. And she felt a faint tingling, like a mild electrical current, just under the surface of her skin."

As always, I would love to read what you write, so please copy and paste what you've written into the comments, if you feel like doing so.

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Story Starter - Week Eleven

This week's Story Starter is a picture. Write a story or poem inspired by the picture below.

photo by Rebecca Fyfe

As always, I would love to read what you write, so please copy and paste what you've written into the comments, if you feel like doing so.

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Story Starter - Week Four

 This week's Story Starter is a two-sentence beginning to a story, which can be found below.

The mirror in front of me shimmered and blurred, and in the glass, I could see a different room. I reached my hand out to the surface of the mirror and my hand went right through it.

As always, I would love to read the short story you write based on these lines, so feel free to share your story in the comments below.






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How to Help Very Young Children "Write" Stories

I know many parents who think that at three and four years old, their children are too young to be able to write stories. Contrary to that belief, I have found that, although they might not be able to physically write out a story, children of that age are often perfectly capable of telling beautiful stories.

Don't believe me? Here are some examples of stories my children dictated to me when they were three and four years old (Scroll past the sections in the blue font if you believe me and just want to get to the "how to" part of the post.):

Written by my daughter Gabriella, age 3:

Marbles and Flowers

There once was a really beautiful fairy named Gabriella. She was playing marbles in the sky with God. Rumbles of thunder could be heard as marble crashed against marble.

Later, she found a flower that belonged to her friend and had been left by her friend for Gabriella to find. Gabriella wanted to show God her flower. When she got to his house, she had a nice cold drink as it was a hot day.

Written by my daughter Isabella, age 3:

Princess Kolluna

There was a princess who lived in a nice castle. Her name was Kolluna. She liked playing with balloons.

One day while at the beach, she blew up some balloons to play with, and a big monster showed up. He was a bad monster. He had yellow scales, two tiny eyes and tiny little baby teeth. He had noticed her because of her bright balloons. He wanted to eat Princess Kolluna.

The princess ran into the ocean and some mermaids came and rescued her. She was so happy that the mermaids helped her that she gave them each one of her balloons as a thank you.

Written by my son Connor, age 3:

Princess Mommy and Her Dogs

There once was a princess named Mommy. She lived in a castle. Her castle had a moat around it and, in her bedroom, she had a very big, comfortable bed. She had four dogs. Two of her dogs were girls and two of her dogs were boys. Their names were Tyler, Ben, Rosie & Helen. They were very small dogs. They had long fur and long tails. Their fur was pink.

Princess Mommy fed her dogs every day and took them on lots of long walks. She threw a ball for them, and they all loved to try and get to it first and bring it back to her. Princess Mommy loved her dogs and her dogs loved her.

One day, little Rosie went missing. Princess Mommy looked everywhere for her. She looked in the dining hall, but Rosie wasn’t there. She looked in the rubbish, but Rosie wasn’t there. She looked in the kitchen, but Rosie wasn’t there.

Princess Mommy was very worried about her little pink dog Rosie, and the other dogs were sad too because they missed Rosie. Princess Mommy looked in one more place. She looked in the castle moat, and there was her little Rosie! Rosie had decided to go for a swim.

Princess Mommy got Rosie out of the moat and gave her a bath to clean all of the mud off of her. She was very happy that she had found Rosie and the other dogs were happy too.

Written by my daughter Gabriella, age 4:

The Little Pink Flower

Once their was a little pink flower. She grew amongst the grass at the park. She saw other, really beautiful flowers being picked by people who would comment at their beauty and she wanted very much to be pretty enough for someone to pick her. 

Days went by and she watched as other flowers got picked but she was left. Then one morning, a lovely princess was walking in the park when she noticed the little pink flower and thought the flower was very pretty.

She liked the flower so much that she had to pick it, and she took it home to give to her husband who she loved. The little pink flower was put into a vase of water and was very happy.

Written by my daughter Isabella, age 4:

The Magic Dress

Once there was a little English princess named Bella. One day, she found a beautiful dress on the ground outside her castle. She took the dress inside and put it on. It was a magical dress and, when she wore it, she found that she could fly. She flew to America, and in America she bought a wand and a sweetie. Then she flew back to England. 

She flew high in the sky and when she looked down, she could see crocodiles way below. She used her wand to bring more fairies to her so she wouldn’t have to fly alone. Before she stopped flying, she flew to a castle and became best friends with another princess named Gabby. She had so much fun in the dress! When she got home, she changed into a normal dress and put the magic dress back on the ground where she found it.

Written by my son Connor, age 4:

 The Princess and Her Castle in the Clouds

There once was a pretty princess named Mommy who had long red hair. She lived in a castle that sat way up on top of clouds. Whenever she wanted to get down, she used a long, pink ladder. She loved looking way down at everything below her and could see lots of pretty sights, but it was such a long climb down that she didn’t climb down very often. Sometimes her friends climbed up to see her though.

One day, her pink ladder fell over and she became trapped in her castle in the clouds. She became very lonely and after a few days, she began to wonder if she would ever find a way down again. 

Then a boy who was a prince named Connor happened by. He looked up at the castle on top of the clouds and wondered who lived there. Princess Mommy looked down from the castle top and yelled down to the Prince below, “Please help me! My ladder broke and I can’t get down!”

“That’s okay,” said Prince Connor. “I have a ladder too.” He went home and came back with a long orange ladder. The princess used the ladder to climb down.

The princess thanked him and then decided that she no longer liked having her castle in the clouds. She looked around and found her pink ladder lying in the grass. On the side of the ladder was a magic button. She pushed the magic button and her castle slowly came down and landed in a field of grass. It still sits there to this day.

They all wrote/told many more stories at those ages than I am showing here. These are just some examples to show you that it can be done. Each story varied greatly in how complex or how simple.


Here are some tips to help you coax some stories out of your very young child:

1. Ask questions. What does her main character look like? What is his or her name? How old is the main character? And here's where it gets tricky. When your child seems as though they are just going to tell you about a pretty little girl and nothing more, ask "What happened next?" If she or he still doesn't know where to take the story, ask questions that give ideas, such as, "Did something scare her? Is there a game she liked to play? Does she have any friends?" and so on. And the answers can lead to other questions, such as "Why was the monster chasing him? What happened during the game? Did his friends go on an adventure with him?" and so on. Each question can lead to more questions.

2. IMPORTANT. Do not try and change your child's mind on the direction they choose for their story. I once (and only once) tried, innocently, to lead my daughter in a direction for her story that I thought would be easier for her to continue on from, but she adamantly refused my leading questions and went her own way with the story, which is what should have happened. I should never have tried to lead her story. Not only do you need to not interfere so that you can end up with a story that is authentically your child's own, but your child needs to feel as though the story has come from him and not from you. Your child will feel much more pride in the story he has told when he knows it has come completely from his own choices and ideas.

3. Let your child lead. If your daughter seems too tired or not very interested in telling her story, take a break from it and try again later or another day. Some very young children will be better at this than others and some children will enjoy this process more than others.

4. Praise your child's finished story. Make sure you let him know how proud of him you are and how wonderful you think his story is. Children love to be praised for their efforts.

Sometimes, the story your child tells will barely make sense, and that's okay too. Writing has a lot to do with the process. It's like alchemy for words. Your child's words might start out producing nothing more than a slimy gunk (which, because it is your child, you will think is the sweetest bubble gum goo), but keep at it, and every once in a while, your child will produce gold.

And don't forget that all of the stories you record your child telling are a form of memory storage. Until I looked up my children's stories from when they were younger to add to this post, I had forgotten that, for a while, my son always wrote stories about a character he called "Princess Mommy." Reading those words again brought a warm feeling to my heart and a smile to my face.

Your only job, as the typist of the story, is to help your child brainstorm and to correct any grammar problems. You should probably also spell correctly as you type up your child's story. ;)





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Children Finding Help Through Stories

The On Our Minds Scholastic blog recently featured an article about how in these tough economic times, children can find help in coping through the stories they read. The topic was brought into the spotlight by the NBC Nightly News when they ran a story about a little girl who found the courage to break her silence about her family's homelessness because of a book.

I agree that books can help children in so many ways, and children can see themselves, sometimes, in the characters they read about. That can really help them to cope with the variety of things that they are going through.

I also believe that sometimes telling stories can be cathartic for children. Even if the story they are telling is fictional, they can sometimes live out a fantasy or show someone else dealing with the same issue that they are, or even work through something through writing about it. Another method that writing can help a child deal with issues in his life is through poetry.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) has a Young Writer's Program. It is free to join and it begins on November 1st and runs through November 30th. I wish more schools would get involved with it, but your child can sign up as an individual and start writing! I highly recommend it!

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