How to Write Children’s Rhyming Books
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Are you wondering how to write children’s rhyming books? It appears that many literary agents and publishing house editors are currently steering away from children’s rhyming books, even though these have long been a staple on children’s picture book shelves. There are a few reasons why this is the case. We’ll unpack some of those here.
Children’s Rhyming Books In Today’s Market
The market for children’s rhyming books in general is changing. Tastes are shifting, and picture books are being bought by modern parents and getting a trendy makeover in terms of writing expectations and styles of children’s book illustrations. Of course, traditional and timeless picture books reminiscent of days gone by still have a place on the shelves, but with the explosion of the children’s book market in the last twenty years, there are now many more options. The pull of nostalgia—which only a handful of titles used to command—is weaker.
After all, with the abundance of new and original ideas being published, it can be hard to sell the more conventional choices, written in a more conventional style, about more conventional topics, and that includes children’s rhyming books. (Check out this post for some unconventional writing tips.)
But there’s another reason that the market for children’s rhyming books is changing—literary agents and publishers are sick of seeing these books done poorly by aspiring writers.
Doing Children’s Rhyming Books Right
If you find yourself encouraged by this news, rather than discouraged, you need to keep a few more things in mind as you attempt to write children’s rhyming books for the picture book age group.
Old-fashioned or familiar rhymes just won't do anymore. Writing truly captivating children’s rhyming books requires a special level of creativity, uniqueness, and freshness. It's not enough to simply put two words together—they must be chosen intentionally, have a purpose, fit the story, and move the action forward.
The rhymes themselves matter, too. Everyone has seen “cat” and “hat” paired together. You don’t want to go obscure, but you should also avoid the familiar. If you want to enter the children’s rhyming books market, you need to prove yourself as a modern poet.
Reconsidering Your Approach to Children’s Rhyming Books
When you’re considering the best way to craft rhyming picture books, ask yourself: "Does this actually need to rhyme?" You might be thinking that the answer is “yes,” simply because that’s the way picture books have always been done. Or because rhyme reminds you of the children’s rhyming books of your own childhood.
Every rhyme has to matter and make sense. You can’t choose style over substance. And if the story genuinely works better without the constraints of rhyme and meter and rhythm? Then you must be open to trying it in prose.
However, if you are ready to delve into the creative challenge of writing in rhyme for today’s young readers, there are great reasons to do so. In my opinion, rhyming gives authors the opportunity to play around with the language and make their work even more exciting.
The power of rhyme is immense—it has the ability to transform stories into something remarkable. There’s a reason they were once popular and can be again. Children’s rhyming books are crowd-pleasers for kids who aren’t yet reading. They help children remember words and stories.
One of our favorite examples of a book with dizzying, sprawling, and complicated rhymes is Bubble Trouble (Clarion, 2009, by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Polly Dunbar). A hilarious example is Maxwell’s Magic Mix-Up (S&S, 2001, by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Regan Dunnick).
Aspire to these kinds of excellent children’s rhyming books, and nothing less.
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