Books That Inspired Me to Write for Children

by Allan Woodrow
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5 books
I decided to write for children after I had children of my own and started to read the books they were reading. Those books inspired me to try writing for a younger audience myself. I didn’t remember such a vast assortment of quality literature when I was growing up—there are more books now in general, of course, but I also likely read the wrong things, too. The following lists books that made me think, “I’ll likely never write anything as wonderful as this, but maybe I should try.” I haven’t succeeded yet…but I’m still trying.
I’m guessing there are no real surprises here—these are all successful titles. But if you want to start exploring the genre, this is a good place to start.
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Matilda

Roald Dahl, 2020
I could have listed six Roald Dahl books, but that wouldn’t be a very interesting list. I adore many of his books, but this is my favorite. His sense of humor comes through without overpowering the story, combined with his unique understanding of how kids feel and what makes them tick. Matilda, as you probably know, is the story of a girl with extraordinary gifts that are unrecognized by her parents and her terrible teacher, but she gets her due in the end. That’s a typical Dahl trope: a poor or disrespected child whose brilliance is finally rewarded, whether it’s Charlie earning a chocolate factory or James earning the acclaim of the city due to his giant peach.

Miss Daisy is Crazy!

Dan Gutman, 2004
I consider this the first book my daughters were reading that surprised me with its writing, its wit, and its approachability. It’s also the book that made me think, “I think I’m going to start reading all the books my kids are reading” and eventually, “I’m going to try writing for kids myself.” It’s also the first book of Gutman’s My Weird School series, a book that is impossible to read without smiling and the occasional laugh floating out. There are twenty books in the series, and they are all wonderful. But if you’re going to start reading a series, it’s always a good idea to start with the first.

Sideways Stories From Wayside School

Louis Sachar, 2021
It’s a novel, but it’s also a series of short stories that “build” on one another in surprising and rewarding ways. I put “build” in quotes because rather than a school built horizontally, Wayside School was built vertically with 30 classrooms over 30 floors. And the story just gets stranger. The students in Ms. Jewl’s class, which is on the very top floor, are quirky, odd, and oddly hysterical. Sacher has a wide range of amazing books, including the brilliant “Holes,” but when I’m trying to write funny—which I do quite often—I find myself re-reading parts of this to remind myself that funny and surprising are often the same thing.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E.L. Konigsburg, 2010
Two kids run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They become infatuated with a sculptor and decide to uncover its mysteries, which includes a visit to the home of art patron Mrs. Basil E, Frankweiler. This is the only book on my list that my kids did not read, and dates back further than their childhoods, but that I discovered when I began searching for more children’s books to inspire me as I began my writing-for-kids-career. The Newberry winner from 1968 remains a must-read for any fan of children’s books, and to understand the genre is not just littered with kid’s stuff, but excellent writing for any age.

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman, 2010
When his parents are murdered, Nobody Owens escapes to the nearby graveyard, where he is raised by its dead/not-quite-dead citizens. Despite its scary theme, the book is not a horror book, but one of hope, humor, and the need to be protected and loved. It’s the only book to win both the American Newberry Medal and the British Carnegie Medal, so I’m clearly not alone in loving it. The plot itself is a great reminder that kids can read darker plot points as long as hope is a key ingredient. I will never write as magically or as interestingly as Gaiman, but books like these inspire me to try writing new things and see what magic happens.