Highlights for Children

A great opportunity to get your children's book published!
Highlights for Children is another website that is very well established, offering fiction contests annually to anyone and everyone of interest. The contest is free and asks you send no more than 800 words per story but no less than 500.
Highlights is also a magazine that publishes winning stories and sometimes even buys stories that did not win! If you're an illustrator of children's fiction you can send your illustrations in for their perusal as well.

The site features a store too for parrents and children to view.

Another great site for children can be found at this link!

Write for Kids

Write 4 Kids website is a great resource for anyone looking to write a picture book for children. The site is packed with articles, interactive tools and freebies... all about the art of writing children's books and submitting them to children's book publishers.
Voted one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer's Digest.com.

Its a site worth checking out for the budding children's story writer.

Another great site promoting itself to children is www.childrensbookssite.com

McNally Robinson and kids books

Looking for book related things for kids to do? McNally Robinson is a wonderful book store brimming with life. Their restaurant - Prairie ink, that accompanies each book store, serves fantastic meals and baked goods and is licenced to serve liquor.
There is always something going on, either an author is at the podium taking questions or there is an event at the kids section (a reading or otherwise).

These book stores are only in Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatoon right now but they will soon be branching into Ontario with their first store placed in Toronto.

For other children's books visit this site.

News Kids can use

If you're interested in the universe and what makes it - and us - tick then the NASA for kids site should be able to educate and entertain for hours! With great pictures of outer space and explanations on how the universe works this site should appeal to kids looking to apply themselves in the sciences and astronomy.

To see NASA compete in the 2008 FIRST robotics competition click here!

Hunt for Planets with NASA

Looking for a great children's book? click here

Writing for children

An interesting look at how to write for children is featured on the following website: http://children.fictionfactor.com/.

One point they make that really hit home for me was to keep a name simple, not difficult to pronounce Don't confuse the reader, keep it simple and relect the culture your character comes from.
Memorable is good, but keep it down to one or two sylables so, though memorable, it is easy to say inthe reader's head or outloud.
I always struggled with long winded difficult names in books when I was a young reader, and frankly, as an adult, I don't need to read a name that goes beyond three sylables and is somehow lacking in vowels.

Keep it simple.

As in the book West of Noreaso, Ekim and Asil are brother and sister, each with a one sylable name, but memorable names that you don't have to fuss over while reading, a name that doesn't get in the way of the story.

PS. Ekim is Mike spelt backwards and Asil is Lisa...

Young Writers Society

There's lots to do for kids, and tweens alike in the world of writing!

Created for the young writer, this site is an online community where kids, tweens and teens can share work, chat, create a blog, join usergroups and much more. The site also has its own monthly publication called the Squills E-Zine, compiled of members’ work.

http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/

Kids books resources

Another good resource to find kids books is Kids Read. Here you can read up on what's hot on the shelvbes for kids, find serial they'll enjoy and see what books have been made into movies!
They have book clubs and reading lists to share with kids of all ages.
It's worth a look.
When you're ready to find the perfect book visit www.childrensbookssite.com and you will be sure to find exactly what you're looking for.

More websites to keep the kids interested

Here is a collection of fun and interactive websites that will keep the kids intersted in learning and help to stimulate their imaginations. Children's Books Site features books for children and young readers that are soon to be published while the others mentioned below are links to author sites that feature games and ideas for parents and teachers alike!

Lynn Reid banks web site
Shel Silverstein web site
Robert Munsch web site
Beverly Clearly web site
Children's Books Site

Onley appeals for donations of new children's books for north

January 03, 2008
Toronto Star
TORONTO (Jan 3, 2008)

Aiming for quality over quantity, Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor David Onley is asking citizens to donate new children's books to help aboriginal kids and teens living in remote northern communities.
The former television broadcaster, who is continuing the book appeal begun by his predecessor James Bartleman, said new books are the best way to keep children in fly-in First Nations communities as up to date as kids in the south.
Bartleman's previous drives netted more than 2 million "gently used" books to establish libraries in the reserves where the cost of living is high and resources are few.
But "a certain proportion of those were books that were just not appropriate for kids," Onley said yesterday.
"Those of us who live in southern Ontario take the availability of public libraries and book stores in every town and city for granted," said Onley, a former education reporter who recalled being an avid reader as a child while recovering from polio surgeries.

www.childrensbookssite.com

Publishers Weekly

A great way to find new books for your kids is to visit the Publishers Weekly website. Here they offer reviews of new books for both young readers and children alike.

They also offer Author blogs and podcasts so you can gather information via the people writing the books you're reading your children.

Also featured are bookstores, locations and a feature of the day. Itr's a worthwhile web site to explore if you're serious about what your children and Young adults are reading.

Another great resource for young readers is www.childrensbookssite.com, this site offers a featured book suitable for both young adults and children. It also offers news items and games for kids.