Good fiction is a vehicle for profound truth. I’ve spoken before about the importance of cultivating the themes that grow wild in your story, and it is no less important in children’s fiction that it is for adults’ fiction.

When it comes to writing stories for children, especially young children, it can be tempting to either avoid including any particular theme at all (spoiler: that’s nigh to impossible) or else treating your children’s story like a morality play where you preach a thinly veiled sermon to your readers.

However, these approaches don’t work in children’s fiction any more than they do in adult fiction.

In my experience as a dad, as well as an author, children can be quite astute when it comes to perceiving (if not necessarily articulating) what the author is trying to say. They are certainly capable of asking probing questions as they search for meaning in the stories they hear.

Children just need themes they can relate to. Sex, politics and coming of age stories will generally go over the heads of most children, but there are plenty of other big themes that won’t.

Here’s some of my favourites.

Courage

If there’s one thing kids understand, it’s fear. All children (and adults!) get afraid, and it’s often a crippling experience for them. So give them a story of courage in the face of adversity. Don’t be afraid(!) to explore different types of fear: phobias, apprehension, shyness, etc., and show your readers that fear is both natural and surmountable.

You’ll find pretty good examples of this in books like Be Brave Little Penguin by Giles Andreae or The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell but there are hundreds more.

Friendship

Outside of the sphere of their own home, friends are probably one of the most crucial parts of a child’s life, whether they have many or none. Not only that, but it’s their only real opportunity to explore truly equal relationships, where neither party exercises authority or responsibility over the other. That brings with it a whole bucket load of complex emotions, conflicts and situations to resolve and learn from.

Julia Donaldson books such as The Snail and the Whale, Tabby McTat or Superworm are worth your study if you want to write a book that helps a child get to the heart of platonic love but there are plenty of others too.

Imagination/Creativity

Kids have some of the most fertile imaginations out there. They don’t dismiss any of their imaginings as too silly, but take great delight in playing with the boundless realms of fantasy. That’s why it’s such a common theme in children’s books.

In stories for very young children, you can encourage your readers to explore their creativity by encouraging them to consider different possibilities for their creative endeavours (The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt handles this masterfully) while stories for older children often feature antagonists who try to suppress imagination (Roald Dahl’s books like Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are full of this sort of thing).

Problem Solving

Another common theme in children’s fiction is problem solving. While all good fiction tends to involve some sort of problem the protagonist must overcome, it’s not usually the theme in and of itself, since most adults have the maturity to handle problems independently.

In children’s fiction, however, how to overcome practical difficulties (such as the numerous obstacles faced by Jack in Jack and the Flum Flum Tree by Julia Donaldson) can be a theme all by itself.

You might want to check out the Detective Mo Children’s Mysteries too if you’re into that sort of thing… 😉

Being Yourself

We’re all a bit weird. Maturity is understanding that weirdness is normal.

Children all have their own little quirks too and that can be tough when their peers, or even teachers and parents, try to make them conform. That’s why stories of non-conformity continue to be so important and—not to put too fine a point on it—marketable.

Good examples of this include Dogs Don’t Do Ballet by Anna Kemp and Rollo, The Bravest Chicken in the World by uh… me.