Chapter books have been a mainstay of juvenile fiction since time immemorial, although it might not have had an official name. From what I have uncovered in my research, chapter books are those books that are for readers from about 6 to 12 and have chapter breaks to allow for a reader to stop reading until their attention span can catch up.

I remember the first chapter books I have had the privilege to meet were read to me by my teacher in class as a reading exercise. That was the best time of my young life. I absolutely adored having books read to me. SO-I infer in that the pleasure for a kid to have a chapter book read to them, ahem, parents?

Most chapter books have illustrations. These are usually colorful artist renderings of story. Sometimes I wish I had been an artist rather than a writer! Good chapter book artists really get in there and get to the meat of a scene like the author intended.

Here is a short list of chapter books:
Amelia Bedelia books, Junie B. Jones books, and classics like Pippi Longstocking books, and even the great E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web is one.

I hope this little post has helped you understand what chapter books are. Maybe you would like to write one?

Things to remember if you want to write chapter books:

1.Remember the age group you are writing for. They have short attention spans and like illustrations.
2. Usually the characters are masters of their universe. Just like real kids!
3. Most chapter books turn into classics because when kids love ’em, they REALLY love ’em.

Think about what books you loved as a child and do your research. You may find that the very ones you remember best are chapter books just like the ones you want to write!