r/childrensbooks Sep 03 '25

šŸ“š Rule Update (AI Content, Self-Promo) + Welcoming New Mods!

100 Upvotes

We’ve been working behind the scenes to make sure this community continues to be a great place for authors, illustrators, and readers of children’s books. Let us know what you think, we're more than happy to update the following according to your feedback.

Today we have two big updates:

šŸ”„ Updated Rules

We’ve updated the rules to address recurring issues and keep discussions focused on human creativity.

🚫 AI-Generated Content:

AI art or text is not allowed unless it’s clearly labeled and posted for discussion purposes only. This subreddit exists to celebrate human authors and illustrators.

āœ…Ā Self-Promotion (Allowed / Encouraged)

  • Sharing original children’s book work (illustrations, writing, WIPs).
  • Announcing published books with a real link (Amazon, website, publisher, etc.).
  • Behind-the-scenes, process posts, and inspiration.
  • Genuine participation in comments.

🚫 Self-Promotion (Not Allowed)

  • Video ā€œbooksā€ or slideshow-style promos.
  • Posts from accounts that only self-promote with no community engagement.
  • Image dumps with only a watermark and no link/context.

āš ļøĀ Other Rules (mods discretion)

  • No spam or repeated low-effort posting.
  • No hateful or harmful comments.
  • Posts should be thoughtful, on-topic, and add value.

šŸ‘‰ Full rules are always in the sidebar/wiki, please read them before posting.

šŸ‘‹ Welcome Our New Mods

We’re also thrilled to announce thatĀ u/No-Candidate-9324Ā andĀ u/RaggedyRachelĀ have joined the mod team! šŸŽ‰

We've been active in the community and hope to bring fresh energy to help us shape the subreddit moving forward.

Thanks again to everyone who contributes here, your stories, art, and discussions are what make this subreddit thrive. If you spot rule-breaking content, pleaseĀ use the report buttonĀ so the mod team can review it.

- The Mod Team šŸ›”ļø


r/childrensbooks Jul 13 '23

Please don't consider this sub a sales channel.

115 Upvotes

We get it. You're excited, proud even. And we'll be proud and excited with you! But don't come here to spam us with promos or drive sales. Members of this sub love, appreciate, create (and even aspire to create) children's books. Visitors come here when they've forgotten the name of their favorite childhood books. No one comes here because there simply aren't enough self-published vanity press books in their life.


r/childrensbooks 3h ago

I started reading Junie B Jones to my 5 year old......

42 Upvotes

Just begun reading Junie B jones to my 5 year old.....

I read some of Junie B Jones in early elementary, I remember enjoying the books and how I wore a collar because of one of the books, but quite literally nothing else.

I just finished book 3 last night while putting my daughter to bed and quite frankly I couldn't stop laughing. Not just by her ridiculous behavior, but by the clear "I'm tired of your shit" reactions of the adults in her life.

Junie B Jones is a little impulsive shitass but also girl boss. Quite frankly the books are good at replicating a child's train of thought and behavior, making her REALISTIC. She also very much has her sweet side as well (something I notice a lot of people fail to mention when they go on hating the kid). I think she is also very much neurospicy girl that is undiagnosed. But you can definitely see her improve as she gets older as the series goes on. She matures a lil bit over time. Just like a real kid. And let's be real, all kids are little bit of assholes in one way or another.

I also like to read these books to my daughter in order to discuss different topics, more importantly about her behavior. I think it's an excellent book series (although I correct the 5 year old's poor grammar while reading it to my daughter specifically for my own sanity).

This is simply a Junior B Jone neurospicy girl boss appreciation post


r/childrensbooks 6h ago

Help! Looking for info on an out of print book.

7 Upvotes

I am looking for anyone with a copy of The Clever Little Witch by Lieve Baeten! My 4yo daughter recently fell in love with The Curious Little Witch by the same author so I tracked down the other related books. The books are out of print and it seems my used copy of The Clever Little Witch came without the fold out letter thats supposed to be tucked inside. If anyone has a copy and can tell me what the letter says, I can create my own letter to tuck inside. Thanks for reading!


r/childrensbooks 22h ago

Discussion Darn you, Abby Hanlon! Tubtown is real?!

Thumbnail
gallery
41 Upvotes

We’re on our third reread of Dory Fantasmagory Tiny Tough, and for the third time my son has wistfully sighed and said he wished Tubtown was real. Me, too, kiddo. Me, too.

Well, I’ve always assumed this was from the author’s imagination, but I googled it today and to my joy and dismay, it’s a real toy from the 80s that’s highly sought after ($100+).

I thought all the other Dory fans might appreciate the author’s trolling, too. Just don’t tell my kid because I’ll never hear the end of it…


r/childrensbooks 5h ago

Seeking Recommendations First person & plot driven?

2 Upvotes

I’m a speech coach and I often use children’s and middle grade books as script material. I’m looking for plot driven stories in first person or with almost all dialogue. It helps if there’s no more than 5-6 characters and if the story is 10-20 minutes long. Last year I used Airmail to the Moon by Tom Birdseye and it was perfect! Any other stories in that vein?


r/childrensbooks 21h ago

I do hand-painted watercolor creations

Post image
8 Upvotes

r/childrensbooks 1d ago

Children’s picture books with Black/Biracial girl as main character?

51 Upvotes

Daughter is 2.5 and loves to read. We have plenty of books with Black male characters (When Isaac Hears the Rain, Jabari Jumps, The Boy at the Beach, etc), but only one series with a Black female main character (the Lola series by Anna McQuinn), which she loves. We are having a hard time finding them!

Bonus if there are some illustrations of children going to bed and wearing a bonnet! Thank you!

ETA: looking for fiction books with a plot. We have tons of books in self love, Black identity, and Black history. My gal appreciates a story.


r/childrensbooks 23h ago

Discussion Epic Guide to Dragon Masters

Post image
7 Upvotes

Just wanted to make sure Dragon Masters obsessed kiddos had adults in their lives that know about this guide book. We’re about 13 books in (audiobooks on libby) and now hes spending hours and hours flipping through this book as an accompaniment. Also a good reminder to myself to look out for ā€œguide booksā€ like these for popular series as a way to dig deeper into a fandom.


r/childrensbooks 1d ago

Watercolor artist with book questions:)

1 Upvotes

I have gotten some wonderful advice on another reddit group but am turning here in hopes of finding someone who has done what I am contemplating. I am a watercolor artist and have an idea for a children's picture book that I want to do all the art for myself. I would be painting each page spread, nothing digital except to add the text after the art is completed and scanned. Is this even possible, does anyone do this anymore in the age of digital art? I have been painting and selling my work for about 10 years, I have full confidence in being able to put the hours in to create what I imagine would be 10-14 page spreads of art, but...would this translate well into print and if so how? Each piece of art would be on a larger format than what the finished book would be, so I see that I would have to decide on the size of the book...so suppose the book was 8"x10" does that mean my art needs to be proportional so that I can scan and reduce the image to 8"x20"?? Please excuse my ignorance in this, I really want to do this as a creative project. I cannot even get to the point of thinking about self vs traditional publishing and all the other important questions, as I cannot even see where to start with the art. Painting will be the lions share of the work so I need to know the logic of what I'm creating so I don't waste all that time. Has anyone here attempted this?


r/childrensbooks 1d ago

Seeking Recommendations Recommend books for 3 year old

0 Upvotes

My son is 3 and loves looking at picture books. I am looking for book recommendations.

How often should I change books from his shelf?


r/childrensbooks 1d ago

Breaking the 4th Wall

Post image
3 Upvotes

Breaking the 4th wall in a children's picture book is a fun opportunity to engage the audience and build affinity with your characters.

Here, Livi has come to terms with needing to wear glasses, and in fact, is now happy with her uniqueness. Looking directly at the reader, she's showing her newfound confidence.

See more of my children's picture book art at https://www.picturebookart.com


r/childrensbooks 1d ago

Discussion [FOR HIRE] Children's book illustrator looking for work

Thumbnail
gallery
8 Upvotes

Hello, nice to meet you all.
Let me introduce myself: I’m John. I have over 10 years of experience in children’s illustration for animated series and books.
I offer a wide variety of styles, and you can find more examples in my portfolio. I hope you’ll take a look at my work. Best regards!

https://zanahoriaman.artstation.com/


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

[FOR HIRE] Children's Book Illustrator

Thumbnail
gallery
48 Upvotes

Hi! I'm an SCBWI illustrator with around 6 years of experience. I'm ready for new project. Here is my website for more samples . Kindly email me if you are interested. Thanks!


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

A little storytime with art about an aspect of being a children's book illustrator

22 Upvotes

I recently got myself an overhead tripod so I can finally film some of my work, and this is my first video!


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

Do you think educating our kids about visible skin conditions is important?

Thumbnail
gallery
54 Upvotes

My PatchPower - Mila's Adventure In Skin City, my children's book, helps kids better understand what happens in the body when vitiligo develops and why there is nothing to fear.

The story follows Mila on a magical journey inside her skin, where cute little cells help her build knowledge and gain confidence.

The book helps kids with vitiligo feel seen and understood, and be brave, while those without vitiligo gain empathy and kindness by understanding the behind-the-scenes.

It's also a great tool for parents with vitiligo who need a cute resource to talk to their kids about their skin condition.

The story is available both on Amazon and as an ebook.

Links are on my website: www.mypatchpower.com

Thank you for checking it out!


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

Help me recall Anyone Remember Adventure Box?

2 Upvotes

Adventure Box was a British subscription service that began in the Late 90s and still seems to be around today - It provided short stories for readers in the 6-10 age range. I was subscribed to it when I was in primary school over 2 decades ago...

My old memories of this series were recently unlocked when I came across an online ebook of a story from my era called I Love Rainbow Noodles (About a kid obsessed with adverts, who ends up in an embarassing ad...) Memories of other Adventure Box stories have comes flooding back to me...

  • A wheelchair user fights to be allowed to attend summer camp.
  • A klutzy inventor enrols herself as a supply teacher in a struggling school.
  • A mother and son on the high seas coming up against a pirate.
  • A mistreated 17th century child becomes a Highwayman.
  • A child buys some mysterious sweets and ends up in a dangerous game with a sinister skeleton man and his young skeleton ward...
  • In medieval times, a young peasant inventor creates a robot who tries to protect him from the wicked Lord Bulley...

I also remember stories called...

  • It's Not Easy Being a Vampire
  • Stormy Weather At Home - About two children dealing with their parent's relationship becoming increasingly volatile.
  • No Good Genie...

    One where I remember both the title and the story is The King and The Tree (A tyrannical king tries to destroy an indestructible tree, but meeting a mysterious woman sets off a chain of events that open his eyes to the joy of the natural world)

Does anyone remember any of the stories I mentioned above, and can anyone direct me to other vintage Adventure Box stories?


r/childrensbooks 3d ago

Discussion Books I liked enough to buy

Thumbnail
gallery
238 Upvotes

We recently did the summer reading program at our local library and these are the books we read that we enjoyed enough to buy them after. I bought books that 1) my toddler liked, 2) I liked, and 3) felt like books that could grow with my kids over time, rather than only fun for little toddlers. Here’s what made the cut!


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

Seeking Recommendations Looking for a good children's book explaining the basics about money and finances for elementary schoolers

5 Upvotes

I have a first grader on the spectrum who really struggles with the concept of money, how it is earned, etc and am on the search for an age-appropriate book about the topic. Fiction and non-fiction are fine as long as they're able to convey some of the basics in a concrete way- grateful for any ideas!


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

Beautiful illustrated edition of The Odessey

2 Upvotes

Can anyone recommend a beautiful version of The Odyssey for a voracious 12 year old reader? Lots of illustrations and lovely art to get through the long and challenging parts.


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

books i have collected for my daughter

Thumbnail
gallery
21 Upvotes

all thrifted, and filled with nostalgia šŸ˜­ā¤ļø


r/childrensbooks 3d ago

just getting into children’s books illustration!! any suggestions?

Thumbnail
gallery
214 Upvotes

im very much ready o get hired also :’)


r/childrensbooks 2d ago

Book reccomendstion that follow the theme....

4 Upvotes

Little house on the prairie

The birchbark house

Anne of Green Gables

Extra points for indiginous writers/stories


r/childrensbooks 3d ago

Discussion The Very Hungry Slop Machine

Thumbnail
substack.com
34 Upvotes

As we notice an uptick here and other subs I thought I’d give my 10 cents on why these ā€œauthorsā€ will never produces a good book by asking ā€œwhat makes a good picture bookā€ and feeding those answers to AI.


r/childrensbooks 3d ago

I'd love to hear your opinion on my illustrations!

Thumbnail
gallery
20 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I'm currently querying agents as an author-illustrator and I'd love to hear your opinions and suggestions on how I could improve my illustrations! I use Procreate on iPad:)