Children's Book: Brief

Children’s Book – Collaboration With an Illustrator

Brief:
Using the outlet of storytelling and visual stimulation, write, design and produce a children’s book with the hope of positively shaping the next generation minds.

In our ever-growing connected world, how can the power of narrative and the power of imagery be used as a tool to aid children in their growth.

In collaboration with an illustrator, and within the typographic language of children’s books, target the future generations to be more tolerant and open of others by celebrating the teachings of other cultures and reforming traditional views of gender in-line with current ones.

Background & Considerations:

The basic concept of the book should be broad enough that it resonates with most children, regardless of race or gender. With a multi-cultural population in the UK, the narrative should seek to be as all-inclusive as possible for a liberal audience.

Things children read and are taught when they are young can really shape their views for the future. Helping children be more aware of other cultures and of the beauty of nature is an important lesson in influencing global citizens who are open-minded to others and consider an eco-conscious outlook.

-       Consider current children’s publications that are adding a more liberal tone

-       The personification of nature as a tool to build connections to nature (as done with Disney, studio Ghibli etc)

-       Researching into other cultures – at least one from each continent – in ways that go beyond the stereotypical and are mindful of what wisdom each culture has to offer. Such as ideas of pooling our knowledge and finding similarities rather than differences – building bridges not walls.

TA

-       The language and length of children’s book for target audience (5-9 but not limited)

-       Genderless protagonist so seeks to appeal to girls and boys

-       The average buyer's age of children's books is between 30 and 44. Females make up more than 70% of these buyers. 

-       With a rise in the use of iPads and tablets amongst the next generation, digital copies for download should be considered.

Mandatory Requirements

• Genderless protagonist
• Explores a variety of cultures 
• Appropriate language

Deliverables:

2 x Children’s Books 25 x 20 cm pages

1 x Digital version

1 x Animated Promotion 

Concept:

The basis of the story centres around a protagonist who is scared of the dark, travelling the world in order to avoid night-time. This concept of being scared of the dark resonates with a lot of children, making it appealing to a broad audience. This will successfully popularise the context of the book, with the hope of making the more alternative concepts within it more mainstream. 

Consider: current children’s publications adding a more liberal tone, the personification of nature as a tool to build connections to nature (as done with Disney, studio Ghibli etc), other cultures – visiting India, China, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Amazon, USA, Australia, Russia, France etc. – in ways that go beyond the stereotypical and are mindful of what wisdom each culture has to offer – ideas of pooling our knowledge and finding similarities rather than differences – building bridges not walls. The story would conclude on the importance of the protagonists journey to recognise all that he has learnt and that we all live in the same home and look at the same stars, moon, sun, water, air etc.