The Sock's Missing Mate
Write a story from the perspective of a sock who is on a quest to find its missing mate after they were separated in the laundry. Describe the characters it meets in the journey around the house.
Suggested length: A board book: under 100 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Make the ending warm, safe and a little bit funny.
- Keep it to one problem and one place.
- Let the child solve the problem, not a grown-up.
Writing children's
Ages 0 to 8: books made to be read aloud, again and again.
Children's books run from board books and picture books for the youngest to early readers and chapter books for kids reading on their own. Every word counts, and the adults reading aloud are an audience too.
What readers expect
- Simple, rhythmic language
- A child's point of view
- Room for the illustrations
- A satisfying, often gentle ending
A tip before you start
You don't need an illustrator. Publishers pair picture book writers with artists, so leave room in your text for the pictures to tell part of the story.
More Board Book prompts
- The Garden's Surprise PartyThink of a magical garden where the flowers and plants talk and play when humans aren't watching. One day, they decide to throw a surprise garden…
- The Day Colors DisappearedImagine a world where colors have vanished overnight. A young child wakes up to find everything in black and white. Describe their adventure as they…
- The Kitten's Brave Ninth LifeWrite a story about a little kitten who uses one of its nine lives to do something incredibly heroic for its family.
- The Toy Shop After DarkCreate a story about a magical toy shop where the toys come to life at night. Choose one toy as your main character and describe its night-time…
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