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Let me explain.

My book is about a little boy directed by a "wolf" to burn his farm's sheep. Consequently, it burns on the grass and his house, making him kill or seriously injure most of his family. The facility takes him afterward. It's actually a place to raise children in an animal environment who were previously tragically associated with animals. At the end of the book, our character is killed by being taken to an international children's' meat processor on an island.

I want to make this a children's book, but after looking at darker examples, the closest they get are hunted dolls with happy endings. I need help. Should my story be geared towards those who are older instead? Or should I try and find a way to make these hidden themes subtle? If so, what are some universal tips for doing so? Or is this plot just not suitable for children at all?

The book is aimed at children aged 5-9.

Llewellyn
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Marthra Rock
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  • related; https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/43773/showing-mass-murder-in-a-kids-book – Ceramicmrno0b Dec 02 '20 at 15:40
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    What "themes" are you trying to deal with for little kids that requires having the kid kill their own family and then be chopped up for food? – JRE Dec 02 '20 at 16:00
  • @JRE Good question. The theme is not to listen to everyone and anything, or bad consequences are to come. Basically... don't talk to strangers. The "wolf" is actually an employee from the meat process that works with the other one.. they were in a wolf suit. So they're an obvious stranger. So yes... don't talk to strangers or something bad could happen to you. – Marthra Rock Dec 02 '20 at 16:14
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    Don't forget that Grimms' Fairy Tales are remarkably gruesome, Children have been told tales of death and cannibalism for generations. – Chenmunka Dec 02 '20 at 16:21
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    Personally, this does not sound like an appropriate theme for a children's book. Go ahead and write it if you choose, but I would not write it toward a children's audience. However, with that in mind, it would be better if you made it lighthearted in a way. You know how in Series of Unfortunate Events, the author warns you in a funny way not to read the book and the narrator in the television series is grim, but in an ironic sort of way? You should aim for that. – user11111111111 Dec 02 '20 at 16:34
  • A picture book? What would be illustrated and what age group specifically are you marketing it to? And most importantly: why? You should also take into account that even your “hidden themes” are controversial. – Laurel Dec 02 '20 at 16:54
  • @Laurel 5-9. Why: To talk about the horrors of trafficking. 1 in 4 victims of trafficking is children. Many of which manipulated and lied to. It's not my problem that they are controversial. Even if they could be offensive, every trope, stereotype, or mindset contains some truth. – Marthra Rock Dec 02 '20 at 17:17
  • What is the aim of your story? I understand you want to warn children about "stranger danger", but what exactly do you want them to take away from it? What's the moral, so to say? Is it "Don't talk to strangers"? Or "When a stranger asks you to do something, tell your parents"? My point is, it might be more helpful for the children if the story provides an example of the right action to take rather than only "the world is terrible", which will just scare them. – Llewellyn Dec 05 '20 at 22:04
  • I have to go with Chenmunka on this, but it won't work unless it is VERY consciously a comparison to Grimm's fairy tales. Maybe make it part of a collection, and actually title it "Modern Grimm's fairy tales" so people know what they're getting. Still a tough sell. – DWKraus Dec 06 '20 at 05:58
  • Thr first printed version of Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault had the Wolf eat teh grandmother and the girl, and end up as the victor. This was explicitly a story of "stranger-danger" Unrecorded 13th C oral versions, and classic Greek analogues may have had the girl raped before she is eaten. But no one would publish that version as a picture book today. – David Siegel Jan 29 '21 at 23:38
  • @DavidSiegel: At the very least, no one would publish that version as a picture book marketed to children (a parody of a picture book version of the story, but with all the gruesome stuff modern society would be shocked is in a children's book would have a niche audience in an adult crowd interested in the original fairy tale. Heck, I was in this age range when I heard the real version of "The Little Mermaid" which was not a happy ending for the Mermaid and had a distinct lack of singing Jamacan Crabs.). – hszmv Feb 03 '21 at 15:32

2 Answers2

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Your question is: Could this plotline be geared to young children? Honestly, I would deliver a strong no.

How many books are there for 5-year-olds which involve such a degree of violence including accidental murder of parents and then having a young boy die while being taken to a child meat packing plant?

Unless you make it more lighthearted like how I suggested in comments (making it silly and ironic), as Chris answered - it would not be appropriate for young children and no publisher would publish it.

I also see your comment on Chris' answer:

The reason why is because today's youth aren't really prepared for the outside world. I've heard from one source that 1 in 4 victims of trafficking are children. Obviously, any is one too many, but little kids who barely begun to live? Most traffickers aren't somebody the victim knows. If the librarians, teachers, and parents cared about child safety and didn't want to sugar-coat it, they'd do the book, because things like this happen and are more than real

Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea to educate kids on that and it would probably work for older audiences, but it is a touchy topic that is controversial on how to teach to young children. If I were you, I would consider the following:

  • If you absolutely need to publish this for young children, you should make it more lighthearted and subtle, because if you end your book with the mc dying while going to a meatpacking factory you will totally terrify your young audience in an unneeded way.

  • If you care about this topic and decide not to write it for children, you should write a novel for older kids directly addressing it instead of dancing around it with animals and such.

If you do write this book according to point B, you need to do lots of research to make your book as factual as possible.

Does this help?

user11111111111
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  • I suppose it does. My issue with this is that Little Red Riding Hood didn't have to beat around the bush, or Hansel and Gretel. Why must this one? What's the difference? – Marthra Rock Dec 02 '20 at 20:47
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    @MarthraRock Well, first of all, Little Red Riding Hood had a happy ending. Second of all, she didn't murder most of her family, and third of all, the bad guy is a silly and greedy wolf, not an international child meat packing facility. Those are the differences. – user11111111111 Dec 03 '20 at 01:34
  • @lan54 I want to say that I'm surprised that you aren't aware of the violence in video games, but I'm not. How come Fortnite isn't banned? Isn't it truly just a mass murder of 99 individuals? – Marthra Rock Dec 03 '20 at 17:50
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    @MarthraRock Fortnite has a huge amount of controversy constantly circling around it. It is not supposed for anyone under 12 years old (yet many young players break this rule), and technically, you can't really 'ban' Fortnite. The game is themed to kill. The audience is intended for teens. Nothing you can do about that. Like the other answer - while kids may download Fortnite, librarians, educators, parents, and publishers will distribute your book, and most librarians, educators, parents, and publishers disapprove of Fortnite and would not distribute anything of that sorts to young children. – user11111111111 Dec 03 '20 at 18:30
  • @MarthraRock Don't forget that you can mark this answer as accepted if it was the most helpful answer by clicking the checkmark underneath the vote total next to my answer. – user11111111111 Feb 03 '21 at 01:12
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No mainstream publisher would publish this as a picture book, because this is not a book that parents would buy for picture-book aged children. A niche publisher MIGHT do it as an ironic art piece in the form of a picture book, but meant for adults, but even that is a stretch.

I think what you are actually contemplating is NOT a picture book, but rather a graphic novel, which is a image-driven work typically aimed at adults. Graphic novelists often gravitate to macabre themes, and your concept wouldn't be out of line with some of the things I've read in that format.

If you do specifically want to target this towards an audience of young children, I would have to ask why, and what you think they would gain from it. Keep in mind, as well, that picture books are not bought by children, but for children, by teachers, parents, and librarians, who tend to be protective and conservative in their book choices.

Chris Sunami
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  • The reason why is because today's youth aren't really prepared for the outside world. I've heard from one source that 1 in 4 victims of trafficking are children. Obviously, any is one too many, but little kids who barely begun to live? Most traffickers aren't somebody the victim knows. If the librarians, teachers, and parents cared about child safety, and didn't want to sugar-coat it, they'd do the book, because things like this happen and are more than real. – Marthra Rock Dec 02 '20 at 17:15
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    @MarthraRock: Could you cite that source. You should also pay close attention to what a "Child" is defined as in the study (0-12 years old? 0-19? 0-26? Yes I've seen one study that counted 26 year olds as children. As many great minds have said, there are three types of lies: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics) as well as the scope of the study's statistics (i.e. Global or specific to one country. Keep in mind each country has it's own reporting metric and crime stats compared to various countries are notoriously difficult to find any discernable meaning). – hszmv Dec 02 '20 at 18:09
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    Well, keep in mind that classic fairy tales like "Little Red Riding Hood" are already about "stranger danger." But if you're really committed to this concept, I think you'd have to present openly as a metaphor for trafficking, and include a discussion guide section to help parents or teachers unpack it. You'd probably want to partner with an expert on the subject and/or a mental health professional as well. – Chris Sunami Dec 02 '20 at 18:31