If you’re writing a children’s book, it pays to be familiar with how publishers classify them. Publishers generally assign age groups for readers of various formats as set out in the following list:
- Board books: Newborn to age 3
- Picture books: Ages 3-8
- Coloring and activity (C&A) books: Ages 3-8
- Novelty books: Ages 3 and up, depending on content
- Early, leveled readers: Ages 5-9
- First chapter books: Ages 6-9 or 7-10
- Middle-grade books: Ages 8-12
- Young adult (YA) novels: Ages 12 and up or 14 and up
It’s okay to veer off a year or so in either direction when assigning a target audience age range to your work.
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