A Juvenile is an extraordinary kind of book which has been made particularly for youngsters. The point of a Juvenile is to engage and teach kids, and they can be part of two fundamental classifications: picture books and early reader or easy-to-read books. Picture books are designed for young children who are still learning to read, while easy-to-reads are intended for slightly older children who have already started reading but are still getting ready for chapter books.
In the publishing industry, the term “Juvenile” refers to materials created specifically for children – including babies, toddlers, and older kids – and adults who work with them, such as teachers and librarians.
The key reasons why publishers put so much effort into creating content aimed at younger readers include:
1) They’re a huge market. In the US alone, kids’ spending power on books and other media runs into billions of dollars each year.
2) This 2016 study found out that parents buy products their child has seen or heard advertised more than half the time, especially if they’ve picked up positive vibes about said product. Happiness! Pride!
3) children tend to be early adopters of new technology. Yes: tablets, social media, new types of book format- ebooks, audiobooks. You name it.
4) Children have often shown themselves willing to only watch, read, and listen to stuff made specifically for them. It may partly explain why many app companies make separate software versions, and toy makers create different editions. It’s all about what’s age-appropriate and good quality.
Juveniles matter in relation to publishing books much more than anything else because the whole business would be considerably smaller without them.
