How Does One Write For Actual Children?

I am trying to be consistent with my writing but I seem to keep falling back. 

You will be happy to know that I did a bit of writing of Chance the Fairy Godmother in my journal! I miss writing, but you can hardly tell, can you?

Today has been frustrating. Sometimes even when the day is inspiring, the work coming from it is not. I tried to art today and I felt like an embarrassing failure, only because I don't practice enough. I love doing portraits, especially self portraits, and since there was a contest for one I wanted to enter but I was rushing and stressing and well, it's awful, and I feel like a wasted an aquaboard, and those are expensive! I have to remind myself that drawing is not my only joy, but it is sad when the talent doesn't obey you when you want to use it. It means you didn't spend enough time to nurture it to help it grow and when you try doing it for the first time in ages, it is easy to tell how withered away your previous practice became.

On top of that my back has been aching since yesterday and my shoulder since a week ago and my ticket to applying for new health insurance has yet to arrive in the mail AND a bit ago the IRS sent me a notice saying I forgot an important document which I soon mailed a copy of to them immediately- adulthood is just peachy.

I've also come to realize I'd much rather write about Chance than Astraea, but Astraea is closer to what I want to be as an illustrater, but Chance is closer to what I want to be as a writer. I want to be published but that means I need to pick one and run with it, but Chance is not a picture book, she's a middle school chapter book, okay, perhaps third grade chapter book? I'm not sure, I'm not good at figuring out my audience. Often I write a children's story but it's meant to be read by adults. I don't really know how to write for Actual Children.

Most picture books for children are supposed to be educational or have a moral to the story, which I like, but the often the content or the plot I choose is not the best for kiddos. 

I'd love to write a book of poems and include illustrations similar to Shel Silverstein but I don't know. I haven't written poems in a very long time. I've been trying to write haikus on a daily basis but I've only come up with a few. For example on March 19th I wrote:

My bicycle squeaks

When I needed it the most

Thanks (but not really)

I know it's not much but it's humorous to me (by the way most of it does not squeak anymore thanks to an amazing librarian friend I have (which by the way I have more than one which is pretty good for the average person I'd say). 

For the conclusion of this blog post I will attempt a poem about Chance, the Fairy Godmother.

Chance the Fairy Godmother is not your average kid

She's half human and half fairy (which is still kept under the lid)

We're not sure how old she is but to us she might be eight

As for her assignment's happy ending - she'll just have to wait

It's complicated you see, she doesn't want magical assistance

But we all know about Chance's unbelievable persistence

Chance is Lileth's Fairy Godmother with a hardship license appointed

Lileth is Chance's assignment, much to her disappointment

The rules reveal once you are assigned, it cannot be changed

Not until their happy ending is happily arranged

Poor Chance with heavy responsibility on her back

Needs to support her disabled mother who got sacked

Each wish she provides for Lileth earns income in the bank

The closer each wish is to the happy ending there is a greater amount to thank

Chance begs Lileth to wish, wish all she can

So Lileth wishes pointless wishes, ones that don't matter, like "I wish I had a fan"

And that's all I have for today my friends, I do hope you're intrigued.

Lileth is Chance's first assignment, but I do have lots of ideas for her next assignemts, such as another fairy who is lost, or a grumpy manager, or a blogger who doesn't write.

Anyway, happy Easter!