- Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama on creating a comprehensive guide to creating children’s books
Words have power, especially when they reach a child’s mind. The stories children read and the characters they grow up with shape their thinking, empathy, and imagination. In Sri Lanka, children’s publishing has long been a growing field, but for years, there has been little focus on quality, structure, or the developmental needs of the child reader.
Addressing this gap, the Ministry of Education, together with Room to Read Sri Lanka, the University of Moratuwa, the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association, and the National Consortium of Children’s Books (NCCB) has launched ‘Fiction Wonderland: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Children’s Fiction Books’ — a first-of-its-kind handbook that brings creativity, research, and policy together to define what makes a great children’s book.
At the heart of this project is University of Moratuwa Department of Integrated Design Senior Lecturer Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama, the book’s author, researcher, and compiler.
Drawing on years of work in editorial design, typography, and children’s publishing, she has led the development of a guide that takes readers and authors step by step through the entire process of creating an effective children’s book, from concept to publication.
Building the foundation
The idea for ‘Fiction Wonderland’ was born out of a 2023 collaboration between Room to Read Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Education, and the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association. Funded by Room to Read, the initiative united public and private sectors to identify what quality means in children’s literature through the National Consortium of Children’s Books.
“We realised that there were many books in the market, but few had been created with a clear understanding of the child,” Dr. Samarawickrama said. “There was quantity but no consistent quality. Our goal was to develop a framework that would help authors, illustrators, and publishers create books that truly engage and support children.”
The first step was to draft a National Policy on Children’s Books and a national quality certification system, both of which would later inform the handbook. Over a year, the team conducted research, residential workshops, and brainstorming sessions involving educators, authors, and publishers.
Dr. Samarawickrama, appointed Editor-in-Chief of the policy, used the Double Diamond theory — a design methodology that encourages exploration and refinement — to map out how a book travels from an idea to the hands of a child.
What emerged was a deep understanding of how fragmented the industry had been. Different universities and organisations were already conducting children’s book projects, but there was no unified vision. The research team found that most books were created without considering age appropriateness, child psychology, or the collaborative process required to make a high-quality book.
“In Sri Lanka, we have a strong publishing culture, but little awareness of what children need at different stages,” she said. “We mapped the entire journey — from how ideas are formed to how books reach children — and realised we had forgotten the most important stakeholder: the child.”
From policy to practice
That insight became the core philosophy of ‘Fiction Wonderland.’ The book’s structure is built on four guiding principles:
- Quality over quantity
- The child over market demand
- Consistency in the publishing process
- Defined creative roles and accountability
These principles form the basis of five detailed chapters that together create a blueprint for authors, illustrators, and educators.
The first chapter looks at how children develop cognitively, emotionally, and linguistically. Drawing on research in literacy and developmental psychology, it outlines what kinds of books best support each stage of growth — from board and concept books for toddlers to more complex storybooks for older readers.
“A good children’s book starts with an understanding of who the reader is,” Dr. Samarawickrama explained. “A story that appeals to a five-year-old will not have the same impact on a 10-year-old. We wanted to show that there is a science behind storytelling for children.”
The book discusses key frameworks such as Scarborough’s Reading Rope, which links language and comprehension to reading fluency, and highlights how imagination plays a vital role in shaping empathy and critical thinking.
By the end of this section, readers are encouraged to define the purpose of their book: what emotion or idea should the child take away from the story?
Defining quality
The second chapter tackles one of the most debated questions in publishing: what makes a quality book?
Here, quality is not limited to beautiful illustrations or polished prose. It also includes values such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and accuracy. The book encourages creators to challenge stereotypes and to consider how representation and language shape a child’s worldview.
“Quality is not only about the story,” Dr. Samarawickrama noted. “It is about how the book respects the child — through the choice of materials, print clarity, the comfort of holding it, and the emotional experience it offers.”
The section also highlights the importance of collaboration across the publishing process. A good book, she explained, required the input of at least four key people: the author, illustrator, editor, and art director. “Each plays a specific role, and defining those roles clearly ensures consistency. The problem in Sri Lanka is that people often take on multiple roles without clarity, and that affects the outcome.”
The third chapter focuses on storytelling itself. Using examples and visual diagrams, it breaks down how to create compelling plots, develop strong characters, and build worlds that children can connect with.
It introduces different plot arcs — beyond the linear or time-based structures commonly seen in Sri Lankan children’s books — and encourages experimentation with humour, suspense, and surprise. It also offers practical tools for writers to plan, draft, and refine their work, showing how character motivation, dialogue, and language choices influence a child’s response.
Bringing stories to life
The fourth chapter turns to visualisation — the process of translating words into images. Here, the guide becomes almost a design manual for illustrators. It explains how to build mood boards, plan compositions, use colour psychology, and visualise emotion through form and space.
A sample story, ‘Benny the Rabbit,’ demonstrates how a simple narrative can be visualised in multiple ways. It shows how illustrators can change meaning and mood through colour, framing, or page layout.
“Many illustrators in Sri Lanka start drawing before the story is complete,” Dr. Samarawickrama explained. “We wanted to introduce professional techniques like thumbnailing and storyboarding, which help plan the flow of the book before production begins.”
The guide even explores topics such as type placement, camera angles, and typography — details often overlooked but crucial for the reading experience.
The fifth and final chapter brings everything together into an eight-stage process that follows a book from idea to publication. It asks the creator to reflect at each stage — why am I writing this book, who is it for, and what outcome do I hope to achieve?
It also identifies all the stakeholders involved — authors, illustrators, editors, researchers, reviewers, and publishers — and clarifies how each contributes to the quality of the final work. The book concludes with a technical script, a kind of checklist that helps creators confirm they have met all the standards required to submit their book for certification.
Towards quality and collaboration
‘Fiction Wonderland’ is more than a manual; it is part of a national movement to professionalise children’s publishing. Through the NCCB’s certification programme, authors and publishers can now apply for an official quality seal from the Ministry of Education.
So far, 22 books have received or are awaiting certification, and reviewers are being trained to assess new submissions. The University of Moratuwa is also preparing to launch new courses that align with these standards, ensuring that future creators are equipped with both creative and technical knowledge.
Importantly, Dr. Samarawickrama emphasised that the book was not prescriptive or intimidating. Instead, it is written in a friendly, practical tone that welcomes both new and established writers.
“This is not about restricting creativity,” she said. “It’s about helping authors, illustrators, and publishers think about why they are creating a book and who it is for. Even a young writer can use it. It’s designed to guide, not to dictate.”
The handbook includes diagrams, visual notes, and summaries that make complex ideas easy to grasp. Every chapter has post-it-style highlights that recap the key lessons, encouraging active learning and reflection.
For Dr. Samarawickrama, who has been teaching and creating children’s books for nearly a decade, this project is both professional and personal.
“I’ve always had an interest in doing something for children,” she said. “As a mother, I’ve seen how much difference a good book can make. As an academic, I wanted to bring that understanding into education and design.
“What was special about this project was that everyone — Government, private sector, NGOs, and universities — came together with one shared goal: to do something meaningful for children.”
Access and next steps
The English edition of ‘Fiction Wonderland’ is now available for free online through the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association website. A printed copy can be purchased for Rs. 6,000 (the cost price for a digital print, with more affordable print versions to come in the coming months), and translations in Sinhala and Tamil are expected within the next six months.
Once the translations are released, the project hopes to reach teachers, independent authors, and community-based publishers across the country.
“Having books in the market is an achievement; it means we have an industry,” Dr. Samarawickrama said. “But we need to move from producing books to producing the right books. Books that spark imagination, teach empathy, and make children think. ‘Fiction Wonderland’ is our way of helping that happen.”
At its core, ‘Fiction Wonderland’ is a reminder that creating a children’s book is both an art and a responsibility. It calls on every storyteller, illustrator, and publisher to look beyond the page and see the child on the other side — to understand, respect, and inspire them.