What do you all think:

When reviewing a children's book, is it necessary to explicitly suggest an age range?

Or can it be implied in your review? E.g. "Young children will love this" or "Older children will love this" or "perfect for teenagers".

Or is stating the book's category sufficient: picture book, early reader, chapter book, middle-grade novel, YA novel?

I'm finding it hard to include age ranges in my juvenile reviews. It always sounds so clinical.

-Andy

Hee. I think Rex may be onto something.

For me, it varies. Since I'm actually reading most of the children's books I review to my just turned five year old daughter (though not all of them) I sometimes find that an age range is easier to guesstimate, and might even prove helpful for some parents.

Other times, I just try to give an overall sense of the book and any specifics that might be helpful. So I might choose to highlight that it's a good family read, an excellent read-aloud that would hold the attention of various ages. Or I might emphasize that the main text would work well for the majority of 3-6 year olds, but the author has included an appendix or glossary that would increase the interest level even at a higher age range. With some books, I might not name an age range, but I will address how a book might or might not work for a child with a certain level of reading skills. Stuff like that.

I've found I don't have a hard and fast rule. If it feels important to address an age range issue, I'll try, though you're right that actual numbers sometimes feel "clinical" -- and there are always going to be situations and children that don't fit the "typical" age range. With picture books, I do try to remember to check if the publisher has a recommended age range, but that's more for my own curiosity and that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to agree with it or repeat that range within my review!

Oy. I guess I think it's just an intuitive thing.

I've only done a few juvenile books so far...for the most part I try to mention who it was for (my son, myself, or some other kid) and the age of the person(s) on which I am basing my opinion. For instance, I did one on a little board book my son got as an Easter gift last year and described the type of illustration, the story, and the age and reaction of the baby enjoying it. There are several YA books I have reviewed that I chose to read for my own enjoyment, and state that in my reviews.

In other words, for the most part, I try to let my review of the book say enough about it that someone could get a pretty good idea from the review whether or not it's one their kids will enjoy since all kids are at a different level at any given age (i.e. I read Uncle Tom's Cabin when I was eight, while a good friend of mine was still working on "see spot run" readers).

My big thing lately has been reviews about children's books that give absolutely zero indication of what age for which the book would be appropriate. My baby does love her books, but it's difficult to buy online without a few of the basics covered in a review. I do my best to figure it out from the context (to the point of guessing based on the reviewer's child's response provided they've included that info) but I've read lots of reviews lately that have begged the question.