Stories for children need to teach a moral lesson. While many of the stories we remember from childhood suggested lessons about right and wrong, today’s publishers are looking for stories that suggest hopeful messages subtly, depict a “slice of life,” or offer a humorous or unusual look at the child’s world. Moreover, young readers are more sophisticated than you may think. They are turned off by heavy-handed morals. They can figure out a story’s implications for themselves, without having the morals spelled out for them.