To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme: Are We Losing the Rhythm of Childhood?

Rhyming books feel like such a core part of childhood.

When I think back, so many of my favourite stories had that rhythm to them. Books like Hairy Maclary and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt are the ones that really stayed with me, stories I can still almost recite now. There was something about the flow of them. The way the words carried you through the story. Even when they weren’t perfectly rhyming on every line, there was always a rhythm that made them memorable.

Now, watching my own boys, I see the same thing, just with their generation’s favourites like The Gruffalo. They instinctively reach for the rhyming books first, and I don’t think that’s by accident. For children who aren’t reading yet, rhyme and rhythm play a powerful role. You can see them anticipating what’s coming next, picking up patterns, and remembering words without even realising it. It builds confidence, makes reading feel fun and familiar, and invites children to join in. And that’s often where the magic begins.

Since starting this journey, I’ve also had so many parents tell me the same thing, that rhyming books are their favourite to read aloud. They become part of your routine, your voice, your memories.

Are we seeing fewer rhyming books?

But here’s where it gets interesting. It feels like we’re seeing fewer rhyming books being published.

There are still standout authors like Julia Donaldson, and her books continue to dominate this space. But beyond those well known names, it can sometimes feel like there are fewer new rhyming stories coming through, particularly from emerging writers.

There is also a growing sense within writing communities that rhyming stories can be harder to place. This week, I received feedback from a writing competition that said, “Don’t feel pressured to rhyme.” It wasn’t just directed at me, it was shared with over 2,000 writers.

Which raises a bigger question. If so many writers are choosing to write in rhyme, enough for this to become common feedback, is the shift away from rhyme being driven by readers? Or is it something happening within the industry itself?

The challenge of writing in rhyme

Writing in rhyme is hard, much harder than I expected. You’re not just telling a story, you’re trying to tell a meaningful story while making every line fit a pattern. The difficulty is that the “perfect” word does not always rhyme, so you find yourself adjusting sentences, sometimes even changing meaning, just to make it work.

In prose, you have more freedom. You can expand, pause, and explore. With rhyme, you are working within tighter constraints. Word choice, syllables, rhythm and flow all matter, and if it is not done well, it shows quickly.

But is that a reason to move away from it altogether?

It is not just rhyme, it is rhythm

This is something I have only really understood through the process, and if I am honest, it is probably where I have had the most to learn. I submitted early versions of my work with uneven rhythm, something I now know really matters, and I probably missed opportunities because of it.

Good rhyme is not just about matching sounds. It is about consistency, flow, and how it feels when read aloud. That is what makes a book enjoyable, not just for the child, but for the adult reading it over and over again.

Getting that right takes time, rewriting, reading aloud, and learning as you go. And even now, I am still learning.

But with the right support and editing, could we not make this more accessible?

Translation and global reach

From a commercial perspective, this is where things become more complex. Rhyming books can be difficult to translate. A rhyme that works perfectly in English often does not carry across into another language without being reworked.

For publishers thinking globally, that creates extra time, cost and complexity. A prose story can usually be translated more directly, whereas a rhyming one often needs to be recreated more creatively.

That does not make rhyme less valuable, but it may make it more challenging at scale.

Commercial realities

Publishing is both creative and commercial. Books need to sell, travel across markets, and work in different formats. If rhyming manuscripts are harder to write well, harder to translate, and require more editorial input, it makes sense they might be seen as a higher risk.

But it still leaves the question, is that what readers actually want? Or is it simply what works more easily within the system?

Are we adapting the story, or the system?

Recently, I have started exploring a non-rhyming version of my story, simply to give it the best possible chance of being published. It has opened up different creative possibilities, especially visually, and it has been a valuable exercise.

But it has made me pause. Am I improving the story by writing it in prose, or am I adapting it to fit the system?

Because when I think about the children reading it, and the parents reading it aloud, I keep coming back to the same thing. Rhyme is not just a style, it is rhythm, memory, and participation. It is the part children join in with.

I do not have the answers. I am just a mum trying to create something that brings joy, to my children and to others. But I do think it is a conversation worth having.

So I would love to know, for you as a parent, to rhyme or not to rhyme?