This reminds me of some comments by C.S. Lewis (paraphrasing from memory) on three ways of writing for children, two good and one bad:

- Writing for a specific child (think telling a story to someone specific)

- Writing because you have something to say and a story is how you want to say it

- Writing generally what you think a group of people want (e.g. "children like food so I'm writing a story about food")

I think the essay is available online, he is much more eloquent than I