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Hi, Koo! by Jon J. Muth, Poetry Mentor Text
Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons Written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth Scholastic Press, 2014 I’m a huge fan of haiku books, and I have a huge collection of haiku picture books. For an annotated haiku book list, click here. This particular book follows Koo, a panda, through…
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Water Can Be… and A Leaf Can Be… Poetry Mentor Texts
Water Can Be.. By Laura Purdie Salas Illustrations by Violeta Dabija Millbrook Press, 2014 If you love the sound of words and really love to be surprised by them, then you need to get this book. Water Can Be… is truly a beautiful piece of poetry, but there…
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Monstories: How to Use Monster Books to Write Your Own Monster Story
There are some really great monster books out there. One of my newest favorites is MONSTORE by Tara Lazar, which I featured during Picture Book Month. I use MOSTLY MONSTERLY by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon, and I NEED MY MONSTER by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam,…
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Writing Wednesday: Using HERE COME THE HUMPBACKS as a Writing Mentor Text
HERE COME THE HUMPBACKS By April Pulley Sayre Illustrated by Jamie Hogan Charlesbridge, 2013 This nonfiction book about humpback whales combines lyrical first lines on each page, with narrative facts and separate factoids on each page. Beautifully written and chock-full of information that will delight animal lovers, it…
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Nonfiction Picture Books about Virginia History as Writing Mentor Texts
We all know that students need to become more comfortable reading and writing non-fiction. Last fall, I did a post on 10 of my favorite fiction picture book writing mentor texts. For this post, I’m focusing on some non-fiction mentor texts–with a bent toward history, specifically American history, as…
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Writing Wednesday: Using THE TREE LADY as a Writing Mentor Text
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever By H. Joseph Hopkins Illustrated by Jill McElmurry Beach Lane Books, 2013 This picture book biography about Katherine Olivia Sessions highlights the difference one person can make. Kate lived at a time…
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Writing Wednesday: Using MOONSHOT as a Mentor Text for Writing
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 By Brian Floca Atheneum, 2009 This narrative nonfiction text tells the story of the Apollo 11 mission from Earth to the moon and back again. It is a very poetic but very informative text of this landmark event in history. It’s not…
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Writing Wednesday: Use FROG SONG as a Mentor Text for Writing
FROG SONG by Brenda Z. Guiberson illustrated by Gennady Spirin Henry Holt, 2013 Different types of unusual frogs from around the world are brought to life in this book with interesting facts, onomatopoeic frog sounds, and gorgeous paintings. Writing Skills: * Nonfiction writing * Onomatopoeia * Specificity…
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Mentor Texts for Writers Resources
If you follow this blog, you know that I spend a lot of time talking about using mentor texts to teach young people how to write. But really, it will work for us “old” writers as well. Mentor Text for Writers Webinar Last week, I did a webinar on…
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Writing Wednesday: Using MARTIN AND MAHALIA as a Writing Mentor Text
MARTIN AND MAHALIA: HIS WORDS, HER SONG By Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrated by Brian Pinkney Little, Brown 2013 This book moves me to tears every time I read it. The beauty of the words and the illustrations feel like a song and celebration. The Pinkneys have woven two…
