Over the summer, I decided it would be fun to look back through all the mail kids sent me during the 2014-2015 school year. I've picked out some of my favorites and will be posting one every Friday. They truly are inspiring.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Behind the Books: Nonfiction Voice, Part 3
For the last
couple of weeks, I’ve been blogging about my most recent insights into the role
of voice in nonfiction writing. Today I’m going to list some common
characteristics I’ve noticed in books with strong, distinctive voices.
Books with a lively voice often include:
- Second-person point of
view
- Figurative language,
including alliteration/assonance, similes and metaphors, onomatopoeia
- Sensory details
- Strong, surprising
verbs
- Irresistible facts
Books with a lyrical voice often include:
- Third-person point of
view
- Figurative language,
including alliteration/assonance, opposition, similes and metaphors
- Repetition
- Internal rhyme with
soft sounds
- Strong, surprising verbs
Monday, January 26, 2015
Teaching Science with Kidlit
NGSS doesn't include a K-2 standard related to how plants change as they grow, but this topic is often included in early elementary curricula.
If you'd like to teach this concept, try these book pairs:
For more suggestions and a fall lesson, check out Perfect Pairs:
If you'd like to teach this concept, try these book pairs:
For more suggestions and a fall lesson, check out Perfect Pairs:
Friday, January 23, 2015
Fan-mail Friday
Over the summer, I decided it would be fun to look back through all the mail kids sent me during the 2014-2015 school year. I've picked out some of my favorites and will be posting one every Friday. They truly are inspiring.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Behind the Books: Nonfiction Voice, Part 2
As I’ve been
reading widely and thinking about nonfiction voice, I’ve discovered a category
of book that surprised me. I’m calling it “neutral voice.”
In these books,
usually created by an author-illustrator, the text is straightforward with
little or no identifiable voice. Why? Because the art and design take center
stage. They are so dynamic, so innovative that they do all the heavy lifting
while the text fades into the background, playing a supporting role.
Books with a Neutral Voice
Coral Reef by Jason Chin
Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins
Frogs by Nic Bishop
Move by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
My First Day by Steve Jenkins & Robin
Page
Neo Leo by Gene Barretta
Now & Ben by Gene Barretta
Redwoods by Jason Chin
Timeless Thomas by Gene Baretta
Friday, January 16, 2015
Fan-mail Friday
Over the summer, I decided it would be fun to look back through all the mail kids sent me during the 2014-2015 school year. I've picked out some of my favorites and will be posting one every Friday. They truly are inspiring.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Behind the Books: Nonfiction Voice, Part 1
Since October, I’ve
been thinking about ways to classify nonfiction. I’ve looked at nonfiction text
types and styles—two new tools in my writer’s tool box. I’ve also taken a fresh
look at structure. This week I’m going to describe some of my new thoughts
about voice.
In the past,
nonfiction books for kids were straightforward, stodgy, and voiceless. In fact,
if I had submitted a manuscript with a strong voice to an editor ten or fifteen
years ago, it would have been rejected. But today, voice is an important
component of engaging nonfiction titles.
Some books feature
a strong lively, playful, humorous style, while others have soft, sweet lyrical
voice. But these descriptions represent two extremes in a broad spectrum of
voices. I created the visual below to help me think about this continuum.
Nonfiction authors
choose a voice based on their topic and the approach they want to take to that
topic. For example, if you are writing about a picture book biography about a
person with a sassy personality, you should use a playful voice. What
to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley is a good example. On the other hand, when writing Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story
of Wangari Maathai, Claire A. Nivola used a lyrical, descriptive storyteller
voice because it reflects the personality and accomplishments of her subject.
A lively, conversational
voice is often a good choice for long-form expository books, while a more
wondrous, lyrical voice is more appropriate for a nature-themed picture book.
Let your topic and your purpose for writing guide you to the best possible
voice choice.
Books with a Lively Voice
Animal Grossapedia by
Melissa Stewart
Army Ant Parade by April Pulley Sayre
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sarah Levine
Bugged: How Insects Changed the World by Sarah Albee
Bugged: How Insects Changed the World by Sarah Albee
Deadliest Animals by Melissa Stewart
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate
See How They Run by Susan E. Goodman
What to Expect When You’re
Expecting Larvae: A Guide for Insect Parents (and Curious Kids) by Bridget Heos
Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson
Books with a Lyrical Voice
Ballet for Martha by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart
Dave
the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill
An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston Hutts
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by
Melissa Stewart
Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Lightship by Brian Floca
Planting
the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by
Claire A. Nivola
The Secret World of Walter
Anderson by Hester Bass
Step Gently Out by Helen Frost
Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart
When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan
When Rain Falls by Melissa Stewart
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
Monday, January 12, 2015
Teaching Science with Kidlit
NGSS 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
Try these book pairs:
For more suggestions and full lessons, check out Perfect Pairs:
Try these book pairs:
For more suggestions and full lessons, check out Perfect Pairs:
Friday, January 9, 2015
Fan-mail Friday
Over the summer, I decided it would be fun to look back through all the mail kids sent me during the 2014-2015 school year. I've picked out some of my favorites and will be posting one every Friday. They truly are inspiring.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Behind the Books: Thinking About Nonfiction Structure, Part 2
Before the
holiday break, I began to discuss some of the challenges of trying to
categorize nonfiction children’s books using the six structures espoused by
CCSS—description, sequence/order, compare & contrast, question &
answer, cause & effect, and problem & solution. I focused on the
sequence structure, which is richly represented in children’s literature.
This week I’m going
to look at the other five categories and provide examples.
Let’s start
with description. Many expository books have a description structure. According
to my way of thinking, this is where most “traditional” expository nonfiction
falls. But these books don’t feel old-fashioned because they feature engaging
text, often with a strong voice, as well as dynamic art and design.
Description Books
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins
Creep and Flutter by Jim Arnosky
Dolphins! by Melissa Stewart
An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston Hutts
Frogs by Nic Bishop
The
Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown
Lightship by Brian Floca
There are two
main kinds of compare & contrast books being published for children today.
Publishers use the term “list book” to describe picture books in which the main
idea is presented on the first spread and then each subsequent spread offers an
example. As kids work their way through the book, they are comparing the
various examples.
Other compare
& contrast titles have what I call “dueling spreads.” The right-hand and
left-hand pages offer ideas that are different but related in some key way.
Readers are expected to compare the information.
Compare & Contrast Books
List books
Born to
Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge
Deadliest Animals by Melissa Stewart
Deadliest Animals by Melissa Stewart
Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by
Melissa Stewart
Move by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
My First Day by Steve Jenkins & Robin
Page
Just One Bite by Lola Schaefer
Dueling spreads
Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart
Mosquito Bite by Alexandra Siy
Neo Leo by Gene Barretta
Those Rebels, Tom & John by
Barbara Kerley
I can see why it would be
worthwhile for students to practice writing texts that exemplify cause and
effect, but examples are few and far between in children’s literature. My six A
Place for . . . books fall into this category because as I was writing them, I
heard teachers discussing how hard it was to teach this skill and I crafted my
structure with them in mind. I can only think of one other book that clearly
fits into this category. Can you think of others?
Cause & Effect Books
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
As a reaction to Common
Core, Sterling is now publishing a large series called Good Question! Each book
has a clear and intentional Q & A structure. There are also a handful of books
in which the questions and answers are seamlessly integrated into the text and
authentically enhance the presentation.
Question & Answer Books
Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sarah Levine
Hatch! by Roxie Munro
Hello Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde
How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Creature Features by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Creature Features by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
I don’t think
there’s any reason at all to discuss the problem & solution structure using
nonfiction books. First of all, they are rare. But more importantly, every
fiction book ever written has this structure, so why not use them as mentor texts?
So here’s a
bigger question. Are there any nonfiction books for children that don’t fit
into any of these six categories? I can’t think of any. Can you?
Monday, January 5, 2015
Teaching Science with Kidlit
NGSS 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
Try these book pairs:
For more suggestions and full lessons, check out Perfect Pairs:
Try these book pairs:
For more suggestions and full lessons, check out Perfect Pairs:
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