I use mentor texts primarily to
help me determine the best voice and structure for a work in process. Nonfiction
voice options
span a continuum, from lively to lyrical. A writer’s topic and the approach
he/she chooses will dictate the best voice choice for a particular piece.
Great
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 History by Sarah Albee
How
They Choked by
Georgia Bragg
Lives
of the Explorers: Discoveries, Disasters (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull
Oh,
Yikes! History’s Grossest, Wackiest Moments by Joy Masoff
Poop
Happened: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
See
How They Run by
Susan E. Goodman
What
to Do About Alice? by
Barbara Kerley
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
Great
Books with a Lyrical Voice
Ballet
for Martha by
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Beneath
the Sun by
Melissa Stewart
Brown
Girl Dreaming by
Jacqueline Woodson
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
On a
Beam of Light
by Jennifer Berne
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
Vulture
View
by April Pulley Sayre
Another Great Resource
https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/author/dmurphy2013/
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Nonfiction Categories
Life Story
The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman
Brave Girl by Michelle Markle
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
El Deafo by Cece Bell
The
Family Romanov
by Candace Fleming
Lives of the Presidents (and
What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull
Separate Is Never
Equal by Duncan Tonatium
The Right Word by Jen
Bryant
Survey Book
Eyewitness Books
The Horrible, Miserable Middle Ages by Kathy
Allen
Lightning by Seymour Simon
National Geographic
Readers
Spiders by Nic Bishop
Why’d They Wear That? by Sarah Albee
Specialized Nonfiction
Chasing Cheetahs by Sy Montgomery
Handle with Care by Loree Griffin Burns
Feathers:
Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart
Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story by
Tom Yezerski
Sniffer Dogs by Nancy Castaldo
Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
The Port Chicago 50 by Steve
Sheinkin
Concept Book
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
Just a
Second by Steve Jenkins
Lifetime by Lola
Schaefer
Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in
Nature by Sarah C. Campbell
No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart
A Place
for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
Seeing Symmetry by Loreen Leedy
A Star in
My Orange by Dana Meachen Rau
Trout Are Made of Trees by April
Pulley Sayre
-------------------------------------------------------------
Writing Styles
Expository
Facts
Plus
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
Born to
Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge
Bugged:
How Insects Changed History by Sarah Albee
Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by
Melissa Stewart
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies
Fast
Facts
Animal Grossapedia by Melissa Stewart
Eyewitness Books
Guinness Book of World Records
Time for Kids Big Book of Why
Narrative
Plot
Ballet for Martha by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
Buried Alive by Elaine Scott
The Day-Glo Brothers by
Chris Barton
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan
Cycle
Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart
A Drop of Water by Gordon Morrison
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley
Redwoods by Jason Chin (due to the art)
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
-------------------------------------------------------------
Common Text Structures
Description/Explanation
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
Frogs by Nic Bishop
Lightship by Brian Floca
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies
What to Expect When You’re Expecting Larvae:
A Guide for Insect Parents (and Curious Kids) by Bridget Heos
Sequence
Chronological narrative
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman
Buried Alive by Elaine Scott
The Day-Glo Brothers by
Chris Barton
Marvelous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully
Noah Webster & His Words by
Jeri Chase Ferris
Planting
the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by
Claire A. Nivola
Pop:
The Invention of Bubble Gum by Megan McCarthy
The Secret World of Walter
Anderson by Hester Bass
What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley
Episodic narrative
Ballet for Martha by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Brave Girl by Michelle Markel
When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan
Braided narrative
Amelia Lost by
Candace Fleming
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
Titanic: Voices from the
Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson
Journey narrative
If Stones Could Speak by Marc Aronson
Lost Treasure of the Inca by Peter Lourie
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by
Sy Montgomery
Saving the Ghost of the Mountain by
Sy Montgomery
Cycle narrative
A Drop of Water by Gordon Morrison
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley
Redwoods by Jason Chin (due to the art)
Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
Chronological expository
Bugged:
How Insects Changed History by Sarah Albee
Poop
Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
Why'd
They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History by Sarah Albee
Cumulative expositoryHere Is the Tropical Rain Forest by Madeleine Dunphy
No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart
Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox
How-to expository
Dessert
Designers: Creations You Can Make and Eat by Dana Meachen Rau
How
to Swallow a Pig by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
The
Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes by Doug Stillinger
Roald
Dahl's Revolting Recipes by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl
Try
This! 50 Fun Experiments for the Mad Scientist in You by
Karen Romano Young
Compare & Contrast
Dueling spreads
Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart
Daylight Starlight Wildlife by
Wendell Minor
Mosquito Bite by Alexandra Siy
Neo Leo by Gene Barretta
Those Rebels, Tom & John by
Barbara Kerley
List book
Born in
the Wild by
Lita Judge
Born to
Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge
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
Q & A Books
Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sarah Levine
Sterling's Good Question series
Creature Features by Steve Jenkins
& Robin Page
Hatch! by Roxie Munro
Hello Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde
Scholastic's Question &
Answer series
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Cause & Effect
Earth: Feeling the Heat by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
When Rain Falls by
Melissa Stewart
-------------------------------------------------------------
Books
with Layered Text
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
Beaks by Sneed B. Collard
The Bumblebee Queen by April Pulley Sayre
A Butterfly is Patient by Diana Hutts Aston
Dolphin
Baby by Nicola Davies
An Egg is Quiet by Diana Hutts Aston
Here Come the Humpbacks! by April Pulley Sayre
Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies
Leaving Home by Sneed B. Collard
Meet the Howlers by
April Pulley Sayre
Move! by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins
No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart
One
Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
A Place for Bats by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Birds by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Fish by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Frogs by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Turtles by Melissa Stewart
A Rock Is Lively by Diana Hutts Aston
A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Hutts Aston
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
When the Wolves Returned by
Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Wings
by Sneed B. Collard
No Monkeys, No Chocolate Revision Timeline
http://www.melissa-stewart.com/timeline/10yr_timeline.html
How to Find Great Nonfiction
Mentor Texts
•
AAAS/Subaru Prizes for Excellence in Science Books
•
ALA Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
•
CRA Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award
•
Cook Prize for STEM Picture Book
•
Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices List
•
Cybils Nonfiction Awards
•
NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
•
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for
Children
•
NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
•
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
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