FINDING IDEAS
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Ideas are the heart of writing. If given the
opportunity, children will ask an author where
they get their ideas, and author's will answer from everywhere. We must teach children to
tune in to their world and open up their eyes
and ears. Ideas can come from life
experiences, family stories, books, news
events, art, music, tidbits of conversation, and
many other places. The picture books listed
here are excellent resources for helping
children to discover ideas for their own
writing. It's always a good idea to discuss
where an author might have gotten their ideas
after reading a book. Anytime you have a
chance to make a note of where an author got
their idea (sometimes they tell you on their
website or when they present or in interviews)
to share with the children. Children can keep
"idea" lists in their writer's notebooks. You can
make an "idea" box for children to utilize when
they are fresh out of ideas. Try to help
children understand that there are not any new
topics, only fresh ways of exploring the topic.
One way to teach ideas is to read a lot of
books on one theme and discuss how each
author wrote about the same thing but in a
different way.
WRITING ABOUT SCHOOL
Children know about school. It's a major part
of their lives. They all have school experiences.
Writing about school is a natural topic.
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Alphabet City by Stephen Johnson
All the Places to Love by Patricia
MacLachlan
Amos and Boris by William Steig
Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss
The Armadillo from Amarillo by Gulliver
Green
If You Were a Writer by Joan Lowry
Nixon
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor
I’m in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd
Baylor
The Important Book by Margaret Wise
Brown
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris
Van Allsburg
The Old Woman Who Named Things by
Cynthia Rylant
When I Was Young in the Mountains by
Cynthia Rylant
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by
Mem Fox
What You Know First by Patricia
MacLachlan
Verdi by Janell Cannon
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Imagine a Night by Rob Gonsalves
Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by
Roni Schotter
Somewhere in the World Right Now
Stacey Schuett
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G.
Shaw
You Have to Write by Janet Wong
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We Share Everything by Robert
Munsch
WRITING ABOUT FAMILY
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Reading texts with similar themes allows
students to make text to text connections; to
compare and contrast characters, settings,
plots, and ideas; and to generate writing ideas
through common experiences.
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Family stories, traditions and histories are
wonderful examples of how to pull what you
know into your writing. Teach children to listen
to stories passed along through oral tradition
and put those stories on paper. Help children to
realize the writing potential of all of the
stories that they want to tell about in class.
WRITING ABOUT FRIENDS
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Keepers by Jeri Hanel Watts and
Felicia Marshall (grandparents;
recording memories)
Night Tree by Eve Bunting (family
tradition)
My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria
Houston (recording family history)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
(mother’s love) *heart sticker
My Grandpa and the Sea by Katherine
Orr (grandparents) *small seashell
My Ol’ Man by Patricia Polacco (father)
Abuela by Arthur Doros
Aunt Flossie’s Hats by Elizabeth Howard
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Best Friends by Steven Kellogg
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Barn Dance by Bill Martin Jr.
Friends are an important part of children’s
lives. Exploring friendship through picture
books is an excellent way to support needed
social skills. Friendships are a rich source of
stories for children.
WRITING ABOUT SECRETS
For children, secrets are fun. Writing about
secrets can bring out the creativity in kids.
Dreaming up secrets allows their imaginations
to free up and their writing to soar.
WRITING ABOUT ADVENTURES
Children love adventures and tend to have
great imaginations. Let their imaginations soar
and allow them to write their own adventures.
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The Wise Woman and Her Secret by
Eve Merriam
The Secret Knowledge of Grownups by
David Wiesner
Weslandia by Paul Fleishman
ORGANIZING NARRATIVE
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WRITING
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Texts to Mimic
Writing Sequence and Transitions
In order to organize writing effectively,
children must learn narrative and expository
text structures. In both structures, readers
will encounter leads (the first sentence(s),
paragraph(s) or chapter that sets up the story
and draws the reader in); sequence (the order
of events); transitions (sentence to sentence
and paragraph to paragraph progression); and
conclusions (satisfying endings). Students can
learn to organize their writing by mimicking
picture book text structures, applying story
structure to wordless picture books, studying
expository structures and applying it by writing
on topics they know, and practice sequencing
their sentences and paragraphs together. Most
writers tend to make lists. It's rare that a
writer uses a graphic organizer. Organizers
have their place, but once a child knows an
organizer, they should be able to choose
whether they need it or not (or choose which
organizer works best for them).
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The Important Book by Margaret Wise
Brown
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith
Viorst
Fortunately by Remy Charlip
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura
Numeroff
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by
Chris Van Allsburg
Tuesday 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
Ruby the Copycat by Ruby Rathmann
The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis
The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck
USING YOUR IMAGINATION
In a day and time of high doses of t.v., game
stations and the Internet, some children have
learned to rely on outward visual sources for
their imaginative wonderings. They never
learned that mud is cake and a porch is a stage.
For children who need lessons in play, read
aloud these wonderfully imaginative picture
books.
USING SENSORY IMAGES
Creating mental pictures in the mind of the
reader is the writer's art, and using sensory
images are the tools. Children need to learn
how to open up their senses and create word
pictures using their senses. Poetry is one way
to explore sense, and the use of picture books
that use lots of sensory images is another
model to follow.
PERSONAL NARRATIVE
It has been said that writers should write what
they know. A personal narrative focuses on a
clear moment in time when a person has had an
experience that can be told in story form. A
personal narrative has all of the elements of a
story, but it's usually a real experience.
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Mud Is Cake by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
Cook-A-Doodle-Do by Janet and Susan
Stevens
How I Spent My Summer Vacation by
Mark Teague
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Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
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The Art Lesson by Tomie de Paola
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul by
Jack Canfield (This book is loaded with
short, personal narratives)
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WRITING NONFICTION
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No longer do children have to read and write
"encyclopedia" type articles. Today's nonfiction
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Welcome to the Green House by Jane
Yolen
A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry
for children is loaded with poetic language,
uses narrative elements and creates strong
mental pictures in the reader's mind. This list
is of exemplary nonfiction that is worth
exploring.
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The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola
WORD CHOICE
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Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah
Turney Zagwyn
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
What You Know First by Patricia
MacLachlan
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Every word in a picture book must be precise.
The text is condensed, but not dense. It must
be rich and create strong mental images in the
reader's mind. A good story is filled with
strong sensory images and uses figurative
language effectively. The books listed here are
fine examples of word choice.
UNDERSTANDING VOICE
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Voice is sound of the writing. It's like music on
a page and every song has it's own unique
rhythm. Voice is active or passive. Good writers
work towards owning an active voice. Verbs are
the powerhouse of voice. Voice happens when
the sensory images, figurative language and the
sentences flow together with a certain beat.
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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
(pouty/whiny voice)
Amber on the Mountain by Tony
Johnston (country voice)
Green Wilma by Tedd Arnold
(humorous voice)
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini (humorous
voice)
Pierre by Maurice Sendak (humorous
voice)
Think of it not as the writer's voice, but the
voice of the piece. Search for humorous voices,
uppity voices, whiny voices, tense voices, happy
voices, mad voices, etc. Reading aloud with
expression is the most effective way to
"teach" voice.
USING GOOD SENTENCE
FLUENCY
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Some sentences ar e short and some sentences
are long. Sentences flow together and when you
read aloud, there is a smoothness to the sound
of your voice. You are not tripping over
awkward words or phrases. Think of sentence
fluency as a flowing river. Some places on the
river are smooth as glass. Other places along
the river ripple and roll. And still, other places
along the river rush and foam. There are many
twist, turns and waterfalls along a river's path,
and of course, every river's destination is the
ocean. There are lots of twist and turns along a
story path, and of course, every story's
destination is a satisfying conclusion.
Sentences are like the river - they take you to
the ocean.
USING GOOD CONVENTIONS
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Conventions equals capitalization, usage,
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Wombat Divine by Mem Fox
A Night in the Country by Cynthia
Rylant
Barn Dance by Bill Martin, Jr.
Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd
Baylor
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost; Illustrated by Susan
Jeffers
Charlie Parker Played Be Bob by Chris
Raschka
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Welcome to the Green House by Jane
Yolen
From Pictures to Words by Janet
Stevens
Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin
Pulver
A Book Takes Root by Michael Kehoe
Behind the Mask by Ruth Heller
punctuation and spelling (or C.U.P.S.).
Conventions are important and certainly
shouldn't take a back seat, however, content
must come first. Conventions are developmental
and we should continually work to reinforce the
use of good conventions. Conventions are taken
care of during the editing stage of writing.
Take the conventions out of a piece of writing
and show children what happens when the
conventions are not there.
LETTER WRITING
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Children certainly need to learn how to write
both formal and informal letters. This is an
important social and business skill that they
will need in the future. Letter writing can also
provide real audiences and help children to
develop and understand voice. In many primary
classrooms teachers write a "daily letter" to
their students on large chart paper. This is
excellent modeling with a real purpose. Search
for opportunities to write letters for real
purposes and watch your young writer's
blossom.
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WRITING TO PERSUADE
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To persuade is to convince. Learning to put
together a persuasive argument is an important
life skill. Begin with picture books that explore
elements of persuasion.
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Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James
Felix Travels Back in Time by Annette
Lagan
The Gardener by Sarah Steward
Letters from Felix: A Little Rabbit on
World Tour by Annette Langen
Felix Travels Back in Time by Annette
Langen
Felix's Christmas Around the World by
Annette Langen
Felix Explores Planet Earth by Annette
Langen
Felix Joins the Circus by Annette
Langen
Jolly Postman by Janet Ahlberg
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by
Betsy Lewin
Can I Have a Stegosaurus Mom? by
Lois G. Grambling *small plastic
stegosaurus
Earrings! by Judith Viorst *small pair
of stick-on earrings
Duck for President by Doreen Green
My Teacher for President by Kay
Winters
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by
Mo Williams *small school bus sticker
or eraser
Dear Mr. LaRue: Letters from
Obedience School
WRITING PROCESS
The writing process is a nonlinear, integrated
process that writer's go through when they
compose a piece of writing. Every writer's
process is slightly different, but there are
certain critical attributes that all writers
encounter: prewriting or planning (whether it's
on paper or in your head); drafting (often
referred to as the "sloppy copy" - just getting
it down on paper); revising (the heart and soul
of writing; editing and publishing
WRITING LEADS
A lead in a picture book is usually the first
sentence. A lead can be several sentences,
paragraphs or even chapters. The lead is what
"hooks" the reader in and makes them want to
read more. Leads are important to the piece of
writing. They set the tone and get the piece
moving. A poor lead can easily turn a reader off
and cause them to put down the writing. A
dynamic lead will excite and entice the reader.
This is just a small list of books with fabulous
leads to use as models.
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I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman
Arloff
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If You Were a Writer by Joan Lowry
Nixon
You Have to Write by Janet S. Wong
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Hurricane by David Wiesner (dialogue)
The Art Lesson by Tomie de Paola
When I was Young in the Mountains by
Cynthia Rylant
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah
Turney Zagwyn
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Some Birthday by Patricia Polacco
A Pig Named Perrier by Elizabeth
Spurr
My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria
Houston
Weslandia by Paul Fleishman (dialogue)
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by
Libba Moore Gray
WRITING CONCLUSIONS
THE END. Don't think of a conclusion as just
"the end" of a story. A good conclusions leaves
the reader dreamy about the story and
hungering for more of the same. A good
conclusion ties up all of the loose ends and
satisfies the reader like a good meal.
Sometimes a conclusion surprises the reader or
jolts the reader, but either way, the reader
leaves the book with lingering thoughts.
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is a poetic device that can be used
in all types of writing. Alliteration is the
repetition of initial consonant sounds of several
words in a group.
FLASHBACK
Flashback is a literary device where the story
refers to an event that took place prior to the
beginning of the story. Flashback interrupts
the present action in a story to insert the prior
event. Flashbacks help readers understand the
characters' current feelings and motivation.
IRONY
Irony is something that occurs, is stated, or
assumed that is the opposite of what is
expected or a contrast of what is said. It's a
contrast between what is expected and what is
real, between what is said and what is meant,
between what is true and what appears to be
true, or between what is expected and what
actually happens.
PARODY
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The Wednesday Surprise by Eve
Bunting (surprise ending)
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
(mysterious)
The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van
Allsburg (surprise)
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
(circular)
The Ghost-Eye Tree by Bill Martin Jr.
(circular)
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Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg
If You Were a Writer by Joan Lowry
Nixon
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr.
Seuss
Shrek by William Steig
Animalia by Graeme Base
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Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
House on Maple Street by Bonni Pryor
One Small Bead by Byrd Baylor
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The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Tale of the Manrian Ducks by
Katherine Patterson
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
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The True Story of the Three Little
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A parody imitates another literary style and is
often mocking or amusing.
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POETIC JUSTICE
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Poetic Justice takes place when the outcome of
the story punishes the bad characters and
rewards the good characters.
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SATIRE
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A type of story that makes fun of the subject
of the story (like human weakness, political
issues, etc.) and tries to bring about social
change.
SYMBOLISM
A person, place or object that represents an
idea that is beyond the person, place or
objects actuality.
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METAPHOR
Metaphors is the stuff that life is made of.
Metaphors make comparisons. Poetry is one
place to search for examples of metaphors.
The picture books listed here have outstanding
metaphors to use as modeled examples
ALLEGORY
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A simile compares two things using "like" or
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s in
People’s Ears
Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van
Allsburg
The Fortune Tellers by Lloyd
Alexander
The Happy Hockey Family by Lane
Smith
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
The Wretched Stone by Chris Van
Allsburg
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by
Paul goble
An Angel for Solomon-Singer by
Cynthia Rylant
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix
Potter
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Tale of the Mandrian Duck by
Katherine Patterson
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The Wretched Stone by Chris Van
Allsburg
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Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Quick As A Cricket by Audrey Wood
An object takes on symbolic meaning to
represent an idea or moral principal
SIMILE
Pigs by Jon Sciezka
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
The Cowboy and the Black-eyed Pea by
Tony Johnston
"as".
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PERSONIFICATION
Personification brings inanimate objects to life.
Stories with animals or toys talking are
examples of personification, but
personification at its best is when the writer
gives "human-like" qualities to objects that
seems to give the objects a life of their own.
For example: "The grandmother oak sheltered
the children beneath her gown of leaves and
wrapped them in her protective arms." An oak
tree is not a grandmother, nor does it wear a
gown or have arms. These are qualities and
features of a human being.
IDIOMS
Expressions that the actual meaning is
different from the literal meaning. For
example: "You are driving me up the wall."
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ONOMATOPOEIA
Onomatopoeia are words that make noise like
"crunch" and "munch" and "vroom" and "boom".
Noisy words are fun to use in writing. Kids love
them and they can really help add new
dimensions to their pieces.
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POETIC LANGUAGE
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Sometimes called "mood pieces," picture books
that use poetic language tend to have beautiful
rhythm and pace, flowing voice, and poetry-like
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Swimmy by Leo Lionni
The Night Before Christmas by
Clement C. Moore
The Bone Talker by Shelley Leedahl
Amber on the Mountain by Tony
Johnston
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by
William Steig
Flossie and the Fox by Patricia
McKissack
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia
McKissack
Saving Sweetness by Dian Stanley
The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah
Zagwyn
The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne
Chocolate Moose for Dinner by Fred
Gwynne
There’s a Frog in my Throat by Loreen
Leedy
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
In a Pickle Marvin Terban
The Noisy Book by Margaret Wise
Brown
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia
McKissack
Hey You! C’Mere by Elizabeth Swados
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant
Double Trouble in Walla Walla by
Andrew Clements
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by
Libba Moore Gray
Twilight Comes Twice by Ralph
Fletcher
words. Picture books with poetic language are
lovely to read and soothing to listen to.
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CLEAR MOMENT IN TIME
Children have a tendency to write "bed to bed"
stories and have difficult focusing on a clear
moment in time. Provide children with some
wonderful examples and help them to see the
importance and impact of a strong focus.
FRACTURED FAIRY TALES
Children love fairy tales. Reading fractured
versions of fairy tales can be fun, but more
importantly, it can teach children basic plot
structure and organization skills. After
studying different fairy tales and fractured
versions, they can follow the structure of the
basic tale in order to create their own.
Fortunately there are lots of models available.
VERBS
Verbs are the powerhouse of voice. Verbs are
active. They are action. They take writing from
passive to active. A strong verb punches
writing up and gives it strength. This list is of
picture books that uses verbs effectively.
FORESHADOWING
A literary device where the author gives the
reader clues about events that will occur later
in the story.
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Barn Dance by Bill Martin Jr.
The Wise Woman and Her Secret by
Eve Merriam
Welcome to the Green House by Jane
Yolen
When I Was Young in the Mountains by
Cynthia Rylant
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul (a
collection of clearly focused personal
narratives)
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynn Cherry
Snow Day by Barbara M. Josse
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
True Story of the Three Little Pigs by
Jon Scieszka
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by
Steptoe
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert
Munsch
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The Magic Pebble by William Steig
Kites Sail High by Ruth Heller
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Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Encounter by Jane Yolen
How Many Days to America? by Eve
Bunting