Katie Cinquini
Bibliographic Information:
Have You Seen My Potty? Written by Mij Kelly and illustrated by Mary McQuillan. Barron’s Educational
Series Inc. 2007. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
Genre of the Book:
Concept and Contemporary Fiction
Writing Strategy that the Book Mentors:
This book showcases writing with different type of texts used for emphasis and exaggeration.
Brief Summary of the Book:
Suzy Sue has ‘something very important to do’, but she can’t find her potty. The farm animals have
taken it and are using it as their ‘poo pot’. Suzy Sue asks all the animals if they have seen her potty but
they don’t know what she is talking about because they call the potty a ‘poo pot’ and because they are
busy going poo. After searching for so long, Suzy Sue is able to do the ‘important thing she needs to do.’
Use of Illustrations:
The illustrations on each page show either who is talking or who the narration is about. The illustrations
also incorporate the potty on each page, showing the current animal using it. But something is always
blocking the potty from Suzy Sue’s view.
Description of the Craft of the Writer and Features of the Text:
Each page has certain eye catching bold words. The bold words depict the ‘important part going on’. The
words are also not written in straight lines, or in single blocks. The words are mixed in with the
illustrations. There are two plots simultaneously taking place. One is about Suzy Sue looking for her
potty, the other about the farm animals all using the potty. The two plots come together in the end.
Katie Cinquini
Bibliographic Information:
My name is not Alexander. Written by Jennifer Fosberry and Illustrated by Mike Litwin. Sourcebooks
Jabberwocky. 2011. 32 pages. Ages 4 and up.
Genre of the Book:
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Writing Strategy that the book Mentors:
This book showcases writing with different type of texts used for emphasis and exaggeration.
Brief Summary of the Book:
Alexander is a boy with a big imagination. Every time his dad asks him to do something, Alexander
responds that the name he said is not his name. His father then asks who he is, to which Alexander
replies each time with a different famous man’s first name. At the end he replies that he is ‘Daddy’, and
explains why he likes his daddy. Then lastly he goes back to being himself, and gives himself all of the
different qualities that the other men, he pretended to be, had.
Use of Illustrations:
Each new person Alexander becomes is shown in the illustrations. Alexander does the task his dad has
asked in a way that the famous person would do. Alexander is also dressed in a way that the person
would be dressed. In each new depiction of Alexander, his stuffed teddy bear is along with him, dressed
similar and doing similar things. Each page in split into two parts. First the main picture, with daddy
asking Alexander to do something, and Alexander saying that, that isn’t his name. Then the second part
is a smaller picture that doesn’t take up the whole section, where daddy asks, “Then who is going to
help me_______________?” with a picture showing that task.
Description of the Craft of the Writer and Features of the Text:
There are capitalized and large font words to emphasis the person Alexander is being, and also the
words that describe that person. These words also describe what Alexander is doing. They are related to
both things. “My name is not _______” is always in Italics, which gives emphasis to its importance.
There is also a repetition to the words and phrases use. The words on each page are set up similarly
every time, along with the phrasing. The only thing that changes is the person he becomes, and the task
he is doing.
Katie Cinquini
Bibliographic Information:
Clever Jack Takes the Cake. Written by Candace Fleming and Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz and
Wade Books. 2010. 34 pages. Ages 4 and up.
Genre of the Book:
Fairy Tale
Writing strategy that the Book Mentors:
This book showcases writing with different type of texts used for emphasis and exaggeration.
Brief Summary of the Book:
Jack is invited to the birthday party of the princess, but has no money for a gift. Jack trades the last few
things he has for the ingredients to make a cake. It is a wondrous cake. On his way to the castle many
terrible things happen and he ends up at the castle with nothing to give the princess. Instead he tells the
story of what happened to the cake, and the princess loves her gift, and lets him cut her real birthday
cake.
Use of Illustrations:
Simplistic but detailed pictures show how hard he works to make the cake, and also depict each thing
that happened to the cake. The text is integrated in with pictures; some words then a picture then more
word below associated with another picture. Some of the pictures are close ups of the person talking, or
the person the narration is about. This close-up gives the reader a clearer idea of who is being focused
on and what they look like.
Description of the Craft of the Writer and Features of the Text:
On a majority of the pages there is a bold, larger printed word that shows the enthusiasm of the speaker
and puts more emphasis on that word. These words help show students how to put stress on a certain
idea, word, or concept. There are also many sound and action words such as, ‘Pffft’, ‘Shuffle-shufflekick’, ‘G-U-U-U-L-P’, and ‘Mmmmm”. These words are another great way the author show enthusiasm
along with realism.
Katie Cinquini
Bibliographic Information:
Don’t Say that Word. Written by Alan Katz and Illustrated by David Catrow. Simon & Schuster Children’s
Publishing Division. 2007. 36 pages. Ages 3 and up.
Genre of the Book:
Poetry based on Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Writing Strategy that the Book Mentors:
This book showcases writing with different type of texts used for emphasis and exaggeration.
Brief Summary of the Book:
Michael is very eager to tell his mom about his day at school. But he can never finish the stories because
she won’t let him say certain words. Michael keeps trying to tell more stories but can never finish. His
mom is then talking about what an exciting day he has had, and to put on his pajama’s so he can go
to….Michael stops her from finishing her sentence and says, ”Don’t say that word!”
Use of Illustrations:
This book is full of very dramatic illustrations. Many things are out of proportion, or oddly shaped. These
qualities make the book very silly looking. While Michael is telling each story he himself is shown doing a
part of the story, typically the part he isn’t allowed to say. This helps the reader infer what Michael was
going to say. One interesting thing is that the mother is never shown in the pictures when she is talking.
All you ever see are her arms. Michael can always be seen though.
Description of the Craft of the Writer and Features of the Text:
Each time the mother says, ‘Don’t say that word’ it is big print that typically takes up the whole page.
This shows emphasis on these words and shows their importance. Each page had four line of text that
tells that specific story and the block of text is meant to rhyme with the word that Michael can’t say.
Katie Cinquini
Bibliographic Information:
The Mystery. Written by Maxwell Eaton 3rd, and Illustrated by Alfred A. Knopf. Random House Children’s
Books. 2008. 28 pages. Ages 6 and up.
Genre of the Book:
Fantasy with comic book aspects
Writing Strategy that the Book Mentors:
This book showcases writing with different type of texts used for emphasis and exaggeration.
Brief Summary of the Book:
Max and Picky paint the barn red. They work hard all day, and finish just before dark. During the night
someone paints the barn pink. They repaint it red, and try to stay up all night to see who the culprit is.
They don’t stay up and someone paints the barn with strips. Max and Picky again repaint the barn, and
then try investigating what is going on. They don’t find out anything, so they sent up a trap to wake
them up if someone paints again. It goes off but Picky is not is bed. Max discovers that Picky has been
‘sleep painting’. Max doesn’t tell Picky and continues to let him paint when he wants.
Use of Illustrations:
In each of the pictures the animals around the barn end up with paint on them, and all over the ground
and trees. The same animals appear throughout the story, and say little comments on what is going on.
Each time the barn is painted it looks sillier and sillier. The changes from the red become more and more
drastic.
Description of the Craft of the Writer and Features of the Text:
In the text there are words that are bolded, underlined or in different colors. All of these things make
them more stand out compared to the other words. There are also speech bubbles all throughout the
story saying what the other animals are saying. Often these things are very silly. Such as when the
beaver is asked his favorite color and his response is ‘three’.