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.
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.
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, he 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_______________?”
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 every
similarly, along with the phrasing. The only thing that changes is that person he becomes, and the task
he is doing.
Katie Cinquini
Mini Lesson:
As a class we would read the 5 books, and then discuss how the author incorporated interesting and
exciting text into the story. We would make an anchor chart listing the ways of making text stand out or
be more prominent. I would then take a piece of ‘plain writing’ and show the students how I would go
through making it more exciting.
Anchor chart of ways to Enhance Text:
 Bold, different colored, underlined text
 Certain phrases taking up the whole page
 Inserting sound or action words such as ‘ sluuurp’ or ‘Ka-pow’
 Speech bubbles or ‘side-conversations’ giving other details about the story
Example:
There was thick, black smoke coming out of my beeping toy.
There was thick, black smoke coming out of my beeping toy.