Thursday, September 22, 2011

Repetition in Nonfiction

This week's READ-4-LUCK pick (the feature that acts as a recommendation, review, teaching tip, and writing lesson) is The Wolves Are Back by Jean Craighead George, paintings by Wendell Minor.
This picture book tells the story of how, over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. Gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem.
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Year: 2008
Word Count: 785
Book Level: 3.6

RATINGS
CHILDREN: 
 The wolves are lots of fun to look at. Raises lots of questions about why they left and why they're back. The book does a great job answering the questions, but I think the children would have to read or hear the book several times (or be older) for the knowledge to really sink in and be meaningful. 

PARENTS: 
 If you love nature, then you'll love sharing this with your children. Great for discussions about wildlife and animals living in their natural habitat.

TEACHERS:  Teachers can use this to teach about animals, biodiversity, animal behaviors, and ecosystems. A great help for a unit on Yellowstone National Park, or national parks in general.

WRITERS: 
 I enjoyed the repeating phrase, "The wolves were back." If you have a nonfiction ms, you might want to try incorporating a bit of repetition in it. YOUR TURN: If you have a story that isn't working for you, and it doesn't have any repetition, try to think of a repeating phrase. It may not help, but it could. And you'll never know until you try. 



Keep on keepin' on...

2 comments:

  1. Adults need to read this, especially the ones in my home state that want to eradicate them again. Glad to see a book that can shed some light on this situation. Wolves are a beautiful species with a purpose. You should donate a copy to libraries and schools in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

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  2. I saw a special on wolves on TV that said they were going to be hunted again because they posed a threat to livestock in the west. That they weren't on the extinct list anymore.
    I had a repeating phrase in my children's book of "Annie's Special Day" and it was edited out to make the book tighter. I think to the books detriment. Now the personality of the book is gone.

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