Read, study, and share 14 picture books in 14 days
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Title: Boris and the Wrong Shadow Author: Leigh Hodgkinson Illustrator: Leigh Hodgkinson Publisher: Tiger Tales (orig. Orchard Books in Great Britain) Year: 2009 (orig. 2008) Word Count: 648 Top 10 Element: Plot Summary:
Boris the cat wakes up from his catnap to discover that he has the wrong shadow, as Vernon has switch-swapped it and left him with a small (and embarrassing) mouse shadow.
First spread:
Boris has just woken up from his catnap. He smiles as he remembers his dream...swimming in a gigantic bowl of creeamy milk. Now that he is wide awake, Boris is feeling funny. Not funny ha ha but funny strange.
This book has lots of big bold curving text. Some word play too. It is written in present tense, which is unusual for a picture book. It is definitely a character book. But I decided to give a summary of the plot for each page.
Spread 2: decides to not let a silly thing like this ruin his day Spread 3: But it actually does. Other cats snicker. The birds don't even look up. Spread 4: Is Boris actually a mouse? Nope. Still 100% cat. Spread 5: What if his shadow was something bigger? Spread 6: He suddenly sees his own shadow walking past. Spread 7: Did Vernon steal his shadow? Spread 8: No. They switch-swapped. Spread 9: Boris would like them to switch-swatch back. Vernon runs. Spread 10: But, Vernon won't fit in his mouse house. Spread 11: Boris wouldn't understand Vernon's plight, but he actually does. Spread 12: Boris tries to help Vernon get his own shadow back so they can spend time together. Spread 13: They pounce through the garden again and they both feel like superstars. Spread 14: They curl up and take an afternoon nap together.
Hope you find this helpful to PACE your own PLOTS.
And here's another book about Boris.
Keep on keepin' on...
Here's the link to add your own DAY 7 blog posts...
The Valentine Vision:
Read, study, and share
14 picture books in 14 days
Happy Thursday . It's also the Lunar New Year. (Just in case you were wondering...) Today we have a special treat to hear about another one of Candace Fleming's great books.
UPDATE: YOU CAN USE ONE (1) BOOK OLDER THAN 10 YEARS. I'M USING ONE ON DAY 13 PUBLISHED IN 2001, SO THEREFORE YOU CAN TOO.
Commenter's Award: Here's the book you can WIN!!!
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Title: Imogene's Last Stand Author: Candace Fleming Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books Year: 2009 Word Count: 1502 Top 10 Element: Dialogue Summary:
Enamored of history, young Imogene Tripp tries to save her town's historical society from being demolished in order to build a shoelace factory.
First Page:
Liddleville, New Hampshire, was small -- so mall it wasn't even a speck on teh state map. Still, Liddleville was home to a village green, a general store, a theree-legged cat, and a little girl named Imogene Tripp.
Although I really love this opening, I feel that Candace Fleming's strength in this book is yet again dialogue. Imogene's first words as a baby were, "Four score and seven years ago." Fun!!! The book goes through telling a great and fun story encouraging people to care more about history, basically. And since Imogene loves history, she quotes from lots of famous people from our rich history.
Part of Spread 3:
"What a mess," added her father.
Imogene shook her head. "This isn't a mess, Daddy," she declared. "This is history. And in the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 'We are made by history.'"
Spread 4:
When nobody came, she waited and waited and waited. But --
"In the immortal words of Davy Crockett," she sighed, "'Ain't nobody comin'.'"
When she heard the town wanted to tear down the "Liddleville Historical Society" she said, "But in the immortal words of William Morris, 'Old buildings do not belong to us; they belonged to our forefathers, and they will belong to our descendants.'" To which the workman shrugs and says, "Tell it to the mayor."
So she did. But Mayor I. M. Butz says, "Who cares about history? Shoelaces will put this town on the map." Imogene fumed, "I won't let it happen! In the immortal words of John Paul Jones, 'I have not yet begun to fight!'"
She goes on to quote Theodore Roosevelt, Chief Joseph, Vietnam War protestors, Abraham Lincoln (again), and President Martin Van Buren. I love it when she mimics the war protestors, and yells, "Heck no, we won't go!"
And of course when the president swoops in to save the day because of an email Imogene sent to the town's historian, Professor Pastmatters, the mayor changes his tune too. Somebody asks, "What about shoelaces?" To which, Mayor Butz replies, "Shoelaces? Who cares about shoelaces? Why, our town's history will put us on the map."
And the ending is cute and fun too. Imogene comes up with her own clever words. "In the immortal words of me, that was totally fun!"
Now go have some fun and read this book. Another great lesson in writing picture books. This one, again, can provide a serious study for you. Just break it down. Look for all the elements. You'll find 'em. Well, maybe not rhyme. But that's okay.
Keep on keepin' on...
Here's the link to add your own DAY 6 blog posts...
You guys are rocking it out with the Valentine Vision! We are definitely reading, studying, and sharing all kinds of books with the world this week! Book Love ROCKS!!!
ATTENTION ALL VISITORS WHO LEAVE COMMENTS - There will be a Commenter's Award as well. Every comment will earn you a chance to win a special book. Damon Dean of Seven Acre Sky has graciously donated this book to the challenge this year. This is an effort to allow those who don't blog or who didn't get to sign up this year, to have a chance to participate and win a prize. So, get to hopping to those blogs. This is a blog hop event, after all.
If you can't get this link to work at the end of your post, then just add my link for today's post instead.
Welcome to DAY 5. Today's lesson is on...DIALOGUE.
Papa's Mechanical Fish
by Candace Fleming
Title: Papa's Mechanical Fish Author: Candace Fleming Illustrator: Boris Kulikov Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers Year: 2013 Word Count: 1031 Top 10 Element: Dialogue
I absolutely LOVE this book. It is SO much fun to read! At 1,031 words long, it doesn't seem long at all. That's how awesome this book is. It has dialogue, character, plot, conflict (okay, EVERY book has character, plot, and conflict...), word play, patterns, pacing, and beginnings/endings. But the dialogue is what helps to bring it all together. So dialogue is the strength here.
Summary:
In the summer of 1851, with encouragement and ideas provided by his family, an inventor builds a working submarine and takes his family for a ride. Includes notes about Lodner Phillips, the real inventor on whom the story is based.
Spreads 1 and 2 have great voice and word play.
First spread of Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming via itunes
Dialogue doesn't enter until spread 3.
Spread 3 of Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming
But not once has Papa invented anything that works perfectly. "I will someday," Papa tells me. "All I need is a fantastic idea." But fantastic ideas are not easy to come by.
So Papa twiddles his tools and pulls his hair. He racks his brain, sighs, and stares until one day he throws down his screwdriver. "Enough thinking!" he cries. "Who wants to go fishing?"
And even then, it's not much. On spread 4, the PATTERN of dialogue is established.
"I do!" I holler.
"Me, too," says my brother, Cyril.
"Don't forget me," adds our sister Mary.
"My daa-daa!" squeals the baby, Wilhelmina.
"Woof!" barks our bulldog, Rex.
"I'm so glad I brought along these poles," says Mama.
On spread 5, they're all sitting there fishing at the pier and the main character, Virena, asks her papa, "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a fish?"
"A fish?" he mutters. "A fish?"
"Uh-oh," squeals the baby.
It's even in the dialogue (how clever) that we learn the MC's name, Virena. And here's spread 7.
We keep our fingers crossed.
"Goodbye, Papa." We wave.
"Farewell, family." He waves back. (notice the alliteration)
Then the Whitefish is launched.
Sploosh!
But...
It almost worked. Virena asks, "Papa, how do fish move through the water?" It is this dialogue that propels the next course of action, the next plot point. And the answers give Papa ideas.
"With their tails?" says Cyril.
"With their fins?" adds Mary.
"Fishy go!" squeals the baby.
"Woof!" barks Rex.
"I'm so glad I brought along this towel," says Mama.
Spread 10 (notice the word play of onomatopoeia as a refrain):
Clink! Clankety-bang! Thump-whirrrr! "Behold the Whitefish II."
In spread 11, it almost worked. Again with the suggestive dialogue to get Papa to thinking again. Whitefish III. Almost. "How do fish know where they're going?" He goes on to build the Whitefish IV as well.
Oh, I could go on and on with this book. I could write a separate blog post for EACH of its AMAZING ELEMENTS. Alas, I will leave it at that. You MUST read this one to truly get the full experience!!!
Here's the link to add your own DAY 6 blog posts...
Today's TOP 10 ELEMENT I'll be sharing is that of CHARACTER. We've all heard the battle discussed among agents, editors, and writers about character-driven PBs vs. plot-driven PBs. It is also possible that a PB can have a strong character without necessarily being "character-driven." I'm not really here to discuss the difference between these two "driven" factors, but I am here today to talk about character in general. And Quick, Slow, MANGO! is a good example of that.
Quick, Slow, MANGO! by Anik McGrory
Title: Quick, Slow, MANGO! Author: Anik McGrory Illustrator: Anik McGrory Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2011 Word Count: 619 Top 10 Element: Character
This is such a cute little book, a sequel actually, to the original Kidogo. Kidogo is the name of the little elephant, and it means "little" in Kiswahili (kee-DOE-go). That alone, screams "character"! But, it really is a good study on character. The second character in this book, the monkey, is named PolePole (POH-lay POH-lay) which means slowly, slowly.
Summary:
Kidogo the elephant's mother is always urging him to hurry up, while PolePole the monkey's mother cautions her to slow down, but together they learn that slow and fast can both be good.
This book wasn't my favorite when I first read it. It was cute. But the more I read it, the more I noticed how every intricate detail was placed just so. It's a good study on patterns, as well.
Spread 2:
Kidogo gathered his trunk and slipped slowly down the riverbank. On his way, he found
a butterfly...
...and a stick.
He stretched his trunk.
And said hello to a passing snail.
"Hurry, hurry," his mama called again. "Drink up now, or else we might miss breakfast."
This gives a glimpse of what Kidogo's character is like. He takes his time and notices things.
Spread 4:
Then PolePole spotted mangoes in a tree nearby. She rushed to grab all the ones she could reach. But while she rushed, she didn't hold on well.
And the mangoes slipped and fell.
As more and more mangoes fell, PolePole scrambled to pick them faster and faster.
but as she picked faster and faster, more and more mangoes fell!
And thus the conflict begins and the story ensues. The BEST books will have a 9 of the 10 elements in them (not all books rhyme), but usually one element will stand out as the strongest throughout the story.
The book then goes through several spreads of Kidogo's day showing all the ways he takes his time and is slow to follow his mama. Then later, PolePole "dashed at the very last mango. It flew through the air. And so did PolePole."
And then, on spread 10:
Kidogo watched the funny monkey bobbing down the river swiping at the mangoes.
Slowly, slowly. He waded deeper.
He found a stick.
He stretched his trunk.
He pretended he was a rock...
Kidogo "stops" all the mangoes and PolePole learns how to be slow and get the mangoes too. Finally their mamas find them and see that they have worked together to catch all the floating mangoes. And here's a hint at theme and the ending:
"Yes, Kidogo, sometimes slowly slowly can also be just right."
It really is a very cute book. No wonder Kidogo is so loveable! My daughter especially loves it because of the elephant and the monkey. The very nature of their characters plays straight into the plot line.
Here's the link to add your own DAY 4 blog posts...
Ya'll are all doing an awesome job of sharing all the BOOK LOVE!!! Let's continue, shall we?
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
Title: Vulture View Author: April Pulley Sayre Illustrator: Steve Jenkins Publisher: Henry Holt and Company Year: 2007 Word Count: 180 Top 10 Element: Patterns
This book also includes rhyme and word play, but I think the Element #8: Patterns is more prevalent. That may seem hard to do with only 180 words, but April Pulley Sayre pulls it off beautifully.
Patterns is an element in which you can utilize repetition, utilize a circular pattern, or any number of other patterns. Vulture View definitely has a circular pattern that links the beginning and ending to each other, as well as a nice use of rhyme and repetition.
The first spread opens:
The sun is rising.
Up, up.
It heats the air.
Up, up.
Second spread:
Wings stretch wide
to catch a ride
on warming air. Going where?
Up, up! So they can...eat!
It asks, "Over there? (It is actually more specific, but with a book this short, I can't quote the whole thing.)
No, no. (a repeated pattern of the phrase up, up.)
Again. Over there? No, no.
And a THIRD time...over there? No, no. (So now you get your patterns of three, too!)
It continues by stating something that vultures:
sniff, search, seek for foods that...
...continues to next page to answer the page turn suspense.
...REEK!
Then again with the questions repeated 3 times, this time for guessing what kinds of foods.
flowers? No, no.
smoke? No, no.
dead deer? Yes, yes!
And the next page begins with this line:
Vultures like a mess. (rhymes with yes)
Next couple of spreads share things vultures do (again). This book is educational, after all.
And then a page ends with:
But soon...
And you get another page turn.
...the sun starts to sink.
Down, down.
There's that pattern again. No, no. Yes, yes. Down, down. And THIS pattern is also a pattern of three - used 3x in the book - 3 examples of the repeated word.
And then it repeats the opening question, which is also similar to "over there?"
Going where?Going down, down, down!
Until...
Another page turn.
...the morning sun rises.
Up, up.
"Up, up" is repeated 3x on this final page. It also repeats the phrase "Going where?" again for a 3rd time of its use as well.
I tried to include as much as I could without giving away all 180 words. Hope it still makes sense and that you get a sense of how awesome this book is for patterns.
Remember to add the linky list at the end of your own post by copying/pasting from above. Also remember to add your blog link to the list below. See ya soon! And keep on keepin' on...
Good morning! As we blast into day 2, remember that you can stock-pile your posts and schedule them ahead of time, which is what I'll be doing this afternoon. Rushing to write my post the morning of is just not working out for me (*hides head in shame*).
About the link: if you can't get it to work, don't worry about it, but at least give it a few tries for a few days. It won't affect you winning any prizes. Yes, it will make it easier for others to hop around from blog to blog, and yes it will allow people to attach their blog posts from your site as well. But, seriously, if you can't get it to work, don't stress over it and don't worry about it. We want this challenge to be FUN and EDUCATIONAL. That's the important thing. The problem about the link lies in the fact that I wasn't able to find an easy way to let you guys copy/paste it. But I think I finally figured it out. Let's try this:
Title: Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature Author: Joyce Sidman Illustrator: Beth Krommes Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Year: 2011 Word Count: 153 Top 10 Element: Patterns
This is the perfect book to go along with an art lesson. Not only are spirals a naturally occurring pattern in nature, but the text has patterns as well.
The book begins with:
"A spiral is a snuggling shape. It fits neatly in small places. Coiled tight, warm and safe, it waits..."
And continues onto the next spread:
"...for a chance to expand." And the snake is shown slithering off into the spring time.
Here is the next spread:
The following spread shares what happens next, but with the example of a fern.
The pattern continues, by listing different things a spiral is, with examples of each. Several of the "list items" (i.e. "spreads") utilize the elipses..., but not all of them. This convention helps add suspense for the page turns.
In the back matter of the book, the pattern is expounded upon for each "definition."
...is a snuggling shape (with 3 examples)
...is a growing shape (with 2 examples)
...is a strong shape (with 4 examples)
...reaches out (with 3 examples)
...is clever (with 2 examples)
...is beautiful (with 1 example)
...moves (with 4 examples)
The back matter is fascinating!
So, what can we learn from this amazing little science gem of a book? That it doesn't take much to implement a pattern into your own writing. Whether it be with a page turn, by repeating the definition in different ways, or by repeating the sentence structure. If one of your own manuscripts is missing something and you're not quite sure what it is, try implementing some type of pattern into it. Experiment and have fun with it. You won't know what you can actually accomplish, until you give it a try!
And here's a book talk I found on YouTube. Enjoy!
Here's the link to add your own Top 10 Element example. Keep on keepin' on...
Read, study, and share 14 picture books in 14 days
Hoppy Valentine's Day! Welcome to day 1 of our blogging extravaganza. Vivian Kirkfield has blogged with us today to kick off week 1. As soon as you have your book ready to share with us, post your blog on your site, and then paste the specific link to that specific post to the linky at the end of today's post. Remember to hop over to everyone else's blog to maximize your learning potential for this event. Take it away, Vivian!
Oh, a quick P.S.
PLEASE PLACE THIS CODE AT THE END OF EACH DAY'S POST SO THAT PEOPLE CAN HOP FROM BLOG TO BLOG MORE EASILY. IT WILL ALSO GENERATE A LOT MORE TRAFFIC FOR EVERYONE TOO. I'LL PUT A NEW CODE FOR EACH DAY.
Do you ever wonder what makes children choose a particular book to read? Or what causes them to ask for the same story over and over again?
Knowing the answers would probably be very helpful as we write – since our goal is to craft stories that will inspire children, bring a smile to their faces, and have them pluck OUR book off the shelf and say to their parents, “Please, read this one again!”
So I did an experiment with my six-year old grandson. I laid out ten picture books and gave him a bagful of coins. I asked him to put a coin on the books he had enjoyed hearing and add more coins to the ones he would like to hear again. Every book had a pile of coins, so we sat down to talk about why he wanted to hear all of them over and over.
“The aliens are funny and scary!” (CHARACTER)
“Poor Mr. Tiger missed his friends!” (CONFLICT)
“It was awesome when the policeman didn’t know the frogs flew, but the dog did!” (PLOT)
“The man in the yellow hat is always telling George to stay out of trouble and George is always getting into trouble anyways.” (DIALOGUE)
“Going to sleep isn’t fun but counting animals is.” (THEME)
“I knew something was going to happen when the lights when out.” (PACING)
“Grammy, do you know that a troop is a group of monkeys?” (WORD PLAY)
“I love when Peter Panda melts down!” (PATTERNS)
“One big pair of underwear!” (RHYME)
“Little Chick proves he is brave in the end” (BEGINNINGS and ENDINGS)
Each thing he said related to a different element of the story. If a book contains a great mix of these important elements, children will want to read it.
And what are those top story elements? Here is Christie’s list of ten:
1.Character
2.Conflict
3.Plot
4.Dialogue
5.Theme
6.Pacing
7.Word Play
8.Patterns
9.Rhyme
10.Beginnings and Endings
By studying different picture books, we’ll discover in which elements they shine...in doing so, we will be better able to include these important elements in the stories we write.
Another important element that impacts a child’s decision (and a parent’s) to grab a book from the shelf is the cover. As writers, we don’t have much, if any, input on this part of the process (unless you self-publish), which is probably why Christie didn’t include cover or illustrations as important story elements. Interestingly, the cover of one of these books was NOT what I’d think a young kid would like – dark blue and black with a bit of white. Yet Jeremy picked this one immediately when I first brought them home, even before we had read it. It’s considered a mystery...and the cover conveys that idea perfectly.
But it’s no mystery that if we can include these ten important elements in picture book stories we write, editors will be grabbing them for publication and children will be begging to hear them, over and over again.
Right now, I’m off to read some picture books (hurray!) so that I can write my blog posts during the next two weeks of this challenge. I’m looking forward to reading all of yours! Thank you so much, Christie, for having me here today. I hope I shed some light on the importance of those story elements in picture books, from the POV of someone in their target audience.
Thank YOU, Vivian for being here. I loved your experiment. That was SO awesome!
Vivian Kirkfield loves being surrounded by picture books and children. A former kindergarten teacher, she has a master’s in early childhood education...and when she isn’t scribbling stories, she is hiking and fly-fishing with her hubby, reading, crafting and cooking with kids, and sharing self-esteem and literacy tips with parents and teachers. Although she is not a fan of heights and was always a rather timid child, Vivian is constantly taking leaps of faith. In 2010, she self-published her award-winning parenting resource, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking...three years ago, she went skydiving with her son...in May of 2013, she flew half-way around the globe to speak at the 2013AFCC/SCBWI conference in Singapore...and she is amassing a respectable pile of lovely picture book manuscript rejections. To learn more about her mission to help every child become a lover of books and reading, you can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on Facebook, like her Show Me How page on Facebook, visit her blog at Picture Books Help Kids Soar or contact her by email.
It's funny Vivian should mention the book, Tuesday, by David Wiesner. The first writer's conference I ever went to had an author who mentioned this very book as her "IN" to children's writing. That book turned her into a published author, it affected her so strongly. In addition, I believe it is a wordless book as well. Thanks for the memory. The book I have in mind for today, also has a dark cover of blue and black, with a bright moon shining in the center.
(Remember to post the cover of the book, the year and the publisher, and the word count, which you can usually find at Rennaissance Learning. Otherwise, just estimate, but say est.)
Once Upon a Twice
by Denise Doyen
Title: Once Upon a Twice Author: Denise Doyen Illustrator: Barry Moser Publisher: Random House Year: 2009 Word Count: 555 Top 10 Element: Word Play and Rhyme
I absolutely love this book! The language is so fun and nonsensical, but also eerily lyrical. A true masterpiece. It can also be a study on rhyme. It's not your typical ABAB metrical rhyme scheme. Lot's of internal rhyme, as well as end rhyme. Let's dive in, shall we?
The first page:
Once upon a twice, In the middle of the nice, The moon was on the rice And the Mice were scoutaporwl...
Already, you can see what I mean. Here is a list of all the fabulous wordplay examples:
runtunnel through the riddle
inbetwiddle
whilst he goofiddles
qui-ettiquette
eldermice
a riskarascal in repose
preycautions
mouse-scallywag
jammed in the middle (they call him Jam Boy)
dangershine of Moon
the elder mouncelors whispercroon
jaw-claws
renounce jamfoolery
the knot of mice comes quick undone
Jamagination in a flurry
furry overconfidence
sneaks un -aware, -afraid, -asham'd
will fuel bravado, mouse misdeeds (love the alliteration and consonance)
wisenmouse
esses 'cross the pond unseen
espies the furlickt mouse's sheen
there's a roil!---a coil!---a lash!
scritchscrambles in a log!
heart a-poundin', mind a-fog
grasshadowed halls
Keeper-of-the-Song
wanderyonder
a nightly knightly duel and joust
dangerouse
mice-advice
Oh, yeah...!
So for double the fun, here are the rhymes:
twice/nice/rice/scoutaprowl
riddle/inbetwiddle/middle/howl
matter/shattered/chatter/crawl
repose/rose/knows/all
drag/flag/mouse-scallywag/anything
surround/bound/profound/sing
moon/June/whispercroon/fear
lettuce/get us/menace/disappear
wink/pink/brink/play
pounce/ounce/mouse/stay
undone/run/fun/fence
flurry/scurry/worry/overconfidence
Jam/lam/-asham'd/reeds
rules/jewels/dewels/misdeeds
clear/fear/ear/hisssss
queen/unseen/sheen/miss
lash/dashes/splash/a-deep
beach/screech/teach/a-sleep
a log/a-fog/frog/dawn
walls/halls/all/gone
long/song/wrong/ham
awake/snake/lake/jam
dangerouse/mouse/joust/mourned
twice/nice/rice/forewarned
And there you have it folks! Word play and rhyme. Here's a bonus. Denise asked me to read her book for her YouTube channel. So here it is for today, as well. Enjoy!
So, here's the Linky list to add YOUR book for today! Keep on keepin' on... See you tomorrow!
Remember, two winners for week 1. Just blog 5 out of 7 of the days. Same for week 2. Grand prize eligibility, blog for 5 out of 7 days for both weeks to be eligible. 14 out of 14 gets you two extra entries. Want to win? Sign up here!
Hope to see you there! Only three days left to sign up. Share with your friends. And keep on keepin' on... Sign up here!
Spread 2: decides to not let a silly thing like this ruin his day
