Anastasia Suen - Developmental Editor

Dinotrux Dig the Beach
by Chris Gall (Author/Illustrator)

Booktalk: Fed up with steamy summertime Jurassic jungles, the mighty monsters are getting hot and grumpy, and they need a vacation…. Time to roll on down to the beach! Tyrannosaurus Trux might be able to “hang ten” on his surfboard, but not all of the trux feel so at home near the water. Can they organize their skills to dig up the beach and build the best sandcastle ever?

Snippet: MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO
the summers were so hot they never seemed to end.
DINOTRUX ruled the earth!
The jungle was steamy, bugs flew everywhere,
and the Dinotrux were getting grumpy and overheated.
They needed a vacation.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Organization The beginning of the story sets up how the story will end.

Art Note: The opening of this story is on the very FIRST page of the book. Starting the story before the title page is a decision that is made when the book is designed. This is an unusual set up, but it was done in service to the story. Pages 2 and 3 do show the book title, but they also show the characters arriving at the beach, so the story is moving forward visually. (All of the publishing information usually found on page 4 appears inside a wide tree branch on page 2, another book design decision.)

On the first page of the story, the setting is introduced first:

MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO
the summers were so hot they never seemed to end.

Then we meet the main characters:

DINOTRUX ruled the earth!

And now that we know WHO is in the story, we find out what the story problem is:

The jungle was steamy, bugs flew everywhere,
and the Dinotrux were getting grumpy and overheated.
They needed a vacation.

In the middle of the story, we see how their vacation went.

See a snippet in the book trailer.

On the very LAST page of the book, after the story problems are all solved, we see the final ending. Just like a movie, the final image is the OPPOSITE of the first image we see. The beginning of the story and the ending of the story are opposites. The change that occurred because of the main characters’ actions is there for all to see. Ahh…satisfaction!

Identify and Evaluate Advertising (Info Wise)
by Valerie Bodden (Author)

Booktalk: Here’s another hot topic for the back to school shopping season! What is advertising, and why should you care? Learn how to think critically about advertising. Who created and paid for an ad? What do the people who made the ad want you to do? Why does it matter if a website includes advertising? Find out how to pinpoint and evaluate common persuasive techniques used in advertising, including the bandwagon approach, emotional appeal, repetition, and more.

Snippet:
What is Advertising?
Every year, companies pour more than $500 billion into producing and distributing ads around the world. Why? It’s simple: they want to convince you to buy their products.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Word Choice The book’s goal is clearly stated in the title. In four short words the scope of the book is defined:

Identify and Evaluate Advertising

Notice that there are two steps in the book title and both are stated as verbs: Identify and Evaluate. And what will readers be identifying and evaluating? The noun in the title: Advertising.

Trait: Organization The simplest way to organize a nonfiction book is to begin at the beginning. First, you define the topic. The chapter title asks a question.

What is Advertising?

The first two sentences in chapter one begin the explanation.

Every year, companies pour more than $500 billion into producing and distributing ads around the world. Why? It’s simple: they want to convince you to buy their products.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!