Buddy and Earl
by Maureen Fergus (Author) and Carey Sookocheff (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Buddy does not know what is in the box that Meredith carries into the living room. But when the small, prickly creature says he is a pirate — and that Buddy is a pirate too — the two mismatched friends are off on a grand adventure.
Snippet:
“Uh-oh,” said Earl. “We’re heading into a storm.”
“Uh-oh,” said Buddy.
“Can you hear the wind howling, Buddy?” cried Earl.
“I can hear it, Earl!” cried Buddy.
“Can you feel the waves crashing down on us, Buddy?” shouted Earl.
“I can feel them, Earl!” shouted Buddy.
Six Traits Mini Lesson
Traits: Organization How you organize the ideas in a story affects how readers experience each scene. This page has three character interactions. Earl talks like a pirate three times.
One:
“Uh-oh,” said Earl. “We’re heading into a storm.”
“Uh-oh,” said Buddy.
Two:
“Can you hear the wind howling, Buddy?” cried Earl.
“I can hear it, Earl!” cried Buddy.
Three:
“Can you feel the waves crashing down on us, Buddy?” shouted Earl.
“I can feel them, Earl!” shouted Buddy.
Buddy repeats Earl’s words each time he replies. Buddy is acting like a pirate, too.
Traits: Word Choice The verbs used in the dialogue tags help the writer build tension in the story. The first verb is the simplest one, the “invisible” verb said:
“Uh-oh,” said Earl. “We’re heading into a storm.”
“Uh-oh,” said Buddy.
The next verb used in the dialogue tag, cried, reflects the rising tension:
cried Earl.
“I can hear it, Earl!” cried Buddy.
The third dialogue tag verb, shouted, shows readers that the tension has risen even higher:
“Can you feel the waves crashing down on us, Buddy?” shouted Earl.
“I can feel them, Earl!” shouted Buddy.
One, two, three–with three examples the imaginary pirate ship sails into a storm. With three verbs, the story tension rises. With three interactions, both characters participate fully in the world of their own imaginary story.
In Western stories, three is the number that feels complete. Three is the number that feels just right. Give it a try in your next story.
Copyright © 2015 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.