picture book Archives - Page 712 of 712

Little Miss, BIG SIS
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Author) and Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Little Miss learns the wonders of becoming a big sister as she and her family celebrate the momentous arrival of a new baby.

Snippet:
The big news is this:
Little Miss
will be a big sis.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Organization This poem tells a story and like all stories, it begins at the beginning. A story starts when something changes. And what is that big change? The first page of the book gives us a hint.

The big news is this:

And that is all it says, so you MUST turn the page to find out what happens next. (I mean really, aren’t you curious?)

Little Miss
will be a big sis.

And there we see the BIG news. In 12 words, we have the beginnings of a new baby (and new big sis) story, told in rhyme.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Reflections on the Teche.

A Crow of His Own
by Megan Dowd Lambert (Author) and David Hyde Costello (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Clyde is the new rooster at Sunrise Farm. But he’s having trouble fitting in and replacing Larry—the beloved rooster whose wake-up calls were legendary. The cow, the gaggle of hens, and the sheep reminisce about Larry while poor Clyde fails to croon the farmyard awake with the same finesse.

Snippet: When Larry was called off to new opportunities, Sunrise Farm suddenly found itself without its prized rooster. The animals overslept and no one knew what to do.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Organization The story begins with the inciting incident. Something has changed, and that causes a problem… So what happens next?

Snippet:
“Not to worry,” soothed Farmer Jay.
“We have a plan,” added Farmer Kevin.

Trait: Word Choice The word “said” is commonly used as a dialogue tag. It is so common that it is almost invisible. But “said” isn’t the only word choice a writer has. Consider the verbs used in this mentor text. The verb “soothed” is more evocative than the verb “said” because it adds emotion. The use of the verb “added” in the next sentence indicates that the conversation is continuing.

The word “said” would have worked just fine in both of these sentences, but using these other verbs adds another layer of meaning to the dialogue. This is why I consider word choice to be a small details trait. After you figure out your story’s Big Picture (with the ideas, organization and voice traits), looking at the story again (re-vision) and making simple word choice changes can add a new layer of meaning to the story.