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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!

Aqualicious
by Victoria Kann (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Pinkalicious and her family go on a trip to the beach for a day of sun, fun, and sand castles! The day gets even more exciting when Pinkalicious finds a mini-mermaid named Aqua while she’s collecting shells.

Snippet:
I was collecting seashells. I found a shell and held it next to my ear so I could hear the ocean.

TURN THE PAGE

Instead of hearing the ocean, I heard a little voice inside the shell.
“Put me down! I’m trying to nap!” the voice said.
“Eeeek!” I screamed. I was scared, but I was also curious. I looked inside the shell. I saw a little face with long hair.
“Can you help me?” said the little voice.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Organization On the first page of the story, we meet the main character and find out that she is at the beach collecting seashells. The scene is set with just two sentences.

I was collecting seashells. I found a shell and held it next to my ear so I could hear the ocean.

On the next page, the main character has a problem. Something unexpected happens and the story begins.

Instead of hearing the ocean, I heard a little voice inside the shell.

Trait: Voice This picture book is written in the first person voice. In a first person story the main character also acts as the narrator. Readers experience the world of the story by seeing what the main character sees. The main character’s inner thoughts show and tell the story.

I was collecting seashells. I found a shell and held it next to my ear so I could hear the ocean.

We find out what happens next with MORE inner monologue. Pinkalicious tells us…

Instead of hearing the ocean, I heard a little voice inside the shell.

In dialogue, EVERY character uses the first person voice. The dialogue tags tell us who is speaking.

“Put me down! I’m trying to nap!” the voice said.
“Eeeek!” I screamed. I was scared,

After she shows us how she feels, Pinkalicious tells us what happens next with more inner monologue.

I was scared, but I was also curious. I looked inside the shell. I saw a little face with long hair.

The story continues with dialogue. The other story character speaks and now there is a new story problem, one that will carry readers through the entire book.

“Can you help me?” said the little voice.

See the book trailer.