By Kirsti Call
Amy Krouse Rosenthal has always been one of my favorite picture book authors. Her stories are clever and full of humor and heart. As a New York times bestselling author, Amy knows how to write books that people want to read repeatedly. Little Pea, Little Oink, and Little Hoot are the kinds of books we love to read over and over again at our house. In fact, Little Pea was a mentor text for my anthropomorphic story, The Raindrop Who Couldn’t Fall.
Amy’s 2015 books, I Wish You More, Friendshape, and Little Miss, Big Sis are evidence of her ability to write about things that matter in a way that kids understand. Amy’s use of anthropomorphism, wordplay, and the unexpected make her books great mentor text for any picture book writer.
Amy’s 2015 books, I Wish You More, Friendshape, and Little Miss, Big Sis are evidence of her ability to write about things that matter in a way that kids understand. Amy’s use of anthropomorphism, wordplay, and the unexpected make her books great mentor text for any picture book writer.
Anthropomorphism: Amy does a wonderful job of making inanimate objects come alive. Exclamation Mark chronicles the life of an exclamation mark who doesn’t fit in until he figures out who he is. Spoon and Chopsticks’ messages are similar; you need to be ok with who you are, but also stick together.
Wordplay: Almost all of Amy’s books involve clever wordplay. I Scream Ice Cream is filled with homophones. The One Smart Cookie series is all about metaphors for life. Wumbers, and Alpha’s Bet are hilarious teaching books filled with fun puns and wordplay.
The Unexpected: Amy does a good job of turning the truth upside down. Little pea hates eating candy for dinner and loves spinach for dessert. Uni the Unicorn dreams of meeting a little girl although everyone knows little girls don’t exist. Little Oink is required to mess up his room before play time when all he longs to do is clean and organize. Little Hoot longs to sleep at night when owls are supposed to stay awake!
What Amy Krouse Rosenthal books have helped you in your writing journey? Which ones do you love to read?
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