Category: Kirsti Call

ReFoReMo Day 6: Some Catch-Up for your ReFoReMo Fries

3/6/2016

What a week! Can we give another round of applause to our amazing author-educators? Emma, Marcie, Janee, Linda, and Tammi have armed us with focused research eyes! How lucky are we? Please show your support by following them on social media and reading their books! If you notice that the library is not carrying one of them, please request that they do.

Bravo for the amazing discussions taking place in the ReFoReMo Facebook group! Our family rocks! If you know someone that did not make the registration cut in time, that does not mean that they can no longer join our group and follow our blog. They can! The only difference is prize eligibility. We always welcome new ReFoReMo-ers! Look for the opt-in box in the right-hand side bar.

As with every Sunday this month, we will either rest-up or catch-up! We know this is a very busy time and hopefully, you are already benefiting from this challenge. The official reading period starts tomorrow, so the posts will be shorter. We encourage you to read the daily recommendations and others from the first educational week, as well. The remaining Saturdays will be for reflection. We’ll provide some questions to guide you in bridging the gap between your reading and your own writing. There will not be book recommendations on Saturdays or Sundays from here on out. For the full schedule, visit our Schedule & Coordinators tab.

Dealing with a fever, even if it is ReFoReMo fever, can be quite taxing! Enjoy your day and rest up for the week to come! (Or grab the "catch-up" and eat some more!)

Carrie & Kirsti
ReFoReMo Co-Coordinators

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PreReFoReMo Day 1: Kirsti Call and Carrie Charley Brown Begin Boldly

2/27/2016

202 Comments

Snip! The ceremonial ribbon flies free to officially open ReFoReMo 2016! Today starts three days of PreReFoReMo... a time to give you a little taste of education and open the research gates! You might not have enough fuel for the month-long journey without a healthy breakfast. Three days ought to give you enough!

First of all, if you have not registered for ReFoReMo yet, you only have a few days left! Bring your friends and register HERE to be eligible for prizes at the conclusion of ReFoReMo. Our reading list and goals can be found HERE and the low-down on the blog and logistics is HERE. But enough about reminders, let's get to the breakfast of champions!

Bold Beginnings
By Kirsti Call and Carrie Charley Brown

You’ve always heard that first impressions are everything, right? Well, it’s no different for a story. It’s your job to grab the reader right from the start and make a bold statement in some way. If you don’t, you may be risking a pass on your story.

Just to prove how much a beginning can impact you, we’re going to start this post again.

Beginning #2:
Today we’re going to share some bold beginnings. BUZZZZ! Boring!

Beginning #3:
Crafting a perfect beginning can be a make or break your chance at getting noticed. Agents are busy! A bad first line can be an early signal that the next part is going to bomb as well.

Beginning #4:
When was the last time you wished that a child would put a book down? Never! We want kids to be excited about turning the pages!

Beginning #5
How do we hook our readers with the first sentence? The beginning of your story guarantees whether someone will keep reading or put it down.

Essentially, the five beginnings above have the same concept, just different approaches. Some are better than others at hooking the reader. Given the subjectivity involved, we're sure some prefer one, while others prefer another. (But we're guessing not many people would say that #2 is the best!)

In order to get you started on the right foot, we’ve selected ten beginnings that will put the wind in your sail! These examples compelled us to keep turning the pages. Here’s to a great beginning!

Kirsti’s picks:

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos and Joy Ang
“When Baby Billy was born, his family noticed something odd. He had a mustache.”
A baby with a mustache? What a concept! I want to keep reading!

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
“One day, Duncan and his crayons were happily coloring together when a strange stack of postcards arrived for him in the mail...”
Oooo... mystery! Who sent the strange stack of postcards? Why? I definitely want to turn the page.

Everyone Love Bacon by Kelly Dipuchchio and Eric Wight
“Everybody loves Bacon. Including Bacon.”
Interesting...Bacon is a character! And he loves himself. I want to keep reading.

Seaver the Weaver by Paul Czajack and The Brothers Hilts:
“In the light of the moon Seaver emerged from his egg.”
Lovely, lyrical and magical! I want to read to find out what happens to Seaver.

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah Ohora:
“The Bunny family came home to find a bundle outside their door.”
Intrigue! What is the bundle outside the Bunny family’s door?

Carrie’s picks:

One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail
“Sophia’s birthday was coming up, and she had five things on her mind—One True Desire and four problems.”
Immediately, I want to know what her “One True Desire” (a proper noun) and four problems are!

Bridget’s Beret by Tom Lichtenheld
“Bridget was drawn to drawing. She liked to draw as much as other kids liked ice cream.”
I love the play on words and kids will be like: ”As much as ice cream?! Woah!

A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream by Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper
“Stars hardly shine in the New York City sky, with the factories spilling out smoke and street lights spreading bright halos round their pin-top faces. It makes it hard to find a star, even harder to make a wish, the one wish that if I could just breathe it out loud to the first star of night, I might be able to believe it true.”
Doesn’t that make you want to know what her wish is?! This main character has captured my heart and the lyrical language is to die for!

The Monstore by Tara Lazar and James Burks
“At the back of Frankensweet’s Candy Shoppe, under the last box of sour gumballs, there’s a trap door. Knock five times fast, hand over a bag of squirmy worms, and you can crawl inside… THE MONSTORE.”
I have to go there! I want to knock and bargain with the monster at the trapdoor. I must see the inside of this magical sounding place. This world has captured me. And…it starts with candy. Kids love candy!

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson
“Henry Brown wasn’t sure how old he was. Henry was a slave. And slaves weren’t allowed to know their birthdays.”
Henry has my heart right away. When you think about young children, most of them are taught to show their age on their fingers from the time they are one. And here is a child who is not sure how old he is. I must read on to make sure he is taken care of and finds a way to a better life.

When assessing a beginning, ask yourself:
Does the first sentence interest you in a way that you have never encountered?
Does it leave you feeling like you need to read further to find out what happens next?

If you answered yes, then you might be onto something! So, are you ready? Go get those bold beginnings!

Share a beginning that grabs you in the comments below.

Kirsti Call reads, critiques and revises every day. She is a member of various critique groups, and blogs for Writer's Rumpus, Children's Book Academy, and the Institute of Children's Literature. As the published author of The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall and a homeschool mom, Kirsti coaches revision for children ages 5-18. Her school visits involve interactive writing, singing, and of course, reading for research! Kirsti contributed as a 2015 CYBILS YA Fiction panelist and is proud to be the 2016 ReFoReMo co-coordinator. You can follow her journey at www.kirsticall.com.

Carrie Charley Brown is the founder and co-coordinator of ReFoReMo, the Reading for Research Month blog & challenge. She eats, sleeps, and breathes picture books as a writer, professional critique mentor, and contributor on various blogs such as Writer's Rumpus and the Institute of Children's Literature. Carrie contributed as a 2014/2015 CYBILS fiction picture book panelist and donates a large part of her time to SCBWI North Texas as the Regional Advisor. She also produces kidlit videos and provides marketing services for authors and kidlit organizations. She has taught pre-k, kindergarten, first, and third grades. You can follow her writing journey right here on this site.

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Mentor Text Author Study: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

11/4/2015

9 Comments

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.

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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October Bonus Links Worth Your While

10/29/2015

1 Comment

By Kirsti Call

Mathew Winner’s Let’s get Busy Podcast, highlights the best picture books of summer 2015--perfect mentor texts.

The School Library Journal's article, Celebrating Literacy: Kids as Readers, Writers, and Imaginers, we learn about recent picture books that encourage creativity in kids.

Jill Esbaum posted a great review of Froodle and an Interview with Antoinette Portis that is definitely worth reading.

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Mentor Text Author Study: Aaron Reynolds

10/6/2015

10 Comments

by Kirsti Call

At my house, we read Creepy Carrots, by Aaron Reynolds all the time. Why do my kids enjoy it so much? How does Aaron succeed in making us laugh and feel a little scared at the same time? What makes me willing to read it over and over? Why do we make references to creepy carrots every time we see something orange?

Clearly, Aaron’s picture books make an impact and his versatility makes him a great author to study. Aaron’s use of humor, the unexpected, and lyrical language make his books incredible mentor texts to learn from.

Humor: Aaron masterfully writes stories that not only make us laugh, but also subtly teach. Superhero School is fun to read and yet definitely makes a point about the importance of math. Carnivores teaches about animals hilariously, in a way that makes us empathize with the carnivores even after they eat each other. Chicks and Salsa makes us laugh as the barnyard animals yearn for and learn how to make southwestern food. Pirates vs. Cowboys comical story shows us that we have something in common with everyone--even if it’s body odor!

The Unexpected: Aaron’s stories surprise us. In Creepy Carrots, the carrots get the best the bunny in the end. Buffalo Wings stars a rooster chef who wants to make buffalo wings, but doesn’t realize they are made of chicken! Aaron’s rhyming story, Snowbots, pairs two unlikely things, (snow and robots) into a wonderful rollicking story. Here Comes Destructosaurus! depicts a tantruming monster who really is just looking for his teddy bear. Nerdy Birdy surprises us with how nerds can sometimes be just as exclusive as the popular kids. (Carrie posted a think quick interview with Aaron about Nerdy Birdy, here).

Lyrical Language: In Metal Man, a welder makes sculptures out of junk and helps a young boy create something special. The words are lyrical and powerfully written with a message about creativity and being yourself. In Back of the Bus, the story of Rosa Parks is told from the point of view of a young boy who sits in the back of the bus while she sits in the front. His symbolism and lush language make this story moving and powerful. It’s the perfect way to being a discussion about racism with young children.

Whether you're writing humous or lyrical or serious stories, Aaron's books are great mentor texts. What have you learned from Aaron Reynold’s books?

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ReFoReMo 2016 is Coming- New & Improved

9/29/2015

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When inspiration spoke to my heart and ReFoReMo planning began last January, my plan leapt into reality in three short months! I am thankful to have more reflection time for the 2016 second annual ReFoReMo Challenge next March. There are some exciting new changes heading your way.

Moving forward, ReFoReMo will be a fully shared partnership between myself and author Kirsti Call. Many of you already know that Kirsti and I have been writing partners for over two years. We both focus on picture book writing, and between the two of us, bring a wealth of knowledge from classes, craft writing books, conferences, and hands-on experience. We both actively blog on multiple sites and place great importance on giving back to the kidlit community. And most importantly, we both believe that reading and researching mentor texts is a transformative experience.

We’ve already secured the ReFoReMo author-educators for 2016 and we have a few surprises up our sleeves! The calendar will be posted in January and registration will open on February 15. To tide you over until then and continue supporting your research efforts, weekly posts will continue. Starting in October, Kirsti will feature an author study every 1st Monday and bonus links every 4th Thursday. I will continue to host a featured mentor text interview every 2nd Tuesday and present you with a new mentor text challenge every 3rd Tuesday.

To learn more about ReFoReMo or experience ReFoReMo 2015 all over again, click HERE. In order to receive updates about ReFoReMo, be sure to subscribe to this blog using the box on the right. We are pumped to support your picture book reading research!

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September Bonus Links Worth Your While

9/26/2015

10 Comments

by Kirsti Call

I'm excited to have the privilege of posting Bonus Links and Mentor Text Author Studies. Here are some incredible posts that I found this month.

Marcie Flinchum Atkins' post: 10 for 10: Top 10 Favorite Picture Books to Use as Mentor Texts for Word Choice, gives fantastic examples for specific types of language.

Adrienne Gear's post, Celebrating my Favorite PB's for Intermediate/Middles Grades is a great place to start if you're writing Picture Books for the older crowd.

If you're looking to write a great read aloud, Barnes and Noble has a post, The 10 Most Fun Picture Books to Read Aloud, to get your juices flowing.

Christy Mihaly gives us a list of books to use as mentor texts if we're writing about difficult topics in her post, Tackling Tough Topics...With Picture Books.

What posts have helped you in your mentor text journey this month?

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ReFoReMo Day 14: Kirsti Call Discovers the Unexpected

3/15/2015

94 Comments

by Kirsti Call

Books like Mustache Baby, Dragons Love Tacos, Ninja Red Riding Hood, My Teacher is a Monster (No, I am not), and The Day the Crayons Quit, draw me in with just their titles. The magic of these books is in the unexpected, which creates humor and hooks me into reading the story repeatedly. After reading these books and writing or revising, you might surprise yourself with your own unexpected magic!

Kirsti Call's debut picture book is The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall. She contributes to Writer's Rumpus, The Children's Book Academy, and Kids are Writers. If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her reading a book with her five children!

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Introducing... ReFoReMo Sharing Contest Winners and the Fabulous Administration Team

2/6/2015

6 Comments

Thank you to everyone who entered the ReFoReMo Sharing Contest! We have some winners!

Winner of The Farmer and the Clown picture book: Josh Funk
Winner of the Hand-Crafted ReFoReMo Journal: Carol Munro
Winner of Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence picture book: Kristi Dee Veitenheimer

With registration quickly approaching, I hope you will continue to spread ReFoReMo fever!

A month-long challenge of this size involves a lot of effort. While the author-educators have already been announced, I’d also like to introduce your lovely administration team. *thunderous applause*

Kirsti Call

Tracey M. Cox

Suzy Leopold

These talented writers will be helping with registration and the Facebook group. After registration, they will assist with questions in the FB group, so consider sending them goodies in the mail. (Just kidding!) Rest assured that we will respond to you, but please be patient. We prefer to reserve email as a last resort, but we understand that not all of you will opt to join the private Facebook group. If you need assistance with registration related questions, I (Carrie) will be your contact. The registration post will go live next Sunday, February 15.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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ReFoReMo Day 6: Some Catch-Up for your ReFoReMo Fries

PreReFoReMo Day 1: Kirsti Call and Carrie Charley Brown Begin Boldly

Mentor Text Author Study: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

October Bonus Links Worth Your While

Mentor Text Author Study: Aaron Reynolds

ReFoReMo 2016 is Coming- New & Improved

September Bonus Links Worth Your While

ReFoReMo Day 14: Kirsti Call Discovers the Unexpected

Introducing... ReFoReMo Sharing Contest Winners and the Fabulous Administration Team

ReFoReMo

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