Category: ReFoRe Author Educator

July Author Penny Parker Klostermann Talks Mentor Texts

7/16/2015

You guys are GREAT at the game of follow the leader! You've made it to Part 2 of Penny's interview! If you are just joining the game, join Penny for Part 1 HERE. I only have one question remaining, and as promised, it tackles the ever-important topic of mentor texts.

Were there any particular mentor texts that inspired you in the creation of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT? (Or another one of your upcoming published books?)

Definitely! I knew I wanted to do a rewrite of a cumulative tale. I had many ideas recorded in my PiBoIdMo lists from 2011 and 2012. When I settled on a rewrite of THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY, I searched the Internet for every possible rewrite. Luckily, my library had a slew of them. I read over 25 versions, which ranged from rollicking and hilarious to yawn-inducing. My favorites had that something extra.

I really liked the refrain, "Yippee-o-Ki-Yee!" in THERE WAS AN OLD COYOTE WHO SWALLOWED A FLEA by Jennifer Ward. I found another funny refrain in THERE WAS AN OLD MONSTER! by Rebecca, Adrian, and Ed Emberley, "Scritchy-scratch, scritch, scritchy-scratch, scritchy-scratch, scritch, scritchy-scratch." And you can't listen to this without getting excited about the rhythm of this book.

I knew I had to come up with a twist to make mine stand out. It’s funny, but the yawn-inducing ones ended up inspiring my twist by making me think that the main character in those books was probably bored and irritated with the whole yawn-inducing, swallowing thing and wanted to shout, “Enough of this, already!” So there it was. My dragon actually says something very similar to that. And then I studied my favorite endings in my mentor texts and knew I wanted a twist at the end, too. I feel I came up with one that’s never been done before . . . at least as far as I know. My dragon actually ends up pretty happy.

For my next book, A COOKED UP FAIRY TALE, David Ezra Stein’s, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, lingered in the back of my mind. I loved how his story incorporated several fairy tales. So I set out to write a fairy tale mash-up/fractured fairy tale. As it turns out, my character lives in the fairy tales, but the way Stein uses multiple fairy tales in his story was definitely a mentor text in the beginning. And I must mention that to this day, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN is one of my favorite books.

Stein's book was a great mentor text for weaving stories within a story. I also admired the wordplay and pacing in Leigh Hodgkinson's GOLDILOCKS AND JUST ONE BEAR. I studied her book because in my mind, it was "just right." :-)

Oooo, I love INTERRUPTING CHICKEN and GOLDILOCKS AND JUST ONE BEAR, too! (In fact, I've had Leigh's book checked out from the library for waaaay too long. I'm using it as a mentor text in my own fairy tale mash-up.) A Cooked Up Fairy Tale sounds like fun, Penny! And I already love I Know an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight. For my sneak peek review, visit HERE. If you have not yet read Part 1 of Penny's interview, visit HERE.

Thank you for being our guest today, Penny!

Thank you so much for having me, Carrie.

Penny Parker Klostermann is the author of There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight. She loves all kinds of books, but especially loves very silly picture books that make her laugh. She has been known to hug her favorite picture books and seriously hopes that someday her books will gain huggable status too. Penny lives in Abilene, TX. Find out more about Penny on her website: www.pennyklostermann.com. You can follow her BLOG TOUR for I KNOW AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT at this link.

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June Author/Illustrator: Ben Clanton Talks Mentor Texts

6/9/2015

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Welcome to Part II of our interview with author/illustrator Ben Clanton. In Part I, Ben teaches about the interplay between text and illustrations... so don't miss out!

Do you utilize picture books as mentor texts? If so, how?

Absolutely! Not always proactively, but I’m a huge picture book aficionado. When I come across a book that really works or that captivates me, I dissect it to see how it works. You might think this would take away somewhat from the magic of a good book, but I feel it usually deepens my understanding and adoration. I typically don’t apply a certain mentor text to a specific text I’m working on. Instead I’m creating a general arsenal of what works and what doesn’t. Some texts to check out . . . Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, There are Cats in this Book by Viviane Schwarz, and The Skunk by Mac Barnett and Patrick McDonnell.

Were there any particular mentor texts that inspired you in the creation of SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY? Or another one of your published books?

One that comes to mind right away is perhaps one of the most influential picture books there is . . . WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. In WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, the illustrations get gradually bigger and take up more of the page as the book approaches the climax (three full-bleed spreads with no text).

I applied something akin with the wishes the boy makes in Something Extraordinary. He starts out with the simple classic wishes such as “I wish I could fly!” but gradually they become a bit more involved or unusual and they start to add up. So when the boy wishes his drawings would come to life the robot that results sticks around and the same with the wishes for fangs and a tail and unusual pets. The wishes start to fill up the page and build up as the book approaches an important turning point and the boy’s most desperate wish of all.

Another mentor text that comes to mind is Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat in which the text says only so much and lots of the storytelling is reliant upon the illustrations. In Something Extraordinary, if you were to read the text alone it would read like a list of wishes. The illustrations are doing a lot of augmenting in Something Extraordinary. There are two birds that are particularly important in the book and that really carry the story. They are never mentioned outright in the text.

It is so interesting to see how you have utilized mentor texts, Ben! Thanks so much for sharing with us. I'd like to encourage the ReFoReMo family to conduct an author study with your books. In Part I of the interview, Ben mentions how he is still evolving. An author study allows us to see that process up close. All of Ben’s books have whimsy, heart, and humor. Each one is packed with feelings. Here are a few of the underlying and character themes you will find.

Something Extraordinary- Ben's Newest Release 2015:
-Optimism, following dreams, wonder, imagination, thinking outside the box/creativity

Rex Wrecks It- 2014:
-Excitability, individuality, inventiveness, problem solving, playfulness, teamwork, learning from each other

Mo’s Mustache- 2013:
-Originality, being yourself, standing up for yourself, frustration, speaking your mind, admiration, celebrating others and yourself

The Table Sets Itself- 2013:
-Handling responsibility, tackling boredom, seeking more out of life, trying new things

Vote For Me- 2012
-Bragging, persuading, competition, speaking before thinking, apologizing

And now, pop on over to Part I of Ben's interview... it is toooo good to miss!

Ben Clanton is the author/illustrator of such books as Something Extraordianry, Rex Wrecks It!, and Mo’s Mustache. When Ben isn’t doodling up stories (and often when he is) he likes to cook, explore outdoors, play basketball, and play games with friends. Ben is in the midst of a move back to Seattle, WA. Find out more about Ben at www.benclanton.com.

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July Author Penny Parker Klostermann Talks Mentor Texts

June Author/Illustrator: Ben Clanton Talks Mentor Texts

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