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Author Jodi Moore Talks Mentor Texts

11/10/2015

 
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Welcome to Part Two of Jodi Moore's author interview. If you have not yet read Part One, you can find it HERE. You won't want to miss the complete look into Jodi's personal writing world.

Were there any particular mentor texts that inspired you in the creation of the Dragon series? (Or another one of your upcoming published books?)
 
I think every book you read becomes a mentor text in a way. Each one becomes a part of you, interwoven into your creative tapestry.
 
When I was a toddler, my mom worked outside the home, but every night, she’d bring a book home for us to share. I soon learned to associate books with love.

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While it’s so hard to narrow the books down, I suppose there were certain “tails” that planted the seeds that would ultimately influence Dragon’s characters and conflicts. My husband and I had our boys enrolled in book clubs before they were born. Of course, they were always enthralled if the stories involved dragons. One of our family favorites was (and will always be) THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A DRAGON.

Inspiration for MY Dragon? Of course. NO ONE wants to be ignored.

Who doesn’t love a perfect partner in crime?
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I love the second person narrative for so many reasons: for inviting the reader into the book; for giving them power; for allowing them to immerse themselves in both the joy and the consequences.
 
I could go on and on. There are so many wonderful books out there! Each one has inspired me in its own way.
 
Interestingly enough, I probably read more books in mentor-fashion once Shari expressed interest in publishing WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN. It was important to me that the readers decide whether Dragon was real or a figment of the boy’s imagination. But that presented a challenge. How do you draw a character that may or may not be there? Both Shari and I researched for over a year, seeing how others had dealt with “imaginary friends”. Some of the books we investigated included:

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What do you feel is the BEST way for picture book writers to utilize mentor texts? Read them out loud, see what speaks to you, what gives you all the feels.
 
Can I choose all of the above? First of all, I believe it’s essential to read a story out loud to get a sense of its rhythm and musicality, whether or not it rhymes.
 
Second, I love how you phrase the question “see what speaks to you”. Because that’s exactly what you have to do with picture books. You need to study the artwork and realize how much of the story is told through illustration. And you have to remind yourself that it’s critical to allow room for the artist to present that other half as only he/she can.
 
And yes, I want – I NEED! – to feel all the feels. Plot is important, but I need to care about the characters that are being affected. I want to laugh out loud. I want to tear up. I want my heart to simultaneously expand and squish. The characters have to be believable, well developed and layered. For me, it’s emotion that solidifies the lasting impression.
 
An example of a book that gave me all the feels at a recent bookstore trip?

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Finally, I think it’s important to read new mentor texts as well as ones that made an impression upon you as a child. The current ones help us to understand what’s selling today; the older ones help connect us with our inner child. And I don’t know about you, but I think I write better picture books when my five-year old self is guiding my hand, and my thoughts.
 
Recently, I’ve been working on a picture book manuscript where the main character enters a fantasy world to deal with a devastating challenge. I worried the concept might be too complex for my target readers. Then I read BEEKLE, and was reminded once again that we are writing for the most discerning, sophisticated and important audience in the world.
 
Our children.

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Learn more about Jodi in Part One of this interview.
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Jodi Moore is author of the award winning WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN (Flashlight Press, 2011), its newly released sequel, WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN AGAIN (Flashlight Press, 2015) and GOOD NEWS NELSON (Story Pie Press, 2012). Jodi is the proud, (admittedly) neurotic mother of two talented young adults and never ceases to be amazed at how far the umbilical cord will stretch. She loves connecting with readers through school and book events. Jodi lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Larry, and an ever-changing bunch of characters in her head. Follow her website at www.writerjodimoore.com and blog: https://kidsinspiringnewdirections.wordpress.com/

June Author/Illustrator: Ben Clanton Talks Mentor Texts

6/9/2015

7 Comments

 
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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.

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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).
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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.

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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.
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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

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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

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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

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

7 Comments

ReFoReMo Day 19: Carol Gordon Ekster Values the Perfect Blend

3/20/2015

83 Comments

 
by Carol Gordon Ekster

Five star picture books shout, “I’m the perfect blend of words and pictures.” I also wish I wrote them! They have emotional weight and when read aloud the words sing. They are books kids and parents will love, and teachers can use in some capacity whether to help readers fall for books or be used as mentor texts. Picking just five was not easy!

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This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
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100 Snowmen by Jennifer Arena
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The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood
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Railroad Hank by Lisa Moser
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Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park
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Carol Gordon Ekster was a passionate elementary school teacher for 35 years. Her first book came out in 2008 and her newest picture book released January 1, 2015. Carol now spends time in critique groups, doing exercise and yoga, and working on her books. Find out more about Carol and her growing list of books at www.carolgordonekster.com


83 Comments

ReFoReMo Day 13: KidLit 411 Reflects

3/14/2015

141 Comments

 
Hi ReFoReMo-ers!

By now you have had a chance to read and study a great deal of mentor texts. It’s important to ask yourself questions about what you have read. Some questions that we've asked ourselves are:

• Why the character did/reacted to something (Motivation)
• What were your feelings about the outcome of the problem (Satisfying ending)
• Why something happened the way it did (Story arc)
• Why the author chose to end the story that way (Ending)

When we ask ourselves these types of questions, we can gain deeper insight into the workings of the text and pictures.  For author and illustrator interviews and general writing for kids, you can visit www.KidLit411.com 

Happy writing!
The KidLit411 Team
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ELAINE KIELY KEARNS is a picture book and middle grade writer. Armed with a master's degree in Education, she spends her time perusing the internet for golden nuggets of information about children's writing for KidLit411.
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SYLVIA LIU writes & illustrates for kids. Her picture book, A MORNING WITH GONG GONG, will be published by Lee & Low Books. Her portfolio is enjoyingplanetearth.com, she blogs at sylvialiuland.com, and she helps run kidlit411.com.
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ReFoReMo Day 2: Melissa Stewart Shares the Power of Mentor Texts

3/2/2015

159 Comments

 
----  KNOCK KNOCK!  HOUSEKEEPING!  ----
Registration ended last night at 11pm CST.  We have 270 officially registered participants and about 100 silent subscribers.  If you know others that did not make it to registration in time, they are still welcome to subscribe for ReFoReMo guest educator posts by email.  However, only officially registered participants will be admitted to the ReFoReMo Facebook Group and be eligible for prizes at the conclusion of ReFoReMo.  I am hearing lots of amazing revelations in the Facebook group!  I am so proud of our community!  Let's read!   
~Carrie
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by Melissa Stewart

Whenever I do a book signing, there are a few people who tell me that they dream of writing a book for children and ask how they can get started. I always give the same two pieces of advice: (1) join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and (2) read 100 books in the genre they would like to write. I first heard this second tip from Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park back in 2006, and I couldn’t agree more.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized what I was doing from an educator’s point of view. I was suggesting that the aspiring authors use mentor texts. A hundred of them.

Educators know that using children’s literature as a model for student writing can be powerful. But the truth is that ALL writers can benefit tremendously by reading and studying the techniques employed by other writers. I often use mentor texts as I’m thinking about elements like voice and structure.

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While I was writing Feathers: Not Just for Flying, I was struggling to find just the right voice. I can remember asking myself, “How did April Pulley Sayre craft the light, lovely voice of Vulture View?” To understand her process, I knew I had to put myself in her shoes, so I typed out the text of the entire book. Seeing the words, phrases, and sentences in manuscript form gave me enormous insight into how language devices can play off one another in books with a strong lyrical voice. 
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When I realized that No Monkeys, No Chocolate would have a structure in which one piece of information builds upon another, I looked closely at the cumulative structures of various versions of The House That Jack Built and The Gingerbread Man. Even though these classic stories are fiction, they helped me see possibilities for my own manuscript.
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I also looked at an assortment of books with layered text, including Beaks by Sneed Collard, When the Wolves Returned by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, my own book A Place for Butterflies, and several books by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. In each case, the layers were executed differently and served a different purpose. Understanding the range helped me see how I could use layers to the best effect in my own manuscript.
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Do mentor texts have to come in book form? No way! The bookworms in No Monkeys, No Chocolate were inspired by Statler and Waldorf, the two old guys in The Muppet Show balcony. While watching an episode of the show with my nieces, I thought about their purpose—they commented on the action on the main Muppet Show stage and added humor. I instantly realized that my book needed a similar element, so I created characters and wrote dialog as a third layer of text. It solved a major problem with the book by allowing me to reinforce complex science concepts in a fun way.

No matter how much experience we have as writers, mentor texts can guide us as we strive to stretch in new and exciting directions.

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Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 nonfiction books for children, including No Monkeys, No Chocolate; Feathers: Not Just for Flying, Under the Snow, and Animal Grossapedia. She maintains the blog Celebrate Science and serves on the board of advisors for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You can follow Melissa's books at www.melissa-stewart.com.
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    Illustration by Lori Nawyn

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