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Carrie Charley Brown, Children's Book Writer
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Mentor Text Author Study- Mac Barnett

8/31/2015

14 Comments

 
by Carrie Charley Brown
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When you think about author Mac Barnett's books, what are some words that come to mind? (Cue Music)
(If you’re peeking ahead before thinking this through, you haven't had enough fun. Go ahead...play the music. Just don’t blame me if the tune gets stuck in your head the rest of the day.)

Are you ready now? Did you say funny, fresh, and clever? If so, we’ve gathered some of the same gems from his work. And there’s so much more.

Mac Barnett- The Fresh Prince of Picture Books
How is it possible that a silly skunk book can stay on my mind so long after I read it?  This book is following me, just like the skunk followed the man in the story!  People, books, and problems have lasting impressions on us, too. It’s relatable.  I admire how Mac brings deeper thinking into a simple, funny storyline. Fresh? Yes. Clever? Yes. Funny? Very!  But it doesn’t stop with THE SKUNK.

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Mac Barnett- Interactive Interplay Interrogator- (That’s a lot of “Ints”)
One of my favorite picture books of all time is CHLOE AND THE LION. Chloe’s plight to find loose change is interrupted by an arguing author and illustrator. The moment they step into the story, it turns fiction into metafiction, ordinary into fresh and clever, and sweet into laugh out loud. It also pokes fun at unnecessary illustration notes when illustrator Adam Rex turns the intended lion into a dragon. But it doesn’t stop with Chloe.

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Mac Barnett- Dance Partner
We all know what happens in the game of Telephone…the message gets mixed up as it is passed from person to person.

Let’s use TELEPHONE as an example.

 “Tell Peter: Hit Pop Flies and homers” turns into “Tell Peter: Prop planes are for fliers.” What bridges these two statements and why do they change the way they do?  What we see in the first picture is a cardinal with a baseball bat whispering to a goose in a flight cap.  Each character has distinct interests that change the way they interpret things. Relatable, huh? Whether or not Mac had this external plot in mind or he left that up to the illustrator, the fact remains that there was room for an incredible dance to take place.  As Mac said in this interview, “If I finish a manuscript and it makes sense without illustrations, it's a failed text.”

InSAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE, the text/illustration dance is a tease. We see a giant diamond under the dirt below the boys as they discuss digging in a different direction. Our eyes dance between the text and illustrations, while we shout, “No! Don’t do it!” We root for the boys to find the diamonds and we can’t wait to turn the page to see what happens next.

In MUSTACHE!:
“He spent every Royal Day admiring his Royal Reflection, and not doing much else. Which is why his kingdom was such a Royal Mess. King Duncan didn’t repair the roads. He built billboards instead.”

Let’s think about this in manuscript format. Can you envision what the picture might show? Perhaps not. But, when we see several huge billboards showing the King’s striking handsome figure, we get it. It’s all about the dance between text and art. Mac really gets that. As Mac said in this School Library Journal interview :“
Writing a picture book is the art of finishing an unfinished thing.” It’s all about the dance.
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Mac Barnett- Partner in Crime
Mac has teamed up with some legendary illustrators to create amazing stories. I’d say he has several dream teams. Adam Rex, Jon Scieszka, Jon Klassen, Dan Santat, Patrick McDonnell, and Kevin Cornell are just some of his awesome story partners.
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Mac Barnett- Extra Yarn Lender
When we read Mac’s books, it’s like the endless supply of yarn Annabelle enjoys in EXTRA YARN. Mac just keeps on giving.  I still need to get my hands on Mac’s brand new release, LEO: A GHOST STORY, as well as BILLY TWITTERS AND HIS BLUE WHALE PROBLEM. And of course, I look forward to the tales he has yet to spin.

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In one month, I will have the honor of learning from Mac during the Picture Book Summit. You still have time to join me, as registration is open for a couple more weeks. Picture Book Summit happens on October 3, so in the meantime, grab Mac’s books at the library and start dissecting. If Mac can get President Taft out of the tub, he should be able to unstick your writer’s block, too.

Leave me a comment: What's your favorite Mac Barnett book? How has it helped you with in your writing?

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14 Comments

Ask Carrie (August Edition) + Bonus Links Worth Your While

8/27/2015

0 Comments

 
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Jen Garrett wants to know:
Do you read mentor texts to help you decide what tense to write in?

Carrie:
Since I write as a pantser most of the time, I normally just go with my gut and write.  My hope is that what comes out on the page will be the most natural tense, but that is not always the case. Sometimes, it takes some experimenting. A simple tense change is not too hard to play with, as you can try a few lines here or there to get a feel for what is more natural. I can’t say that I use a mentor text to “decide” what tense to write in. However, I do use mentor texts to research how stellar stories feel in the right tense.

More than tense, I experiment with point of view. Some of my stories have several different versions, all in a different point of view. Experiencing the comparison first hand not only helps me hear what’s working as I read them all aloud, but also enables me to grow in the process.

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Bonus Links

Writing in Sips and Gulps- from Carrie Charley Brown of Writer’s Rumpus
(Revision and professional development advice)

Making Science Sing: Writing creative nonfiction about science, for kids
- from Christy Mahaly of GROG
(Awesome educational tips and mentor texts to understand creative nonfiction)

Give Your Tale a Twist- from Joyce Wan and the KidLit Summer School Faculty
(Super suggestions on using fiction mentor texts to study twists!)

Dog Adopts Man (and Other Role Reversals)- from Linda Ashman of Picture Book Builders
(Excellent fiction mentor text suggestions for role reversals!)

Do you have a question for me? Feel free to leave it in the comment section. Did you participate in ReFoReMo this year? I’d love to hear about your experience and how you are using mentor texts today.  Check out the submission guidelines for the Revealing ReFoReMo series HERE.

0 Comments

Mentor Text Author Study- Andrea Davis Pinkney

7/28/2015

6 Comments

 
by Carrie Charley Brown
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Normally, when I attempt to reserve books on my library’s website, I usually find only a few of those books available. Sometimes none. Imagine my surprise to find ALL of the books I wanted by Andrea Davis Pinkney! Wow…Rare. So, what is it about her books that cause a library to stock them all? Besides incredible writing, I think it boils down to a big R: Relatability; for kids, parents, and educators alike.

Nonfiction picture books, especially biographies, have to be written masterfully to help young children stay engaged and relate to what is happening.

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Little, Brown Books, 2013
“Martin wasn’t old enough to be a preacher, but even as a boy, he had a big way of speaking. He learned this from watching his father address the congregation.” -MARTIN & MAHALIA HIS WORDS HER SONG

In just the right words, Andrea paints a picture of Martin as a young boy. We learn that he is motivated and perhaps brave, that he admires his father, has big shoes to fill and his own ideals. We also infer that he is expected to attend church regularly. Many children experience the same feelings and situations, whether they relate to other kids that are like this or they are that kid.  

She also reveals a problem early on that people are emotionally connected to.

“But in the South, where Martin and Mahalia lived, Jim Crow laws made sure things were not free. These laws said: Black folks here. White folks there. That’s how life was for young Martin and Mahalia. Separate but nowhere near equal.” -MARTIN & MAHALIA HIS WORDS HER SONG
This causes a child to root for Martin and Mahalia to succeed. We care about what happens to them.

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HarperCollins (Amistad) 2008
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Little, Brown Books 2010
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Hyperion Books, 2009
Andrea implements rhythmic repetitive language patterns to keep young children engaged.

“Martin spoke the gospel. Prayed the gospel. Sought the gospel. Taught the gospel.”
-MARTIN & MAHALIA HIS WORDS HER SONG


“Walked to work, we did. Walked to school, we did. Walked to church, we did. Yes we did, child. Yes we did.”
 
-BOYCOTT BLUES: HOW ROSA PARKS INSPIRED A NATION

“The students sat still and proud. And waited. And wanted. A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side.”
-SIT-IN: HOW FOUR FRIENDS STOOD UP BY SITTING DOWN
This particular reference to a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side is repeated 6.5 times in the book. That SHOWS the main characters endurance and patience through standing up for what is right.

Andrea uses figurative language that rocks your emotions to the core.

“At first they were treated like the hole in the doughnut—invisible.”
-SIT-IN: HOW FOUR FRIENDS STOOD UP BY SITTING DOWN

“Mahalia’s voice was brass and butter.”
-MARTIN & MAHALIA HIS WORDS HER SONG

“She fled like tomorrow wasn’t ever gonna come.”

“Sojourner put one big-black-beautiful foot in front of the other and she stomped on the floorboards of ignorance that were underneath.”
-SOJOURNER TRUTH’S STEP-STOMP STRIDE, 2009

Andrea Davis Pinkney: PASSION PRINCESS
If a picture book is written well, its heart will shine through. We can feel Andrea’s passion pumping through our own veins.  Her passion becomes ours. We leave as changed readers.

Andrea Davis Pinkney: DIVERSITY DIVA
Every character pictured in the fourteen books sprawled in front of me feature African American characters. Integrate those with other shelved books and we see the need to paint a better picture of our diverse world.  It’s like giving children library cards that truly belong to them. All of them!

And the characters?  A well-represented assembly of many different walks of life.

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Hyperion, 2002
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Hyperion, 1997
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Harcourt, 1996
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Gulver Books, 1994
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Hyperion, 1993
Andrea writes beyond the books mentioned here to also include fiction picture books, novels, narrative nonfiction, and anthologies. I feel blessed to be able to learn from her during the online Picture Book Summit this fall. I have learned so much already just from studying her books. I hope you will join me in this author study. If you missed the last study of Peter Brown's books, you can find it HERE. Hope to see you at Summit, too!
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6 Comments

Ask Carrie + Bonus Links Worth Your While

5/28/2015

10 Comments

 
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Kaye Baillie wants to know:

Maple Lam said to do thumbnails of entire mentor text on one sheet and look at whole piece. Have you tried that, Carrie and if you did, did you see how the piece worked?

Carrie:
I use thumbnailing to assist me with my own manuscripts, Kaye, but I have yet to try that with a mentor text. Instead, I sometimes type up the entire mentor text, taking time to explain in words what each illustration shows and how it interplays with the text. Although I do think visually, my thumbnails are not able to relay the same beauty, feeling, and detail that is shown in the illustration.  I can get more detail by relaying it in words, and this immediately sparks the visual picture I have saved in my mind.


I used this technique while studying A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black. I chose to study this book to help me master persuasion in manuscript I was working on at the time.

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Here are a few paginated examples from that study:

Pages 10-11 [Normal sloppy, realistic looking pig illo mostly on p 11 with gray shadow shading coming into p 10- white space on p 10 w text]
“The only problem is, a pig parade is a terrible idea.”

Pages 26-27 [full spread of pigs gathered around hay and record player feeling sad. First line of text on 26, rest on 27]
“No they will not.  They will play sad, sad country music ballads with titles like, “My Tears Are Wet ‘Cause My Mud’s Gone Dry” and “I just Wanna Plop into This Bucket of Slop.” That kind of music is fine for slow dancing at hoedowns, but is not appropriate for a parade.”

If you would like to try thumbnailing instead, check out THIS POST by Pam Brunskill over at Marcie Atkin’s blog. Pam uses text vs. pictures, as well, but in a thumbnail layout.

So, what works for you? Feel free to share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Bonus Links
While you search for an agent and yourself as a writer, consider THIS POST from Writers Rumpus (and Yours Truly):

Marcie Flinchum Atkins Petite ReviMo post was brimming with awesome mentor texts! 

How about an author study of Karen Beaumont’s work? Linda Ashman did an awesome post on Karen’s musically versed, humorous picture books as mentor texts!
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10 Comments
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    Illustration by Lori Nawyn

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