September Mentor Text Check-In and Challenge: Titles

by Carrie Charley Brown

You are in the library, searching for a picture book on your “to-read” list when a neighboring title catches your eye. All you see is the spine, but there is something about the words. You can’t help but abandon your search for a moment to see what the catchy title is all about. Can you relate? Quite often, this process keeps me from leaving the library on time!  Here are two titles that stopped me when I tried to leave the library last time:

After reading through a few pages, I discovered that it was not the first time I had pulled them off the shelf. There is power in a title! I tend to gravitate toward funny, quirky titles. Sometimes I find that the writing doesn’t match up to the title’s expectations. But guess what? I may not have looked at the book at all if it weren’t for the title. We can only see the amazing illustrations and stories that accompany these titles if we unwedge them from the shelf. The majority of available books are not face out at the bookstore and library. A title is a battle cry for attention in a world filled with millions of picture books. Think about each of these book spines smashed together and vying for recognition:

It’s fun to just scan the shelves, looking for titles that pop out and pique your curiosity. I dare you to do just that for our challenge this month. It should not only help you learn a bit about how titles can snag new readers, but also what types of titles you are drawn to most.

After you perform the September task, take a look at your current works in progress. Do they have stand-out titles? If not, it's time for a heavy brainstorm!