Writing Picture Books

As the writing teacher for all the fifth graders at my school, I use pictures books in a different way. I love to find just "good" stories that the students will enjoy, but I look deeper for how I can use those picture books to teach writing lessons. I have picked some of my favorite mentor texts to share with you and they serve the purpose of a good read aloud, as well as fit writing lessons.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
In this story a father and daughter go out in the snow to go "owling," which means they call out to bring the owl out of its hiding place. It is a great story about father-daughter relationships and human relationships with nature. For writing, I was this for sentence fluency and language. It has some of the most beautfiul language in it. My students like finding the similes and areas that are very descriptive.

Airmail to the Moon by Tom Birdseye
Another great picture book with a theme behind it. Oreo, the main character, loses her tooth, only she ends up literally losing it. She starts blaming everyone else for taking her tooth. In the end she learns about blaming people before she has looked within herself. I use this in a couple ways for writing. The introduction and conclusion are very similar, so it is a little like a circular story, which is great for organization. I also like showing the repeated line throughout the story as a way to draw the readers' attention in.

Caves by Steven Kramer
Although this book is a non-fiction book, it is so well written that it feels like you are reading a fiction story. Kramer makes you feel like you are walking through a cave with him. He even has the first page completely black with blue writing to make you sense the darkness. I use this book to show voice. Kramer has a very strong voice even though it is an informational text.

The Top Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups by David Wisniewski
This is a book about all of those rules that grown-ups have and their reasons for having them. Then it goes on to uncover and explain these rules from a different perspective. I like to use this book for ideas and content. This story inspires students to come up with their own rules and explaining the real reason behind it. I also encourage the students to notice the adjectives in this book.