What do your favorite picture books have in common? Do they make you laugh? Do you they make you cry? Chances are, your favorite picture books evoke some sort of feeling. Without emotion in stories, we don't want to re-read or even finish a book. We revisit stories that resonate us and help us feel.Here's the August Mentor Text Challenge: Read at least 3 picture books that evoke emotion for you and ask these questions.
1. Why do I feel this emotion?
2. What words or events in the story evoke this emotion?
3. What amps up the emotion in this story?
Now read your manuscripts and ask yourself the same questions:
1. Why do I feel this emotion?
2. What words or events in the story evoke this emotion?
3. What amps up the emotion in this story?
There are so many books that use emotion to speak to our hearts. Let's use them as mentor texts so our stories evoke emotion!
What books do you recommend as stellar mentor texts for emotion?
Very helpful post for a project I am working on. Thanks, Kirsti and Carrie. They are on the list for my next library visit.
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm glad to hear that!
DeleteGreat post. I'm going to write those reflection questions in my notebook. Boats for Papa really gets me, or any book where someone has lost a loved one. There are a few about a father being in prison and poverty that tugged my heartstrings as well. Thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you Angie. I'm glad you like the questions :)
DeleteThank you for the post and the challenge, Kirsti. I recently purchased HOPE'S GIFT and was moved to tears. I'm working at finding the emotion in my mss. Thank you ReFoReMo for keeping me focused!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to read Hope's Gift!
DeleteI couldn't read Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco, to my class without tearing up no matter how many times I had read it before!
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to read that one!
DeleteSOPHIE'S SQUASH is one of my all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteOh! Me too!
DeleteThanks for this post. Emotion certainly keeps you reading. I remember sharing one of my stories with my granddaughter. She's an avid 10 year old reader and writer and I'm sure will publish someday—perhaps before me! Her only comment after listening to my story was, "Grammy, it needs more emotion!" She extended her arms to the sky, singing the word 'emotion' as if on stage. I keep that picture of wisdom with me whenever I write. An oldie but goodie, I'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, tears me up every time. Boats for Papa is a favorite.
ReplyDeleteI love this story! Thanks for sharing. I also love both of the books you mentioned!
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