One of the reasons it took me so many years to craft my debut
picture book, THE WILLIAM HOY STORY, HOW A DEAF BASEBALL PLAYER CHANGED THE
GAME (Albert Whitman, March 2016) is that I didn’t know how much I didn’t know
about the art of picture book writing. And here’s a little secret. I have three
more books coming out and I am still learning. We are all always learning. And
that’s why I love ReForReMo, because it’s a way for us to learn from each
other.
All my books so far have been non-fiction biographies. Two
are about athletes, one is about a man who moved a mountain and one is about a princess.
My fifth book is about a musician, but it’s still a few revisions away from
where it needs to be. I’m currently working with an editor on it. One of her
notes was to give a sense of the music that my subject hears as he moves
through and makes sense of the world. I also want to convey why the music was so
important to him and to those who heard it.
So I checked out:
THE MUSIC IN GEORGE’S HEAD by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by
Stacy Innerst (Calkins Creek). I love the way this book starts: “George heard
music all the time. At home. At school. Even when he was roller-skating down
New York’s busy streets.” I also like the way she describes the noises that
George hears, such as the “Rattle-ty-Bang! of the train and it got me thinking
about fresh ways to convey the kind of sounds my subject might have heard.
And
DIZZY by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Arthur A.
Levine Books). What I felt here was the emotional connection between a child’s
difficult childhood and the way music provided an outlet. This book helped me
understand the urgency and passion of Dizzy’s music. Jonah Winter sets it up in
the beginning: “This is the story of one real cool cat who must have been born
with a horn in his hands…But, to tell you the truth, he wasn’t born with a horn
in his hands. He was born very poor and very tough.” My subject had a rough
start in life, too.
And
RADIANT CHILD by Javaka Steptoe (Little, Brown and Company).
This book about artist Jean-Michel Basquiat combined the lesson I learned about
the power of musical language from THE MUSIC IN GEORGE’S HEAD and the emotional
urgency that throbs through DIZZY. This opening has both: “Somewhere in
Brooklyn, between hearts that thump, double Dutch, and hopscotch and salty
mouths that slurp sweet ice, a little boy dreams of being a famous ARTIST.” The
book intertwines Jean-Michel’s creations with the challenge of growing up with
a mother he loved who suffered from mental illness. This made me think about
how my subject lost a parent at a young age.
And
I DISSENT, RUTH BADER GINSBURG MAKES HER MARK by Debbie Levy,
illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley (Simon & Schuster). This book shows how
Ruth Bader Ginsburg dealt with prejudice. Ginsburg used the law to battle
injustice. My subject faces prejudice, too, but uses music to create a more
inclusive world. This book also showed me the power of having two words that
repeat and build through the book. In this case, the words are “I dissent,”
which do double duty as words of the law and words of a person who is
determined to make the world a better place. That led me to wonder what my
subject’s signature words might be.
Which led me to my final ReForReMo book:
THE RIGHT WORD, ROGET AND HIS THESAURUS by Jen Bryant, illustrated
by Melissa Sweet (Eerdmans Books). The
writing here is so deceptively simple, you almost forget that you’re reading as
a little boy emerges who interprets the world through the lists he creates, the
lists that one day, when he’s older, will become Roget’s Thesaurus. I realized
I need to do for my subject what Jen Bryant did for Roget. I need to show how
he understands the world through music the way Roget does through lists. I need
to blend in what I’ve learned from my other mentor texts as well: made-up words
that suggest sounds, the urgency of an artist who must create, the persistence
that pushes someone to persevere through heartache and the conviction and
conscience to stand up for inclusion.
You don’t want to copy what someone else has done. But the
beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you
to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life.
Thank you, Carrie Charley Brown for this wonderful
assignment. I am excited about using what I’ve learned from my mentor texts as
I dig back into my revision!
Nancy is happily donating one signed copy of The William Hoy Story along with a Teachers Guide at the conclusion of ReFoReMo. She hopes it may prove helpful as a mentor text! To be eligible, please comment on this post and make efforts to read mentor text regularly.
Nancy Churnin is the theater critic for The Dallas Morning
News and the author of The William Hoy Story, How a Deaf Baseball Player
Changed the Game (Albert Whitman & Company, March 2016), selected for the
2017 Texas Library Association 2X2 List and the New York Public Library’s Best
Children’s Books of 2016 list. Her upcoming books are Manjhi Moves a Mountain
(Creston Books, September 2017); Charlie Takes His Shot: How Charlie Sifford
Broke the Color Barrier in Golf (Albert Whitman, January 2018) and The Princess
and the Tree (Albert Whitman, November 2018). Nancy is raising four boys and
two cats with her husband, Dallas Morning News arts writer Michael Granberry.
I loved getting these mentor texts, perfect timing for a project. It's so fun to see these authors we've come to know publishing books we've watched grow.
ReplyDeleteNf pb biographies are wonderful, our children are so lucky to have these wonderful books to read 😊
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Nancy. I bet you'd do a good bio on Chubby Checkers, the singer. Bios have always interested me, particularly ones about musicians.
ReplyDeleteI love how you use mentor texts for a specific manuscript you are working on, choosing similar themes, styles, and underlying tones. I love it because I'm doing the same thing right now!
ReplyDeleteGreat NF bio recommendations! I agree that the "beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life." So true from my experience!
ReplyDeleteWhat great books you've listed, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get a copy of Manjhi Moves a Mountain!!!
It's wonderful that you've found your niche and area of expertise. The PB biographies you mention as helpful mentor texts are indeed inspiring, as are your books (published and soon-to-be published). It's like you're sharing with us your own biography about your journey writing PB biographies. You are such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy, in being so specific in how these mentor texts will improve your current WIP. Very helpful!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite ReFoReMo posts ever. I love how you've shown the specific lessons you're taking from each book to apply to your WIP. Brilliant:>)
ReplyDeleteLots of great examples here. Thank you so much for the post, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteSo glad for all the mentor texts suggestions. Best of luck with your current and future books. Loved the examples you gave us. Thanks again for the post.
ReplyDeleteWhat marvelous take-aways for you and for all of us!
ReplyDeleteThis was a terrific post with insightful take aways. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post, Nancy! Thank you for your advice on how to apply the insights you receive from reading mentor texts. And thank you for all the recommendations! The Right Word is one of my very favorite books, but I will look for all the others also. Best of luck with all your books coming out, can't wait to have my own copies!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with: "the beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life." Well said! Thanks for the mentor text suggestions!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Thank you for your specific insights about each of the mentor texts.
ReplyDeleteGreat mentor text examples! The Right Word is one of my favorites. Thanks, Nancy😊
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post. I loved how you took us through your process of how you used the mentor texts. Congratulations on your books!
ReplyDeleteThank you for a look at researching as you write.
ReplyDeleteRee
This is one of my favorite posts yet, mainly because these are my kind of books. I always feel smarter, encouraged and have a I-can-do-attitude after reading one of these books (Imagine what a kid must feel like!) and especially after reading Nancy's blog today. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love PB Nonfiction! I would add The Noisy Paintbox as a must-read as well! Are all your books Nonfiction Biographies, Narrative Nonfiction or Creative Nonfiction? I find the distinctions between the three, sometimes, unclear. (But is that because the writer has done such a wonderful job?;) )
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling us about your great mentor texts! Each book seems to have its own special insights to offer. - Alice Fulgione
ReplyDeleteThank you for the specifics on how mentor texts can improve current work.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nancy! I love biographies. I've had an idea for a PB biography for a while now, but I know it requires a lot of research and I'm sort of afraid to tackle it. It's just so much going on in my life already. Anyway, while reading your post I thought of two other subjects that would be awesome to write about and I might just put my fear aside and get started. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy, for an insightful look at the way you utilize mentor texts for your projects. These are great examples!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and mentor text examples. We are all searching for that magic ingredient that will make our stories soar!
ReplyDelete"The beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life." I love what you've said here Nancy because it's so true. Reading other PBs is inspiring, and it sparks our own ideas. I can't wait to read the titles you've suggested here. Congratulations on your upcoming publications!
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at how you can locate facts on someone who is literally not well known. You have to be a detective of facts. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteGreat biography suggestions, and the point that an idea picked up can lead to a creative new magical ingredient. Thanks Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThese are indeed musical books. Love them!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this fantastic post! The kids and I enjoyed the William Hoy story and we're looking forward to reading your other books.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this post! It is most insightful!
ReplyDeleteLove these books. Non fiction is so fun! :) Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI've placed the books on hold at the library and Radiant Child is back-logged 15 people. Must be a good one! Thanks, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy for great examples of mentor texts. Thanks for sharing nuggets from each one.
ReplyDeleteNancy, I love all the mentor texts you listed and how they helped get you to the next level in your writing. Your post is going to help me with a nonfiction picture book manuscript I'm writing where I need to connect my subject more lyrically to his work. Love this: "the beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life." I've been searching for that magic ingredient and I think you and ReFoReMo have given me an excellent road map. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of mentor texts, Nancy. Gotta say my fav's are I Dissent and The Right Word. Just had to go back to them a few times for story, structure, illustration.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Nancy! I love Non-Fiction Picture Book biographies. At the moment I am currently working on 6 of them, including 2 series.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the "beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life."
Nancy, super post for sure. I have read most of these books, but am going to reread them. We are all still on the learning curve to great writing. I is comforting got know that even break-through writers like you, need craft, too. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the insight you provided into your process, Nancy, and sharing what speaks to you in each of the mentor texts you listed! Really helpful. I can't wait to read your new books!
ReplyDeleteNot sure I'll ever write a picture book biography, but everything you said can be applied to made up characters as well. Thanks for a very clear post showing exactly what is meant by "mentor texts".
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy, for your new list of nonfiction PBs...I never knew the background of the Thesaurus before this morning! Back to the library I go:>
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy! I agree, "We are all always learning."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy. I think your observation of identifying the kernel of what motivates your subject, either real or fictional, from an early age and weaving that through the story is spot on. I can't wait to read the mentor text suggestions with that in mind.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I always love a list of nonfiction PBs. Can't wait to read these.
ReplyDeleteNancy, Thanks for providing your resource books and what resonated with you in each of them. So helpful in explaining your process:)
ReplyDeleteYou've got some great models to work with here! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNancy, this is so helpful. I have a rough draft of someone who wanted to preserve his musical heritage. Only a first draft, but your suggestions will help me as I revise. So glad I got to meet you in person last summer. What a treat! Write on!
ReplyDeleteThanks for recommending such great mentor texts and sharing your thoughts, Nancy. How I admire PB authors that write non-fiction in such a clever way.
ReplyDeleteRe: I Dissent: I am a sucker for signature repeat words that a strong MC makes his/her mantra. I strive to do the same in my texts, and I really appreciate when I see mentor texts doing the same. It helps hone this home for my in my writing. And in re: the music, I just LOVE when a picture book about music reads like a song.
ReplyDeleteGreat books! Love the nonfiction PB here. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I can definitely relate "I didn't know how much I didn't know"
ReplyDeleteI loved this progression through the mentor texts and how each lent an element (or two) to the way Nancy approached her latest manuscript. Looking forward to reading Dizzy and The Music in George's Head, which I haven't been able to do yet, and Nancy's forthcoming book as well. Thank you, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this inspiring list and thoughtful encouragement.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your thought process as you went through the mentor book list. I'm working on a biography and you have given me much to think, and read,about.
ReplyDeleteLovely list! Thank you, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy!
ReplyDeletethanks, Nancy for sharing your effective use of mentor texts. This is a keeper.
ReplyDeleteI love your mentor text suggestions. The words are so carefully chosen and beautifully written. I learned so MUCH about biographies. Thank you Nancy!
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Nancy! I admire your writing so much. So glad to know you. Thank you for sharing these great insights with us! <3
ReplyDeleteJen Bryant's work is so lyrical and gorgeous, and I've been using it as mentor texts as well. Can't wait to read your work, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteI'm just discovering PB biographies and nonfiction. Thank you for the great mentor texts!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your upcoming three books, Nancy! It was helpful to read your thought process as you think about your revision.
ReplyDeleteWow, Nancy! This is so insightful; you've given us a wonderful list of biography mentor texts and honed in on clear and specific qualities each exemplifies. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing how you used mentor texts in your own writing.
ReplyDeleteThese are all wonderful books. Thank you for showing us how you used them to improve your writing. Very insightful!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post! This was so informative. Thank you, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful examples of mentor texts. Thanks for sharing your insights into how they motivated you in writing your books.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy. I'm currently working on my third nonfiction historical pb and it's often a task to find mentor texts. Your list is a big help!
ReplyDeleteThanks for these wonderful texts and sharing how they inspired you.
ReplyDeleteNancy, you brought the heart and emotion to The William Hoy story and I have read my copy many times. Thank you for sharing tips and examples for finding the heart and emotion in our stories. I'm looking forward to your new books!
ReplyDeleteTHE WILLIAM HOY STORY is a joy Nancy! Thank you for sharing the book and your post!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy. I love how you've shown the specific lessons you're taking from each book to apply to your WIP. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for this post. Finding the music is what it's all about!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, Nancy. I love all of these books!
ReplyDeleteNancy, you've given wonderful examples of NFPB mentor texts. I love the idea of just taking a nugget from each book and letting those sparks ideas that will enhance our own manuscripts.
ReplyDeleteWonderful list! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Nancy. My girls (age 8 and 6) loved I Dissent. The older one was fascinated that she's still alive and on the court. I am for the very first time tempted to write a NF PB biography. The problem is, every time I think of a good subject, I see someone else has beaten me to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping us find those "magic ingredients."
ReplyDeleteFantastic list, Nancy. Congrats on your upcoming PBs!
ReplyDeleteNancy - thanks for this wonderful post...your insights about how you are using the mentor texts for our own work provided such concrete examples as I use mentor texts to help with my PB manuscripts. I look forward to reading your upcoming books!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy, for your insightful comments.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love this day! Nancy's take on each of the books led me to the conclusion that perhaps I should be studying other's works, just because I might pick up a great idea for my characters. I am writing a lot of biography, also, so I could relate to her lesson.
ReplyDeleteI have been almost peeking at this event, because I want my work to be my own...Nancy made me feel much better about the influences of reading other authors.
Thanks, Nancy Churnin!
Nancy, teachers teach by modeling. Thank you for modeling your process for using mentor texts to help you revise your current work in progress. For those of us planning on writing biographical Picture Books, you've given us the perfect mentor texts to analyze.
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this progression of ideas using your research texts and your needs with current manuscript. It is so true that you never know where your going to get the inspiration to work on your own manuscript! Looking forward to reading these texts--and I've already read Your book about William Hoy!
I have always enjoyed biographies. Thank you for these suggestions.
ReplyDeleteTo have these five books speak to you about your one book is a great example of the gems we find in books if we look deep enough. I will look even deeper because of your post. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your process. I think I learn best by seeing how other authors use mentor texts to inform their own work. Very helpful!
ReplyDeleteLoved your book, Nancy. That moment when everyone in the stadium signs was so moving! And many of these are my very favorites, especially The Right Word. It's just perfect in every way!
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing us how you used mentor texts to help spark your manuscripts/books!
ReplyDeleteThanks. It was helpful to see how each mentor text might give you insight with your story. Just picked up I Dissent from the library today. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThese are great NF PBs to study! Thanks for sharing examples of how you look out for ideas that lead to the magic ingredient for bringing a PB draft to life!
ReplyDeleteNANCY: I was SO EXCITED to see that you are the author of The William Hoy Story. As someone fluent in ASL (American Sign Language), I TRULY appreciate stories like yours. THANK YOU for bringing this story to life and to light! Also, as you said your editor recommended finding a way to infuse your text about the musician with the music he heard in his mind and heart, it reminded me of one of the texts I came across and researched yesterday: The Noisy Paint Box, Story by Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by Mary Grandpre. You can hear it read by my favorite little reader at the link below:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig1CPboxcEA
"The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art. The NOISY PAINT BOX is a beautifully illustrated story about a boy who decides to be true to himself and let the colors sing!" I highly recommend this book to you, as well as anyone who wants to infuse their writing with more feeling to convey such things as music and colors. BEAUTIFUL!!! HAPPY WRITING!!!
Thanks for this great list of books and for sharing your process of using mentor texts when writing your own PBs!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I liked the idea of using "signature words." I've seen them before , but never really considered them a story element until today. Thanks also for the great list of mentor texts.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat examples. Thank you so much for the post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this wonderful post and great list of NF mentor texts, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for showing how you take pieces from each of your mentor texts to create something new. I love that! I also love "The William Hoy Story" and look forward to reading your all of your books--especially the new one. I'll be looking for signs of your mentor texts.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete"One of the reasons it took me so many years to craft my debut picture book is that I didn’t know how much I didn’t know about the art of picture book writing." - Thank you for opening with this line. It gives me a lot of encouragement to keep on keeping on. :) Congratulations on your debut book and the ones following.
This is my favorite post yet! What a magical way to connect the dots to completing your own story. Thanks for sharing your process alongside the fabulous resources you've used en route.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your writing journey, Nancy, along with some outstanding titles. You words of wisdom ". . . an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life," resonate with me.
ReplyDelete~Suzy Leopold
This was so interesting and helpful! I look forward to reading all of the books mentioned in this post. Thanks very much!
ReplyDeleteThis was a fabulous take on using mentor texts! Thanks for taking the time to share with all of us!
ReplyDeleteI had a great time in the biography picture book section of the library this week, and had a hard time pulling myself away, when the kids had conveyed they were ready to go home! Thanks for your recommendations on mentor texts!
ReplyDeleteOne piece of your reflections stood out significantly for me: "an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life." I LOVE this idea! It's the reason I carry my phone or a piece of paper or notebook or ANYTHING with me at all times. I like being able to jot down whatever thought pops into my head, whether it's an idea for a new book, or a way to improve an existing draft.
Thank you for showing us exactly what you chose from each book to help you solve a problem with your current project. So helpful! Looking forward to reading all your upcoming books, too. :)
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for these recommendations and for also including the specific ways you were able to apply techniques employed by those writers to your own subject.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the detailed information and strategies to build depth in our stories. Congratulations on your publications!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these books and your process. And congratulations on all your publications! I had never really read picture book biographies. I enjoyed these immensely. They are so creative in their words, illustrations and book design. I'm so glad you recommended them. And you also helped me understand another way to use mentor texts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insight into using mentor texts. I'm still waiting for three of these titles from the library, but really enjoyed Dizzy. I have to look for more by Jonah Winter. Congratulations on all of your upcoming books--I look forward to reading them. Manjhi Moves a Mountain look as especially intriguing!
ReplyDeleteNancy, I love your post. Thank you for cluing us into your thoughts and reasoning process in collecting and reviewing these particular mentor texts and how they can be used to help find the heart of your own story. <3
ReplyDeleteA great group of books. I love the idea of finding a group of books similar to a story I'm working on to sift through them and find what makes them sing to me!
ReplyDeleteGreat example of how mentor texts can help our writing! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI write PB biographies and especially appreciated this post. The biographies were wonderfully entertaining, inspirational, and educational. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNancy, I love these mentor text recommendations, since I'm working on a pb bio right now. Wonderful post; thanks very much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these mentor texts with us. I appreciated your sharing how you used them to inform your own writing. It will be interesting to try this with my own manuscripts. Valuable insights!
ReplyDeleteGreat reading selections and observations to ponder. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful mentor texts, thank you! And thank you for your helpful insights.
ReplyDeleteWhat great mentor texts! I love THE RIGHT WORD. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteYes, these texts have so much to teach us. As a young girl I played rhapsody in Blue. I am ordering The music in George's Head for my permanent collection. Thanks for these delightful reads.
Dear Nancy,
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong devotee of Roget's Thesaurus, I can't wait to read The Right Word. Thank you for all your recommendations!
Nancy, thank-you for flaming the cinders of a fire long left abandoned. I have two biographical PBs that I have worked on. The completed manuscripts, just weren't working, so I set them aside. I'm looking forward to studying your suggested mentor texts and seeing how I can apply them. I already see how the Ginsberg book and Radiant Child might be helpful. Also, thanks for sharing your editor's advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an enlightening post, Nancy. I love biographies and will certainly use your recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! I especially like your point about how Jen Bryant's text showed how Peter Roget saw the world through lists. Melissa Stewart's illustration supported that brilliantly.
ReplyDeleteLove your mentor text suggestions!
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing us first hand how mentor books can be used for our stories.
ReplyDeleteGreat picks for mentor books, Nancy. And great reasoning behind the picks. Can't wait to see your new one.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices Nancy...I love these books!
ReplyDeleteI kerp thinki g biographies aren't for me, and then realuze how many rabvit goles I go down in just onw day folliwing my curiosity avout peiple. Thanks foe tbwse texts, Nancy. Hatd to believe we are only 8 days into reforemo. I'm loving all the texts so much, my house is filling up because I want to keep re-reading!
ReplyDeleteFabulous books! Thank you, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteI love picture book biographies! Thank you for sharing these great examples and how they were useful to you as you wrote your story!
ReplyDeleteI love picture book biographies! Thank you for sharing these great examples and how they were useful to you as you wrote your story!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that great selection of books! I like the way you connected each one specifically to the text you are writing now. Looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDelete"I didn't know how much I didn't know..." Ain't that the truth! Thanks for the honest words, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteGreat reading about how each of these texts related to your own work. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to zero in on a particular plot theme or language technique that pulls together a book - insight to bring to one's own works for what's working, what's missing, and ideas for revision. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOf all these NF PBs, I hadn't read I Dissent. It took a while to get it from the library and it finally came in the day before.
ReplyDeleteSo, there I was on Women's Day... standing at my writing desk... SOBBING!
And, there's the power of a great picture book.
It wasn't until very recently that I started seeing PB biographies in a whole new light. The new biographies do a fantastic job of introducing kids to historic figures in ways that they will remember. ReFoReMo has added to the wonderful list I had already been accumulating - these mentor texts were great! Thanks for letting us share your journey to find music in the texts! Liz Tipping
ReplyDeleteI love your quote, "The beauty of ReFoReMo is that an idea you pick up from here or there may lead you to the magic ingredient that will bring your manuscript to life." It's so encouraging to learn from traditionally published authors and to find out that many of them are still learning, too! Thank you for sharing your helpful insights.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great explanation of how to use mentor texts! What are we missing in our manuscripts and what authors have that ingredient? Read, read, read! Congrats on your latest book, Nancy. I look forward to reading it. (Mary McClellan)
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful example of using books for research for a current project. This was so inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI know from personal experience how hard you work to make your stories sing, Nancy...and you always do! Thank you so much for 5 excellent mentor texts and how and why you used them. Loved your post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful suggestions and congratulations to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for terrific insights and list of books.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked biographies, but never thought I could write one. These are great examples. Maybe I can. Thank you for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteAmazing examples! Thank you. Now I am off to the library (or to lurk around the bookstore yet again) to do some very enjoyable research.
ReplyDeleteThis was very inspirational; thank you Nancy.
ReplyDeleteNancy, I absolutely love your book about William Hoy. He was one of my uncle's favorite baseball players which makes sense because my uncle was deaf.
ReplyDeleteYour assignment was a great one as you gave us new thoughts about each of those mentor texts we might not have pondered. Thank you and good luck with your next releases.
Thank you so much, Nancy! I really enjoyed the selections, though I wasn't able to get all of them. Dizzy and The Right Word were my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI love picture book biographies and learning about the "real" people behind them. Thanks you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNancy, i share the same fear where i don't know what I don't know about PBs. There are lot of biographies i wish to produce as PBs so reading this post is really helpful.
ReplyDeleteFantastic biographies, especially The Music in George's Head. All wonderful mentor texts for a project I'm working on. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteA nice list - thanks for sharing. I have added a few to my Hold list at the library.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! It was helpful to know how you use mentor texts. I loved the first sentence of "Radiant Child".
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for an inspiring post, Nancy, and congratulations on your continued success!
ReplyDeleteA great line-up -- and LOVED your book. Thanks, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your enthusiasm, Nancy. I had never thought I'd want to write a picture book biography, but you've made me start considering it.
ReplyDeleteThis list inspires...eager to read all of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently working through the beginnings of a PB biography and I know some of these mentor texts will help me in that process. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat selections, super helpful, thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post and title suggestions.
ReplyDeleteGreat list. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete