by Janie Reinart
Grab a cup of hot chocolate and embrace the snow and cold for inspiration. We have five inches of snow and ice in Ohio, today. Write a story using the elements as your setting.
The snow blows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen...
Not a footprint to be seen...
The wind is howling like the swirling storm inside. . .
According to Rebecca McClanahan’s "Word Painting," setting includes time and place, as well as the accoutrements therein such as a waterfall in a jungle or clock ticking by a bed (McClanahan, 171).
Emily Jenkins uses lyrical language and the snowy setting to help Plastic ( the Red Ball) change from being bookish to becoming poetic.
When asked what snow is Sting Ray says, "It's a blanket of peace over the world."
"No, it's frozen water," says Plastic. "I read it in a book."
Are We There Yeti? by Ashlyn Anstee casts Yeti as the school bus driver. The children ask where
they are going and Yeti tells them it is a surprise. After a long trip, they end up in the snow covered
mountains and find...
"Now what?"
"Go have fun!"
Salina Yoon tells a tale of friendship. Penguin wants to know whats wrong with his friend.
"It's too cold here," said Grandpa. "Pinecone belongs in the forest far, far away. He can't grow big
and strong on the ice."
What are your favorite mentor texts that use snow and ice as the setting. Please share in the comments. Stay warm and write your snowy story.
Of course, THE SNOWY DAY. But I also like SAMSON IN THE SNOW by Philip Stead, and John Rocco's BLIZZARD. Being in Las Vegas where I am still wearing shorts and flip-flops, I can use all the wintry inspiration I can get.
ReplyDeleteHi David, Would be happy to send you a box of snow. I need to look up Samson in the Snow. Thanks.
DeleteFrom where I sit at my desk in Edmonton, Alberta, I see the snow covered ground from my view through my window. I really like Susan Jeffers beautiful illustrations in Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.
ReplyDeleteI love Susan Jeffers art work!
DeleteThe Day the Crayons Quit was the mentor text/inspiration for my snowy/winter setting NF PB, A Warm Winter Tail. Like Drew Daywalt's shift in perspective, my goal was to switch the traditional perspective of people thinking about animals' adaptations to cold to animals thinking about how people stay warm. Strange but true :)
ReplyDeleteCarrie, Sounds awesome!
DeleteThe board book - The Snow Globe [an ingenious format]. And picture books - SHELTER [2017 tale of newcomers and a snowy storm], THE THREE BEARS (Jan Brett)[she has so many delightful books that center on snowy days!, THE MAGIC DREIDELS (Eric A Kimmel)[a bleak,cold winter w/ MC facing months & the holiday w/little food is rescued by a dreidel], and THE SNOW SPEAKS (Nancy Carlstrom)[a beautiful book about the shapes and wonder of a snowy day] are some of my favorites
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great suggestions. I always enjoy Jan Brett.
DeleteOVER AND UNDER THE SNOW and A POEM FOR PETER are two of my favorites. It's cold and the perfect day to use as inspiration for a story. Thank you, Janie, for warming my brain to better thoughts of the icy day at my place :)
ReplyDeleteStay warm and happy writing, Charlotte.
DeleteBEST IN SNOW by April Pulley Sayre! I read TOYS MEET SNOW with kids last week too. I also love TEN ON THE SLED by Kim Norman and IF IT'S SNOWY AND YOU KNOW IT, CLAP YOUR PAWS also by Kim Norman.
ReplyDeleteHi Marcie, I will have to check out Kim's books.
DeleteOf course I love THE SNOWY DAY, but also THE MITTEN, THE BIGGEST, BEST SNOWMAN (Hmm, I might have that wrong for the title), oohhhh, I can't think of the names! I LOVE snow books.
ReplyDeleteAngie, I used to use a sleeping bag for a mitten. The "animals" would sit around the edges with their feet in the bag/mitten, when we acted out the story in class. It was fascinating that without prompting, every time the mitten would pop, someone would somersault out of the bag.
DeleteBEST IN SNOW and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, both wonderful! And I have SNOWMAN-COLD=PUDDLE coming out in 2019 :>)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Laura congrats on your new book baby!
DeleteI agree that OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW and SNOWY DAY are both fabulous snowy day reads. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol.
DeleteGreat post! Thank you!
ReplyDelete