Mentor Text Reviews by Tanya Konerman and Elizabeth Saba
In search of ways to master word count in lyrical ways, I pulled
out mentor texts from my “nonfiction idols.” Three from April
Pulley Sayre gave me the inspiration I needed: Best in Snow, Raindrops Roll,
and Full of Fall. These succinct, sensory-rich, and delightfully poetic picture
books captured each of her concepts with flow and flair (not to mention,
wonderful photography by Sayre herself). And most importantly for my revision
struggles, they were still able to provide detailed information with word
counts more in line with the industry standard. How? BACKMATTER! Sayre used the
“story” part of the book to provide an overview and create a feeling about the
subject matter, while offering additional scientific tidbits and facts to
further learning and understanding in her backmatter (which is not included in
word count for picture books).
As you write and revise, consider: Could backmatter help support your nonfiction story’s weight? Would readers benefit from a more lyrical approach to your subject matter? How can you offer an educational book that appeals to the senses?
Tanya Konerman is a bit obsessed with picture books, reading
and studying 15 or more a week throughout the year. She currently writes them
too. You can find her picture book reviews and some other cool stuff at www.tanyakonerman.wordpress.com.
A How To Book without the How To? Pick A Pine Tree written
by Patricia Toht and illustrated by Jarvis is actually a ‘how to’ book. I love
the way Patricia took a tradition, scooped up a plethora of experiences and
items and then laid out the best parts of those in this book. Combined with the
illustrations Pick a Pine Tree is a great mentor text for a jaunty joyful ‘how
to’ book. As a writer, this mentor text shows that you do not need to have ‘how
to’ in the title to be a ‘how to’ book. We can translate that to other genres.
Do you need to say ‘true story’ in a title to indicate that it is nonfiction and so forth. I also took the time to
type this book up to see if I could understand why the page turns and near
rhymes were effective and not distracting. Because of the combination of text
and pictures, readers will identify with at least two if not more experiences
in this book making this a fun, satisfying read and read aloud. The illustrator
does an excellent job enhancing the readers experience with the variety of
characters and scenes throughout the book. Thanks Patricia for a wonderful book to
read and to learn from.
Elizabeth Saba is a children’s book writer. She has an MFA
Certificate in Children’s Literature from the Stonybrook Fellows Program. She
is a literacy advocate, teaches reading and reads aloud to preschool children
and 2nd grade students every Friday. Elizabeth is a member of SCBWI and 12 x
12.
Love all of your examples. Such beautiful books.
ReplyDeleteVery fun post - Like Lauri - these are some of my recent NF favorites!
ReplyDeleteGreat examples of NF books! Thank you, Tanya and Elizabeth :)
ReplyDeleteTanya and Elizabeth, thanks for highlighting these books and topics. I, too, love April Sayre. And I will now find Patricia's book and check it out.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth, for taking a peek at Pick a Pine Tree! It was a lot of fun to break the tree trimming tradition into small pieces and explore each one through rhyme. Pick a Pumpkin comes out next year. Hmm - can you guess what that's about? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree - April Pulley Sayre's books are amazing. Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tanya and Elizabeth for the great post! Now I have some new books to explore. I also appreciate the fresh perspective.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful insight. Very timely for me!! I am familiar with all these titles, but now I need to read them once more. =)
ReplyDeleteI love these books! Full of Fall is the one I have not read, so off I go to find a copy! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThese are great mentor texts. Thanks!
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