By Carrie Charley Brown and Kirsti Call
Our goal on this journey was to grow as writers. Let’s
enhance our growth mindsets by reflecting:
What was your goal as you entered ReFoReMo?
What steps did you take to achieve your goal?
What new skill or knowledge did you learn?
What would you like to learn more about?
What else could you do to make your mentor text journey more
personal or connected?
You could save all of the mentor texts that you want to re-read and look for what they have in common. Then, ask yourself: Why do I like this group of books? What is it about them that moves me?
What are you grateful for? For starters, let’s throw some
thank-yous to the grandstand:
Susannah Richards
Jamie Deenihan
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Heidi Stemple
Matthew Winner
Emma Sector
Mia Wenjen
Christy Mihaly
Ryan T. Higgins
Janie Reinart
Julie Bliven
Ruth Spiro
Cindy Schrauben
Emma Walton Hamilton
Keila Dawson
Charlotte Wenger
Kim Chaffee
Michelle Houts
Deborah Sloan
And us, Carrie Charley Brown and Kirsti Call
Now, it’s your turn! Give yourself a round of applause!
Heck, how about a standing ovation?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
We will be back to announce the prize winners on April 9! Until then, join us in the Facebook Group to share your mentor text analysis of particular books or break down your research process for us! Did you discover something eye-opening? Did you benefit from a certain approach to note-taking? We want to hear what worked for you!
Carrie Charley Brown is the founder and co-coordinator of ReFoReMo. She eats, sleeps, and breathes picture books as a library media specialist, writer, and critique mentor. Carrie contributed as a 2014/2015 CYBILS fiction picture book panelist and regional advisor for SCBWI North Texas. She enjoys supporting the kidlit community by spreading mentor text love.
GIANT round of applause and thank you to - Susannah Richards, Jamie Deenihan,
ReplyDeleteMarcie Flinchum Atkins, Heidi Stemple, Matthew Winner, Emma Sector, Mia Wenjen, Christy Mihaly, Ryan T. Higgins, Janie Reinart, Julie Bliven, Ruth Spiro, Cindy Schrauben, Emma Walton Hamilton, Keila Dawson, Charlotte Wenger
Kim Chaffee, Michelle Houts, Deborah Sloan, AND Carrie Charley Brown and Kirsti Call! All of you made this month fun, enlightening, and helpful. I discovered some new favorites and a couple of helpful mentor books. Thank you so much.
It's been awesome! I don't live in the States anymore so it is hard to get hold of these books without buying them but I'm visiting family this summer for the first time in years and I plan to make a stop at the library with mentor text lists in hand. Thanks for a fabulous month of inspiration!
ReplyDeleteOne other fun thing to do is to look for read-a-louds on youtube. I found some that way that I couldn't get at the library.
DeleteThanks to everybody who worked so hard! This may be the end, but we all refer back to these posts and resources for years to come!
ReplyDeleteWhat! The end so soon!!! This has been a wonderful month of "hearing" guests and reading, reading, reading. thanks to all the presenters-I believe I thank each on in their posts. It's been my first read every day. This morning, I want to THANK Kristi and Carrie for doing all the work of putting this all together. Wow! Wow! Wow! I so appreciate it. Would never have read these books daily-some I'd never heard of. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteYay! Glad you found it helpful!!!
DeleteThanks so much to everyone for highlighting such a wonderful collection of picture books--it's been great to see them organized into groups of books with similar characteristics that emphasize what makes them shine. A fun month!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that it was helpful for you Marcia!
DeleteWhat a great month! I have already had to return some of my earlier books to the library, but others I'm keeping to reread and study. I've also made a spreadsheet with favorite story beginnings to keep track of some effective examples.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading all the blog posts, tips, and book suggestions. Thanks so much, ReFoReMo team!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful month, so many new favorite titles to use as a source of creative guidance and inspiration. Appreciate all you do for the writing community.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great month and wonderful lists of books! I read what i could get from my public library and a few others. It is great to see so many types of books - organizing books by similarities. Thank you Christi and Callie - and all the grandstand of wonderful bloggers!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much to all the people who contributed to this wonderful month of reading. I'm definitely planning on giving this great list of books a second, more thorough reading. Thank you Kristi and Carrie for putting this together.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this opportunity. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, ReFoReMo team! I really appreciate all of you nudging me to read widely. I'm very excited about a PB that I wrote this month.
ReplyDeleteThis has been another incredible journey, and I have loved the variety of books and posts offered us during ReFoReMo. I am still "reading" a few on youtube that I could not find in my library. Thank you, thank you, one and all.
ReplyDeleteThank you ReFo team and all blog posters. You made me think, read new books, and add some to my TBR pile. I didn't read as much this year as I'd like so I won't say I'm a winner, but we all win the we read more.
ReplyDeleteOh, but you are a winner! If I know you, you'll be reading always!
DeleteHooray! Another amazing challenge! Thank you to all who put in their time and energy into ReFoReMo.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading each days list of books and advice by each of your selected commentators. Some of the comments were reminders and some were new and inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting this together. I hope you will keep the list of books posted on the blog for months to come so I can come back again and again.
We will. In fact we still have all our past ReFoReMo lists on the blog also!
DeleteThank you, Carrie, Kristi, and all the contributors for making ReFoReMo the amazing month of learning that it is!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing ReFoReMo month!! Thank you so much for coordinating and to all the blog posters for their time and expertise!
ReplyDeleteThanks for another awesome month of ReFoReMo! I always learn so much, and ever since participating my first year, I have kept up the regular reading habit. I think it's really helped my writing a lot.
ReplyDeleteYay!!! So glad to hear that!
DeleteThank you, Carrie and Kirsti, for the wonderful month of inspiration and knowledge. Thank you, too, to all of those providing the posts and mentor text suggestions. It has been amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carrie and Kirsti, for another wonderful year of reading, reviewing, and reaffirming the joys of a well done picture book. I was introduced to many new books, many of which entered my mentor text notebook. Thanks again, for terrific reads. I appreciate your creation of Reading For Research Month.
ReplyDeleteHow could it be the end of March already??? Because of interlibrary loan limits at my local library, I'll be reading & thinking about many of these wonderful picture book mentor texts for several weeks to come. Thank you, Carrie & Kirsti for being fantastic hosts & organizers! Thank you to all who wrote posts & shared mentor texts! I've truly enjoyed discovering new picture books & revisiting old favorites.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carrie and Kirsti and everyone who posted. I enjoyed the breadth of selections and especially appreciate the inclusion of NF.
ReplyDeleteThank you for another great month of reading mentor texts. I sprinkled in books from the list as well as texts specific to two of my projects. I re-read books to re-think how I felt about them and read many books I haven't had a chance to read. The very first post got me thinking about my own work and the driving force for a story. Thank you to everyone who took time to write a post and share a list.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who posted after researching and developing such terrific mentor text lists, and to Carrie and Kirsti for all the efforts of pulling this together another year. Thank you thank you, all!
ReplyDeleteThank Carrie and Kirsti, and thanks to ALL presenters, for an amazing ReFoReMo. I'm so thankful to be a part of this group. I found you a few years ago and I've been an avid participant ever since. Wishing every one of you the best. You rock!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! So glad to have you represented in the mentor texts this year too!!!
DeleteAnother month of Reforemo went by too fast! Thank you so much for all the work and thought all of you put into it. And now back to my research!
ReplyDeleteCarrie and Kirsti, thank you for all you have done to prepare for ReFoReMo month. I was really looking forward to it this year, and can honestly say I learned a lot by participating! Each post and the mentor texts chosen challenged me to look at picture books in new ways. I appreciate the time involved for all those who participated.
ReplyDeleteI plan on referring back to the posts and to the comments. I took notes in a notebook, but it is helpful to review the original comments from time to time especially when I’m critiquing my own stories. Have a great year!
Thanks for another wonderful round of posts, lists, and prizes. I felt like the book list was broader somehow--a lot of titles that I hadn't seen in other places. I'm thinking about gearing my reading list to coincide with my WIP revision schedule. Of course, some titles won't wait. :)
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to say a HUGE "Thank You" to Carrie and Kristie for all of the time and effort you have spent in putting together another terrific ReFoReMo. I also want to say "Thank You" to all of the authors, illustrators, and editors who donated their time and expertise.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a great month of reading, writing, and learning. I loved the mentor texts given each day and the valuable writing advice. I look forward to ReFoReMo 2020!!
This was my first time with ReFoReMo and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear it, Cheryl!
DeleteI found some books here I may not have discovered otherwise. Thanks to all!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful month of reading, learning, and researching! Thanks so much to all of the presenters and organizers! I can't imagine how much work went into this March Madness of Picture Books! That's what we call it in our RV...just imagine the book stacks. I discovered many new favorite books. Some made me laugh loud - maybe because I need more laughter in my life. Others touched my heart and made me sigh. Quiet or loud, reading picture books is always a win. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis has been another great month of mentor texts. Thank you to all the contributors!
ReplyDeleteThank you to one and all. I experienced a rainbow of feelings and emotions through out the month of March taking part in REFOMORE. I am so excited, overwhelmed, eager, inspired, and moved by the messages shared in the world of picture books. Picture book creators are very special people in my book!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for a fabulous month of books and informative posts!
ReplyDeleteI always gain so much from the books and presenters. Thanks for making it all happen! ☺
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this great month of reading and reflecting! I love adding new titles to my lists of mentor texts and thinking about how they can inform my own writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all the hard work in putting this month together!
ReplyDeleteThis was such an amazing month of reflection and celebration! Thank you so much for all of your work organizing this for us, Carrie and Kirsti, and thank you to each of the guest bloggers! I loved reading books I may not otherwise have chosen, books that I hadn't yet heard of, and re-reading many of my favorites. I loved seeing lost of nonfiction, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for such great posts and lists! And thank you, Kirsti and Carrie, for all your work putting this together!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteThis has been fabulous!👍😃🎉
What an enriching month! Thank you so much to you, Carrie and Kirsti, and to all of the guest bloggers!
ReplyDeleteThank you for another awesome month of thoughtful posts and insights, new books to read, and an entire course in early kid-lit crammed into 30 short days! Reading list, syllabus, marble-covered notebook: it was like going back to school. I have tucked my 2019 notebook up on the shelf with my 2014 - 2018 volumes. All those notes! All those mentor texts! and yes, I have an index...
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
You have an index?! You are awesome! That makes it so easy to go back and refer to these texts over and over as you write!
DeleteWhat a fantastic month. A huge thank you to everyone involved. I love going through the books and breaking down what makes them work. Such a great process.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration -- it was a wonderful month. March came in like a lamb, but we're all going out like lions :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this fantastic experience! I have learned so much -- not just about how to be a better writer but also how to be a better reader! I've added so many new favorites to my shelves and really gotten to know my library. I can't thank you enough.
ReplyDeleteI love that you've really gotten to know your library! Hooray!
DeleteThis is my first year doing this challenge and I was so impressed with the posts and selections. Thank you all for putting this together!
ReplyDeleteHooray for year one and cheers to future years!
DeleteThank you so much for all your hard work and the posts. I used some of the informative posts to revise some of my picture books - and I believe made them much better.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carrie, Kirsti, ReFoReMo team, and contributors! ReFoReMo is with me all year long. I've kept all the lists from previous years. Mentor texts have guided me through my writing. There is always something new to read and insight to be relished.
ReplyDeleteThank you for an amazing month of good reads. Like last year, I'm holding onto the mega kist & all my notes. When I have mire time, I'll be transcribing a few special texts in order to review more closely. Thx again for all your work!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for organizing this ReFoReMo happening, Carrie and Kirsti. I have kept lists of all these examples, ordered many through the library and will refer to them throughout the years. You have provided a great service to all of us. Thank you again.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Carrie and Kristi! Once again ReFoReMo rocks! I love reading lots of new PBs from many different angles!
ReplyDeleteDarcee Freier
I loved participating in ReFoReMo this month. I learned so much about the current market and I valued seeing the creative and literary gifts of current published picture book writers. I was inspired. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for putting this all together. So educational and inspirational!!
ReplyDeleteHeartfelt thanks for this wonderful bookish month!!!
ReplyDeleteThis has been an eye opening experience. I have found mentor texts to LOVE and learn from, I have found new stories to read and tell. Thank you ALL for the work and education.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a wonderful month. I know I am going to be referencing all of the mentor texts in the future and recommending them to others. I thank everyone involved for providing such a rich learning experience!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ladies. Reforemo is always inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI love ReFoReMo. I’ve focused on first and last lines and learned the importance of the last line echoing the first. I wrote Picturebooks because I love reading them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coordinating ReFoReMo again this year. Thanks also to the contributors who shared an outstanding collection of mentor texts and their insights into them. I gleaned much new information and had some questions answered. Reading other's comments led me to consider multiple ideas also. Hopefully, I can apply what I learned to my writing. What a productive month!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all of your time and efforts! This was my first time participating and I really enjoyed the posts and reading the suggested texts!
ReplyDeleteWe are so glad you joined us! Stay tuned for weekly blog posts year round.
DeleteWhat a great month of mentor books and posts. Thank you to those who posted and kudos to Kirsti and Carrie! Fabulous job by all!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone! This was a great month of reading and studying!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a fantastic mentor month! As always, I learned a great deal and appreciate the entire experience! I've also rec'd it to many newbies!
ReplyDeleteThis month went quickly! Of the book list, 29 I can't get through the library and 17 I'm still waiting for, but I've read all the rest; plus I have been finding many of the books mentioned in comments. What a great selection and interesting posts. Special thanks to Carrie and Kirsti for another great ReFoReMo.
ReplyDeleteMy first year participating and I enjoyed it. I read a lot of texts I would probably never would've checked out. I'm looking forward to reading more bios and maybe someday write one myself. I will continue to keep up with reading mentor texts by following past years challenges. I'm happy they're available. Thank you for organizing this.
ReplyDeleteWe are so happy that you decided to participate and also that you will benefit from past year's challenges, as well! And of course, there's always next year, too!
DeleteWhat a whrlwind fantastic month reading picture books, thank you for all the recommendations. I am going to continue reading picture books, that is one thing I have learned, maybe not at the rate of 5 to 10 a day and I do have a handful of my favorites, with 'The Rough Patch' and 'Boats for Papa' leading the way and I am going to think about why it is exactly that I especially like these books. Thank you again! (
ReplyDeleteSo excited to hear that you have a new mentor text habit!
DeleteThank you so much for Reading for research month. I am inspired!
ReplyDelete"ARRG!" said the pirate in my ear as I struggled to "comment" up above and wrote a comment inside the box where I was to type my name. Oh, well, you'll receive two comments of gratitude for organizing such an incredible challenge. This is my first year, and I'm glad that I took the plunge. I spend time in the library reading and taking notes, but after this weekly challenge, the library and I are BFF's! My writing knowledge has grown exponentially from reading so many mentor texts. What a wonderfully, supportive community we "live" in! Thank you, thank you for your hard work. Blessings and best thoughts for your continued success in your writing journeys.
ReplyDeleteYou are BFFs with the library! YAY! Thanks for taking the plunge with us! No plank-walking necessary, only smooth sailing ahead!
DeleteThank you for a very inspiring month of good reads and introducing so many books that were new to me. The month flew by!
ReplyDeleteAlways thankful for the Research for Reading Month event in March. I recognize all of the time and effort everyone put in to make this event a success. Thank you to Carrie, Kirsti, and the many outstanding authors, writers, kid lit folks, and contributors.
ReplyDeleteSuzy Leopold
This was such a great month of learning and reflecting. Found some amazing gems in the recommendations. Thank you to all the participants who shared their thoughts and books with us!
ReplyDeleteThis was great! I was able to check out many of the books, but I still have more on the list to get in the next few weeks. Thanks so much to everyone for doing this!
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to so many books about big topics, bibliotherapy, and serious subjects that I would not have normally read on my own!
ReplyDeletegreat books - great month
ReplyDeleteThe mountain of energy and effort put into this year's ReFoReMo surpassed my pile of books by miles and miles! Thank you to everyone for suggesting such great books, being thoughtful in writing posts, and to Carrie and Kristi for organizing this wonderful month long bonanza of learning fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carrie and Kirsti, and all the guest bloggers. Each year surpasses the last.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great month!
ReplyDeleteI love having books I might otherwise have missed shared with me. So many great books and no library has them all! Thank you (all of you) for sharing a bit of your knowledge and book love with us.
ReplyDeleteThis was/is a terrific month of exploring books. Thank you so much for all of the work that went into this. I am glad to have until April 3 because my last batch of books for the last few days (and some stragglers from others days) is sitting next to me waiting for weekend reading.
ReplyDeleteYou should read them way beyond April 3, Dea! :) Hooray for reading and research staying with us year round!
DeleteOh No!! What an awesome month ... and didn't it fly by! I have learned so much from all these posts and found some brilliant books as a bonus. I think, above all, participating in ReFoReMo has made me a more deliberate and considerate reader. You guys absolutely rock for coordinating this. Huge thanks to you both and to all the posters.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome month! It fly by and I learned so much from the mentor texts. ReFoReMo has made me read more PB and observe and learn how PB principals are woven throughout text.
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping me discover some great new books and to read them more for research than just pleasure.
ReplyDeleteMy goal going into ReFoReMo was to learn from other great authors. I am just starting my writing journey but have a background in art. It's so helpful to read great stories and learn what makes them great. I filled out 2 of the recommended Mentor Text Worksheets each reading day and that has DEFINITELY helped me with my own stories.
ReplyDeleteI like the suggestion of reviewing which stories you liked the most, or which category. That has definitely been helpful to see what kind of stories I want to write! I purchased a few of my favorites from this month but am going to go back and purchase a few more after I review them. Thank you for this unique opportunity!
Glad to hear the worksheets were helpful! We look forward to hearing more from you in the Facebook group year round as you discover new things that work for you!
DeleteThanks to all who contributed to make this a month of discovering many valuable mentor texts!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carrie and Kirsti for all you do to put ReFoReMo together. Thank you to all the picture book people who provided posts. It's so much fun to wake up, grab my phone, and read the post for the day. On Fridays I find myself looking forward to Monday. I've found new favorite books that I make my husband and friends read. My husband can stop teasing me now about the library calling wanting their books back. I look forward to ReFoReMo posts throughout the year and March 2020!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing experience! Thank you for sharing, thank you for delivering an incredible resource to the kidlit community, thank you for sparking interest in areas that may have otherwise been left undiscovered! Thank you All!
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot of the wonderful suggested books, but am still going at it. It's been a fantastic experience. Thanks so much to Carrie and Kirstie and all the mentors!
ReplyDeleteThis was posted by me, Arlene Schenker. Not sure why it was posted as "unknown."
DeleteAnother great month of mentor texts. It boosted my confidence in my "Quiet" manuscripts and helped to push me to go after non-fiction PBs.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for a terrific month. What a gift to have such a thoughtful and intentional guide to this plethora of mentor texts. I've appreciated every post, and I've found some wonderful new books to inform my writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! I enjoyed many of the books I read this month.
ReplyDeleteThank you so so so much! This is my first year participating the whole way through and it was amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone for another fabulous year!! As always, I took so many things away from all the posts and comments.
ReplyDeleteThank you for another wonderful month of exploration and growth!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, how can we thank you enough for what you do! This was an especially great year of ReFoReMo, in my opinion. The mentor texts were well chosen and the posters were fantastic. Carrie and Kirsti, you rock!
ReplyDeleteAnother great year of awesome posts and interesting mentor texts. Thank you to everyone involved!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for another great year! I always find ReFoReMo inspirational. Many, many thanks!
ReplyDeleteA huge thanks to the ReFoReMo team for another great year of reading, researching, and lots of connections. What a fantastic celebration of KidLit!
ReplyDeleteWow, this month went by fast! Thank you Carrie and Kirsti and all the presenting team. I always learn so much and feel so inspired by ReFoReMo!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for organizing everything!
ReplyDeleteMy goal for ReFoReMo was to really read a ton of PB with a different eye than I might normally. I checked out nearly all of them that I could from the library and started off strong. I got behind but caught up toward the end. I learned the cool spreadsheet idea for tracking my reading - that is some serious organization but so good.
I will keep reading and keep writing - thanks for helping me discover new books, new writing friends and new people in the kidlit industry.
I love the growth mindset that you so obviously have! Your goal of reading with a different eye is awesome!
DeleteCarrie and Kirsti,
ReplyDeleteI have so enjoyed all the new books that I haven't had a chance to read. I was just starting to hear what mentor texts were just before joining. I really can understand the value of this now. I'm going to go through past years now as well. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for a great month. I've found some really great mentor texts!!!
ReplyDeleteI found some really great mentor texts. Thank you so much for doing this another year. What a great month!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much- it's been a fantastic month!
ReplyDeleteIs it over already? I went into the month seeking one thing, and in looking for it, I found several other important takeaways. Thank you so much for producing this program!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for leading us all through this challenge! It's such a blessing, to have an uplifting community, and to find new ways to summon the very best of our "writer selves." Research is paramount, and March is always FILLED with growth, in that arena!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great month of picture books!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for these very helpful and interesting posts!
ReplyDeleteThis month has just been amazing! Thank you to all that contributed to my growth this month and throughout the year. I finally started a spreadsheet this year to track my reading and make notes and ratings so I could refer to this list in the future. I plan to enter all of them in Goodreads as well and work on leaving positive reviews throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad it is over, but am very inspired and rejuvenated to start working on some new PB's! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI love reforemo. What a great way to research PBs! Thanks you guys!
ReplyDeleteThis month's study was wonderful and energizing! Thank you all for your big efforts to make it spectacular!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe March is over! At the beginning of the month, the stacks of books seemed overwhelming. Now they're like old friends. And I have to return them to the library now. Sniff.
ReplyDeleteThank you ReFoReMo team! This was my first time participating, and I was really impressed by the posts and the way they inspired me to dig into the mentor texts. I typed up the text from many of my favorite books, and I'm excited to go back now and pick apart what makes them work so well. Just the act of reading so many excellent mentor texts and typing some of the stand out reads has elevated my writing. I've caught the bug to dig into and analyze current picture books, so I'm sure I'll continue in the coming months!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot but in doing this month I always learn about ones that snuck past and love all the various perspectives in every entry a new angle of looking at stories and all so very stimulating. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt was a tough month with lots of distractions, but I made it. Thank you for inspiring me to make research part of my everyday writing practice!
ReplyDeleteThis was absolutely great, thank you all for all the suggestions on researching already published books!
ReplyDeleteA big, no, HUGE thank you to all the contributors for their value input and list of very helpful mentor texts. And Carrie, and Kirsti, thanks for this awesome event.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carrie and Kirsti for arranging this marvelous event, and thanks to all of the wonderful contributors for promoting an embarrassment of rich mentor texts. ReFoReMo was such an effective way for me to explore books I might not have discovered otherwise, and it provided a bevy of insight and fun as I composed my thoughts and responses. I look forward to participating every year!
ReplyDeletewhat a thing to think about- I also unconsciously saved some of the mentor texts while returning others to the library. Why did I save the ones I did? What did they have in common? What was it that moved me especially in these texts more than the others that I returned? great ti think about. Thanks again for this monthly opportunity. March went so fast!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a month! Thank you for all the hard work that goes into putting this together! I look forward to it every year! Thanks again for an amazing month of research and insight.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great month! Thanks to all the contributors, and to the organizers for all your hard work. Such a great list of mentor texts and perspectives. I'm going to miss the daily reflection and encouragement!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I loved this challenge. Thank you to all who put this together. I've learned so much!
ReplyDeleteI got something out of each post, but I especially resonated with Marcie's post on first and last lines. I am going back to my manuscripts with new eyes.
ReplyDelete"You might decide to cut down on the weight of your library haul, but you must keep gifting yourself with the insider knowledge that mentor texts provide." Indeed! I am now in the habit of requesting books as mentor texts for the manuscripts I'm working on.
ReplyDeleteI joined because I started writing picture books this year and had read so few since my own children were small. Thank you for this crash course in picture books--what to look for, how to read them, and by extension, how to write them. I am in awe of the collective wisdom of everyone who posted this month! I also wonder, when do Carrie and Kirsti sleep?
As always, this was wonderful. A big thanks to all the people who shared through the month and a double big thank you to our organizers!
ReplyDeleteSo appreciate all the thought and insights that have been spread through this great exploration - thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for another wonderful year Kirsti and Carrie!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this wonderful month of mentor texts.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe ReFoReMo is already over! Another fabulous year. Thanks to both of you and to all of the mentors!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to this every spring! I always find out about interesting books and I appreciate the chance to think more deeply about them. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great experience. I know it requires great effort and organization. I read some great books and it's always eye-opening to remember how varied and creative picture books can be. You motivate me to keep reading and learning.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this annual event! I love finding new books and learning more about how published books can help me in developing my writing craft.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I had a great time reading this month and came by today to do my rafflecopter entries but it seems I'm too late. Does by April 3 mean anytime before April 3? Bummer!
ReplyDelete