Writing – Page 4 – Unleashing Readers

Who Made This Mess? by Laura Gehl, Illustrated by Aleksandar Stojsic

August 8, 2023 by Kellee

Who Made This Mess?
Author: Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Aleksandar Stojsic
Published July 31st, 2023 by Capstone

Summary: Mud splattered everywhere, tangled-up wool in huge piles, and carrot tops strewn about–what in the world is happening in this animal village? It’s quite a mystery! But thanks to rhyming clues, everyone will be able to easily guess the animal culprits–or will they? In this laugh-out-loud, expectation-defying picture book, Laura Gehl (May Saves the Day and The Hiking Viking) uses a rhyming mystery to help readers adjust their outlook, keep an open mind, and learn not to make assumptions.

About the Creators:

Laura Gehl is the award-winning author of more than forty popular picture books, board books, and early readers including One Big Pair of Underwear, Except When They Don’t, My Pillow Keeps Moving, Apple and Magnolia, and the Baby Scientist series. Laura lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and four children. Visit Laura at lauragehl.com.

Twitter: @AuthorLauraGehl
Instagram: @authorlauragehl
Facebook: @AuthorLauraGehl

Aleksandar Stojsic graduated from Novi Sad Academy of Arts in 2006. He is a prolific character designer and children’s book illustrator who has been producing humorous illustrations for clients for over two decades. He has worked with many leading publishers and animators around the world.

Review: The full page, colorful illustrations in combination with the silliness and rhyming will lead to so many kids loving this book. It is entertaining concept that will lead to so much fun back and forth when reading allowed: “Who made that mess??” then kids yell the answer and discuss then continue. It will be so much fun! And it lends it self to reading and writing opportunities in the classroom!

Tools for Navigation: This book will lead to conversations when read aloud and a fun writing activity. First, each new mess gives an opportunity for prediction. Second, because some are unexpected while others aren’t, the predictions can lead to discussions about assumptions. Third, the rhyming text can be used as a mentor text to make their own “Who Made This Mess?” spreads.

Discussion Questions:

Who do you think made the mess?
Were you right or wrong?
Why did you assume ____ had made the mess?
What does this book teach us about assumptions?
Would you want to go to the party?
What type of mess could you write about an animal making? What about a mess YOU make?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Silly animal picture books

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media and Capstone for providing a copy for review!**

Author Guest Post: “Where Story Ideas Come From & Why Personal Narrative Writing Works Best for Me” by Charlotte Offsay, Author of Challah Day!

August 6, 2023August 6, 2023 by Kellee

“Where Story Ideas Come From & Why Personal Narrative Writing Works Best for Me”

One of my favorite questions to ask other authors is where their story ideas come from. It fascinates me that everyone seems to harness creativity differently. Some authors I know will take two things that ton’s typically go together and combine them into a story, for example mashing vampires and a beach vacation lead author Laura Lavoie to write Vampire Vacation. Other authors will create lists – emotions, settings, types of narrators etc. – and challenge themselves to combine them into a story.

Personally, I prefer Personal Narrative Writing and tend to mine my own life for story ideas. I find that when I write from experience or from the heart, it shines through in my writing and brings out my best work. Since I write picture books, I like to take my own personal experiences and then channel them through a child lens and onto the page.

Take for example my upcoming picture book Challah Day! illustrated by the talented Jason Kirschner (8/1/23 from Holiday House). The idea for Challah Day! was born out of a personal experience close to my heart – my love of baking challah with my two young children.

Book Description: Challah Day! is a joyful, rhyming story about a Jewish holiday food that’s baked with love. From kneading sticky dough to gathering with family around the table, Challah Day! celebrates family, food, heritage, and tradition! Join this happy family as they bake delicious braided egg bread for their Friday night Shabbat dinner.

I began making challah with my two young children when they grew old enough to stop trying to eat the raw dough. Making Challah with them has brought clouds of flour, broken eggs, endless laughter, delicious bread and a beautiful timeless tradition into our home. Channeling my joy of baking together led to my writing the first draft of Challah Day! after one particularly giggle-filled baking session.

I sat down and wrote an upbeat, rhyming story about a family baking challah together for Shabbat. I included fun details from my own life, for example one page reads:

Crack the eggs – one… two… three… four
Extra if some hit the floor.

These lines were inspired by the countless eggs my children broke while learning to master cracking eggs.

The lines…

Chocolate? Raisins? Which to use?
It’s not hard for us to choose!

…come from my daughter who loves to try and fit an entire bag of chocolate chips into her challah dough.

And the lines…

Grandma lights the candles bright.
She and Grandpa hold us tight.

…were inspired by my in-laws who still scoop my children close every time we light the Shabbat candles together.

Mining personal experiences for story ideas can be a great way to help students create their own stories – everyone has a story to tell! Students can choose to stick close to their personal experiences the way I did with Challah Day! or they can use the concept as inspiration and then take artistic license.

Personal Narrative Writing Prompts:

Write about a food that you love to cook or bake with your family.
Describe a favorite tradition or holiday.
Where is your favorite place to visit and why?
What was the best day you have ever had?
Write about your first sleepover
What is something that you are proud of?
What is the silliest thing that has ever happened to you?

Steps:

Pick a personal narrative writing prompt.
Who are the characters in your story?
What are the steps or order of events in your story?
What fun personal details can you add?
Write an opening line that will introduce your character and make your reader want to keep reading. For example, “The silliest thing that ever happened to me was ____” Or “I am proud of ____ because _____.”
Write about the events that happened in your story while keeping the action moving forward. Follow your order of events using words such as: First, Next, Then, Finally.
Incorporate your fun personal details as you write just like I did for Challah Day! Add adjectives/describing words and answer the following questions within your story: Who, What, Where, Why or How.
Conclude your story with one of the following:
1. How things ended
2. What you learned
3. What you will never forget
4. How the story changed you/made you look at the world differently
5. What you look forward to doing next time

Happy creating!

About the Author: CHARLOTTE OFFSAY was born in England, grew up in Boston, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. Through her work, Charlotte hopes to make children laugh, to inspire curiosity, and to create a magical world her readers can lose themselves in time and time again.

Charlotte is the author of The Quiet Forest, illustrated by Abi Cushman (Paula Wiseman Books, 2024), Challah Day!, illustrated by Jason Kirschner (Holiday House, 2023), A Grandma’s Magic, illustrated by Asa Gilland (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, April 2022), The Big Beach Cleanup, illustrated by Kate Rewse (Albert Whitman, 2021), and How to Return a Monster, illustrated by Rea Zhai (Beaming Books, 2021).

Learn more about Charlotte’s work at charlotteoffsay.com and follow her on Twitter and Tiktok at @COffsay and on Instagram at @picturebookrecommendations. Charlotte is represented by Nicole Geiger at Full Circle Literary.

Thank you, Charlotte, for this post about your process and ideas to help kids with theirs!

Peaceful Me and Angry Me by Sandra V. Feder, Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell

June 20, 2023 by Kellee

Peaceful Me & Angry Me
Author: Sandra V. Feder
Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell
Published May 2nd, 2023 & May 1st, 2022 by Groundwood Books

Peaceful Me Summary: A young child tells us about the different times when he feels peaceful, as well as how he copes when he needs to find a peaceful state again.

Acclaimed picture-book creators Sandra V. Feder and Rahele Jomepour Bell have teamed up once again to create a thoughtful and beautifully illustrated exploration of peacefulness.

“I like feeling peaceful,” the young narrator tells us, then describes the times when he is filled with this emotion. When he is playing with a friend, he feels “free peaceful”; when he is having family dinner, “yummy peaceful”; when he is outside gazing up at the sky, “fluffy clouds peaceful”. But, of course, he doesn’t always feel peaceful, and we hear about his strategies for coping during those times, such as taking deep breaths, imagining his favorite things, and finding a quiet refuge or a hug.

Peaceful Me is the perfect companion to Angry Me — together, they encourage readers to let anger come and go, while inviting peace to come and stay.

Angry Me Summary: A young child tells us what makes her angry and how she tries to let the anger come and go. An artful starting point for conversations about strong feelings.

“I get angry,” says a little girl, looking fiercely in the mirror. Sometimes she gets angry when someone is mean and tries to take her toy away, when it feels unfair that there’s not enough time to go swimming, when she’s tired and just wants to go home, or when the kids at school leave her out, hurting her feelings.

When she’s angry, she tries to remember to use her words — even though that doesn’t always work. Sometimes she can’t find the right words, or the words don’t come out the way she intends. But sometimes words do help, and when her anger melts away a new feeling can blossom.

Sandra Feder’s cleverly constructed text presents different situations in which a child might feel angry, creating a nuanced look at anger and its many underlying emotions. Rahele Jomepour Bell’s illustrations show a loveable, angry little girl, brimming with personality, who learns how to express herself as she moves through her feelings.

Praise for Angry Me:

“A valuable tool for teaching children the important skill of recognizing and naming feelings.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A fresh addition to teeming ‘anger management’ shelves.” —Booklist

“Artfully captures the nuances of anger. STARRED REVIEW” —Shelf Awareness

“An effective springboard for discussing a topic that may be hard for young children to verbalize.” —School Library Connection

About the Creators:

SANDRA V. FEDER is the author of three acclaimed picture books: Angry Me, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell; Bitter and Sweet, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker, a PJ Library selection; and The Moon Inside, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro, which has been translated into multiple languages. She has also written the Daisy series of early chapter books, illustrated by Susan Mitchell. Sandra lives in California.

RAHELE JOMEPOUR BELL’s charming illustrations have appeared in Angry Me by Sandra V. Feder, The Treasure Box by Dave J. Keane and Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali (Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year), among others. She has also published seven picture books in Iran and has received a number of awards and honors for her work.

Review: These are such important books! Children become better adults when they can learn to name and deal with the actual feelings they are feeling, and these texts start this process. These books would be perfect to use at the beginning of the year to talk about emotional regulation and how conflicts will be resolved in the classroom. I also think that parents will benefit from these texts to discussion emotions, as will therapists and counselors. They are so multifaceted!

What made these books even more special were the way that the text does one purpose and then the illustrations add a whole other element to the book. I would love to see these books used not only with a social emotional learning purpose, but also use the illustrations to tie in narrative and creative writing elements. Students can take what they learn in the illustrations and write a whole other story!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation (from the publisher):

Key Text Features:
- explanation
- illustrations
- vignettes
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Discussion Questions:

When do you feel peaceful? Angry?
What is your favorite time you feel peaceful?
How do you deal with feeling angry? What can you do to turn from angry to peaceful?
Is it better to talk about your feelings or hold them in?
How does talking about your feelings help you process?
How do the illustrations of Peaceful Me and Angry Me help you with understanding the book better? How do they support the message of the book(s)?
What is the main theme of Peaceful Me? Angry Me?

Flagged Passages:

Peaceful Me

Angry Me

Read This If You Love: Jory John’s & Pete Oswald’s Food Group Books; Sunny and Oswaldo by Nicole Melleby, Illustrated by Alexandra Colombo; Invisible Things by Andy J. Pizza, Illustrated by Sophie Miller; I Don’t Care by Julie Fogliano & Molly Idle, Illustrated by Juana Martinez Neal; In the Blue by Erin Hourigan; Harold the Iceberg Melts Down by Lisa Wyzlic, Illustrated by Rebecca Syracus

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Nicole Banholzer PR for providing copies for review!**

Author Guest Post: “Notice What You Feel” by Christie Matheson, Author of Select

June 18, 2023 by Kellee

“Notice What You Feel”

There’s a short scene in my book Select during which the main character, Alex, notices a woman across a crowded city street running to catch a bus. She’s carrying heavy bags and moving as fast as she can. A man waiting at the bus stop sees her, and Alex assumes he will alert the bus driver so the bus can wait a few seconds for her to get on. But the man doesn’t do that, and the bus speeds away, leaving the woman alone and distressed on the sidewalk.

Alex feels sad and frustrated that she couldn’t do anything to help—and that the man chose not to help when he could have. She pays attention to her feelings, and thinks about the people in this world who choose to help when they can, and those who choose not to help.

This scene was inspired by reality. Not too long before I wrote that scene, I saw this exact thing happen from a distance. It made my heart hurt for the woman who was left on the sidewalk with her heavy bags. I wished I could have done something to help. And as soon as I had the chance, I wrote about it quickly in my notebook and later wrote the scene. Is it critical to the plot of the book? No, not really. Does it help us understand how Alex sees people and the world? I hope so.

Every day, we will witness and experience things that make us feel something. It might be sadness, or a glimmer of joy, or full-blown excitement, or a sense of unexpected calm. It might happen while we are out and about, or at home, or while reading. When we are struck by noticeable feelings, I think it’s important that we take the time to notice them. Pay attention to them. Wonder about them. (What was it that caused the feeling? Why?) Feel them fully. And maybe write about them.

Noticing our feelings and what sparks them can help us be more present and aware of what’s happening in the world, and possibly deepen our understanding of ourselves and others.

It can also help us to think more clearly about books. After reading a chapter or a whole book, we can ask ourselves: Which scenes made me feel something? What did they make me feel? Why? Do I want to read more books that make me feel this way?

And finally, if you write down the tiny details of something you saw or experienced, and how it made you feel, that just might go into a book you write!

Published May 9th, 2023 by Random House Books for Young Readers

About the Book: One girl and her soccer team take a stand against the bullies who push them too far in this brave, inspiring novel that celebrates girl power and the true spirit of sports. Perfect for readers who love The Crossover and Fighting Words.

“A tale of terrific girl power and athleticism.” —Kirkus Reviews

Twelve-year-old Alex loves playing soccer, and she’s good at it, too. Very good. When her skills land her a free ride to play for Select, an elite soccer club, it feels like a huge opportunity. Joining Select could be the key to a college scholarship and a bright future—one that Alex’s family can’t promise her.

But as the team gets better and better, her new coach pushes the players harder and harder, until soccer starts to feel more like punishment than fun. And then there comes a point where enough is enough, and Alex and her teammates must take a stand to find a better way to make their soccer dreams come true.

Powerful and inspiring, Select explores the important difference between positive and negative coaching and celebrates the true spirit of sports.

About the Author: Christie Matheson is the author of Shelter and is also the author-illustrator of many picture books, including Tap the Magic Tree, Touch the Brightest Star, and Bird Watch. She lives in San Francisco with her family.

Thank you, Christie, for this wonderful writing tip!

The Witness Trees: Historic Moments and the Trees Who Watched Them Happen by Ryan G. Van Cleave, Illustrated by Ððm Ððm

May 2, 2023 by Kellee

The Witness Trees: Historic Moments and the Trees Who Watch Them Happen
Author: Ryan G. Van Cleave
Illustrator: Ððm Ððm
Publishing May 9th, 2023 by Bushel & Peck Books

Summary: For generations, trees have silently witnessed history’s most pivotal moments. Here are their stories.

In the sweep of wind over grass,
near the pulse of rivers,
we stand,
monuments of bark
and age-curled green.

Above, an avalanche of stars.
Below, the ocean of earth.
Within, the uncounted lives
birthed, bloomed, and plucked
from the gardens we tend.

We survive.
We remember.
We witness.

In evocative verse and stunning artwork, Witness Trees is the story of the world’s most enduring witnesses: the trees. From the Flower of Kent apple tree still standing in Sir Isaac Newton’s yard, to the English oak given to Jesse Owens after facing down Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, to the California redwood saved from destruction by July Butterfly Hill, to the Callery pear tree still miraculously alive after the World Trade Towers fell, Witness Trees is a moving tribute to the world’s most famous trees, many of which still need humanity’s protection. Be moved, be inspired, be amazed by the quiet, reverberating voices of nature’s sentinels: the witness trees.

For each tree depicted, there is information about that tree and the events it witnessed. Among the trees lovingly discussed are 20 trees you can visit today.

About the Creators:

Ryan G. Van Cleave wrote his first poem at age five, and he’s been writing, reading, and loving poetry ever since. He earned a Ph.D. in American Literature with an emphasis in poetry and has taught at numerous colleges and universities. Currently, he runs the creative writing major at Ringling College of Art and Design. As The Picture Book Whisperer, he helps celebrities and high-profile clients write picture books and kidlit projects. Visit his blog at https://www.onlypicturebooks.com/.

Ððm Ððm is an illustrator who uses his art to sow seeds of joy. He has illustrated multiple books and lives in Vietnam.

Review: This book is intriguing and beautiful. First, the verse is very well written. It is lyrical and beautiful–it will lend its self so well to reading aloud. Second, the art is superb! It is realistic, colorful, eye catching, and breathtaking! Third, the idea of this book is just so fascinating. I, obviously, knew trees had been around much longer than most of us could imagine, but to see the timeline included in the book and all of the history included within just blew my mind.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: It would be amazing to take each of the Witness Trees and let a group of students learn more about the historical event as well as the tree that witnessed it. Each group could then present to the class. (Please note that many of the events are tragic, so choose the events and students for each wisely.)

Also, at the beginning of the book, the author includes some trees that aren’t included in the book, so students could take each of these books and create their own spreads with a poem about the tree based in its history.

Discussion Questions:

How does the author’s choice of verse affect the tone of the book?
How did the illustrators structure of putting the tree on one side of a spread and an illustration related to the history on the other side add to the history shared?
What makes trees so amazing? What about these trees specifically?
What time in history do you wonder if there is a Witness Tree for it? (Extension: Have students research and see if there is one.)

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: History, Interest in trees, Picture books in verse

Recommended For:

**Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review!**

Maps for Penguins and Other Traveling Animals by Tracey Turner, Illustrated by Hui Skipp

April 25, 2023 by Kellee

Maps for Penguins and Other Traveling Penguins
Author: Tracey Turner
Illustrator: Hui Skipp
Published January 1st, 2022 by Kane Miller Press

Summary: Follow the treks, long or short, made by ten different animals all over the world.

Animals don’t actually use maps, so how do they find their way without them? This book focuses on different animals, including elephants, penguins, tigers, and more, and maps of their migrations, territories, and routes to food. Along with discovering fascinating information about the animals and their amazing ability to navigate without GPS, readers will also learn about distances, geography, climate, and habitats .

Includes:

Migration paths plus lots of facts about ten animals and their varying habitats.
Introduction to maps and geography.
Glossary and index included.
Perfect STEM title.

About the Author: Tracey Turner is an author and editor has written more than 70 books that cover a wide range of topics. She lives in Bath, England, with her partner and son.

Review: This book is the perfect book for the scientist or animal lover kid in your life! It has so much information that readers will find interesting, even more than what is promised. In addition to maps and migration information, the author includes information about diet, mating, families, habits, and more! And the variety of the animals, from all over the world and habitats, are great also, so the reader takes a trip around the world. All accompanied by colorful and eye catching illustrations! All accompanied by colorful and eye catching illustrations!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers will find so much to use in classrooms! I would love to see this used in a jig saw where each member of a group is given one of the animals, learns all about them by studying the 2 spreads about the animal, then going back to their home group to share what they learned. It could also be used as a jumping off for an inquiry project about another animal using Maps for Penguins as a mentor text for creating their own maps and information spread. The book is also a great early introduction to geography and maps and the glossary and index in the back are helpful to the reader as well.

Discussion Questions:

Which animal migrates or has habitats near where you live?
Which animal would you like to learn more about?
What other animals do you know about that migrate or travel in another way?
Why do animals travel? What are some similarities/differences between the different animals and why/how they travel?
Which continents were represented in the book? Which oceans?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Animals, Geography

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Lynn at Kane Miller for providing a copy for review!**

Student Voices: Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s Visit to Kellee’s Middle School

June 7, 2023March 28, 2023 by Kellee

I am so lucky because my principal began an initiative at my school where we get to have an author visit our school yearly (2022: Nathan Hale, 2020: Neal Shusterman, 2019: Jennifer A. Nielsen). The author sees all students in the school, so it is a great community literacy event for my school, and I love being able to bring this experience to all 1200+ students each year!

This year, we hosted Christina Diaz Gonzalez!
The visit was phenomenal and included 5 presentations for approximately 240 kids, book signings, and a small presentation in Spanish for our emerging bilingual students who have been in the US for a year or less. It was all such an amazing experience!

Here are some reflections from my students from after the visit. I asked them to think about what they learned, what they enjoyed, how they were impacted, or anything else they wanted to share:

The Christina Diaz Gonzalez visit was something I will cherish forever. I learned to normalize authors and realize how authors are real people and how they’re not magical beings with neverending ideas. I enjoyed how she managed to keep the presentation light and sweet but as well as interactive, she made me interested in so many more of her books!…I love how she reminds us how important Hispanic Representation is. These author trips are something I will forever cherish when I go to High School. Thank you for putting the effort and time into doing this Mrs. Moye! I really appreciate it!
[The visit] impacted me because it showed me that I could accomplish my dreams.
I learned that you can pursue whatever you like and you should be passionate about what you want to do.
I learned a lot from her visit to our school, and it was really cool! I learned about how it could be a struggle to write a book, and how 1 book or author can inspire someone. I really liked how she got to answer my question, and how a lot of people cared to ask many questions which made it even more detailed and fun to listen to stories. I feel like it impacted me, and some other people, to encourage them to be an author. I am currently writing a book, and her amazing books are encouraging me to finish my book. I am so glad she came because it was really cool to see an author explain and show about writing books.
I’m glad she came because her whole presentation was just amazing, I liked that I had the opportunity to meet her and I liked the tips she gave us and of course, the stories that she told us.
I am glad she came because in my other school we never got a visit like this one.

Well, I really enjoyed how much Christina Diaz Gonzalez was like an everyday person. You see famous people on the back of book covers, and their names on movie posters, and things like that. You expect them to be a different way. You expect them to be different from everybody else. But that’s obviously not the case seeing as many actors, authors, and directors all act just as normal as everyday people. Christina Diaz Gonzalez seemed just as normal as me and I respect her a lot for this.
I very much enjoyed how she let us ask questions, and I liked the questions that the kids asks.
This visit also made me think differently about books like how you can relate to a story really easily or learn something new every day.
From the Christina Diaz Gonzalez visit, I learned that being an author is harder than people may think. I enjoyed that she was fun. She spoke in a way where you can’t really get too bored or bored at all and she showed us those cool trailers of her books. This impacted me by meeting someone who’s Cuban. I don’t ever meet any others that are Cuban.
I learned that she has a similar childhood to some of the people at the school that don’t know how to speak English or understand it. I’m glad she came because the whole school knew about her books and to be able to see those students that were so excited to meet her happy and to get to know her more.
What I learned from yesterday was that Christiana Diaz Gonzalez is an inspiring author that uses her family to help write her books, which I enjoyed. It inspired me to try to write my own stories about my family. I am glad she came to HCMS because she has a difficult past, and I have had one too.
During the part where she was talking about her very first story that she had written, it made me think about how creativity really does come from anything. A little thought can slowly grow and grow, it just needs a little bit of effort added into it, so that impacted me to open my eyes and “see beyond” generic ideas.

As you can see, Christina’s visit was highly engaging and inspiring. I would highly recommend her for a school visit!