For The Love Of Mentor Texts - Marcie Atkins

Welcome to another post in my series For The Love of Mentor Texts! We're celebrating today with some mentor texts for writing novels in verse from Marcie Flinchum Atkins. I hope you are as inspired by her ideas as I am!

Would you like to write a guest post for For The Love of Mentor Texts? Just let me know by filling out this simple form. 

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Using Mentor Texts to Revise a Novel in Verse

By Marcie Flinchum Atkins

I use mentor texts at all different points in my writing process, and I use them for just about every type of book that I write (picture book, middle grade, poetry). I began a novel in verse a few years ago, then put it in a box. This past spring, something made me pull it back out again. I planned to attend a Novel in Verse retreat at Highlights in an effort to revise this book. At different stops along this process, I used other novels in verse as mentor texts.

Read

The first thing I do when I’m studying a particular type of book is read a LOT of it. Heather Sellers calls this THE BOOK 100 in her book CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER. The idea is that before you ever set out to write a particular type of book, you have read 100 of them. Writing a mystery for middle grade readers? Read 100 of them. Writing a magical realism book for young adults? Read 100 of them.

Several years ago, I started reading lots of novels in verse. As I planned to attend Highlights, I read even more. Here are a few good lists to get you started:  

* 100 Must Read YA Novels in Verse

* Sarah Tregay’s Books of Novels in Verse

Then I began to read specifically. For example, I love Margarita Engle’s novels in verse, so I started reading as many of her books as I could. I also wanted to read as many books set in other countries as I could. Mine is set in Thailand, but I wanted to see how authors shared their stories set in other countries.

Study

As I read those dozens of novels in verse, I took a look at setting and character and style in a more holistic way. But as I begin to hone my own novel in verse, I wanted to look into two specific things: Beginnings and Transitions.

An agent showed some interest in my novel but noted some issues with my beginning. I wanted to study some things that other writers did in the beginnings of their novels in verse to ground the reader. I read several beginnings of novels in verse and made detailed notes.

I noted things such as:

* Beginning Information

In some cases, there was some sort of beginning information in the form of a quote, a note, a preface, or even headings of some kind set apart to tie the reader to place, time, or both.

I also wrote down the kind of information that was provided for the reader. I love studying the ways that the book layout even contributes to the overall reading experience.

* Titles of poems

As I read titles of the poems and wrote them down, I wanted to see how the titles fit with the overall poem. Sometimes the poem titles served as the first line of the poem.

My biggest takeaway is that titles often served as transitions. One of the questions I asked Caroline Rose Starr in her Teachers Write post was about how she does transitions.

Other times, transitions came in the form of locations and dates in between poems.

* Poem Content

As part of my study of beginnings, I also wanted to see what kind of information was conveyed in the first 8-10 poems. As I studied those opening poems in each book, I actually made notes on what information was given: character, setting, plotting, and how it was handled.

In the aforementioned post by Caroline Starr Rose, she says, “If a prose novel is a rolling film, a verse novel is a collection of still photographs, placed one against the next.” My goal was to see how those “photographs” fit together like a puzzle to form a narrative.

For me, each book I write requires different things. I study different mentor texts at different stages of my process. If you are also writing a novel in verse, I’m including some recent links below. If you are writing a different type of book, I hope you can apply some of my mentor text studying process to your own project.

Links:

• My own reflections after a Highlights Novel in Verse workshop
• Jeannine Atkins “Verse Novels: What Bears Repeating”
• Jeannine Atkins “More on Verse Novels”
• Booklist: Memoirs in Verse
• Nerdy Book Club: Novels in Verse

Marcie Flinchum Atkins has been an elementary educator for 19 years. She is currently a PYP/IB librarian in Falls Church, Virginia by day and writes books for children in the wee hours of the morning. She has a M.A. and M.F.A. in Children's Literature from Hollins University. She blogs about mentor texts at: www.marcieatkins.com. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcieFAtkins.

Marcie and I are curious:

How are you currently studying mentor texts

to help you make your work stronger?

We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

A big bear hug and giant thanks to Marcie for stopping by today!

Poetry Friday - Happiness Is...

 Today Poetry Friday is at Writing The World For Kids with Laura Purdie Salas! 
Be sure to visit and check out all the great poetry posts!

Last year, Little Bean discovered Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. He requested the holiday classics over and over again. It was cute to watch him so excited by characters I loved to watch when I was little. 

We were excited to see that a new Peanuts movie is coming out and then I saw friends Peanutizing themselves on Facebook and knew I had to do it with the kids. We had a blast clicking through all the options, trying out silly combinations, and finally deciding on versions of ourselves that seemed right. 

Mom

Dad

Peanut

Little Bean

There's something about the kids' pictures that look so much like them! Maybe it's just that their personalities seems to shine through more. I wanted to share our Peanutized selves and then I remembered my friend Erin Jackle and her blog posts where she writes about what she loves at the moment or what makes her happy and it reminded me of the song Happiness is... from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I happened to have performed You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown when I was in 4th or 5th grade (I can't remember now!) and it was fun to sing this song. It was my favorite. I'm sharing it here today and then my own version below.

Happiness is...
from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Happiness is, finding a pencil

Pizza with sausage

Telling the time 

Happiness is, learning to whistle 

Tying your shoe for the very first time!  

Happiness is playing the drums in your own, school band

And happiness, is walking hand in hand.

Happiness is, two kinds of ice cream

Knowing a secret

Climbing a tree 

Happiness is, five different crayons 

Catching a firefly 

Setting him free  

Happiness, is being alone every now, and then 

And happiness, is coming home again. 

Happiness is, morning and evening, daytime and nightime too.  

For happiness, is anyone, and anything, at all, that's loved, by you! 

Happiness, is having a sister 

Sharing a sandwich

Getting along! 

Happiness, is singing together when day, is through, 

And happiness is those who sing with you. 

Happiness is morning and evening, daytime and nightime too. 

For happiness, is anyone, and anything, at all, that's loved, by you! 

You're a good man, Charlie Brown.

Happiness is...
by Jen Vincent

Happiness is
groggy kids whispering, "Good morning, Mom"
telling my boys I love them
walking to school

Peanut so excited to tell me about cool science experiments
watching him crouch down to examine a leaf bug on the sidewalk
and declare he could never kill a bug, it's one of his rules

Little Bean singing his letter and number songs
following his tiny finger trace them in the air
and push his glasses up on his nose

fall sun shining into a classroom in the afternoon
driving with the sunroof open and the music blaring
(I still like to do that even though I haven't been a teenager for years...)

a quiet house after everyone has gone to bed
the cool and calm feel of the yoga mat after a long day
the familiarity of the keys under my fingers as I type
seeing my words appear on the screen
hoping someone somewhere will enjoy them

getting to wake up and do it all over again

I so wanted to add an exclamation point at the end there! Little Bean spotted an exclamation point on some artwork we have in our living room and now we've been looking for exclamation points everywhere. He found two today. When he finds one, he points to it and gasps in surprise, looking at me and waiting for me to realize what he's noticed. It's adorable and I wish I could hold every little moment like it in my hand and gently place it in a jar to cherish forever. I would love for you to share what happiness if for you today! 

Poetry Friday - An Interview with Josh Funk!

 Today Poetry Friday is at Today's Little Ditty! 
Be sure to visit and check out all the great poetry posts!

I recently reviewed Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk with illustrations by Brendan Kearney. Then I dragged my kids to our favorite French Toast spot to celebrate! We go to a local diner called The Caboose where we can sit on high stools and look out the window as we wait for a train to go by. They have train history on the walls and a funky caboose mural on one that is pretty fun. The boys love the French Toast there and can never get enough!

Today I'm sharing an interview with Josh Funk, author of Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast! While this adorable picture book isn't actually poetry, it is written in rhyme so it definitely reads like poetry and actually remind me of a Shel Silverstein poem or two. Enjoy!

TMT: In my house, I'm the pancake and waffle fan while my sons and my husband love French toast. I won't make you pimn ck a side...but Peanut (my 8-year-old) would like to know what you like to put on your pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Chocolate chips, whipped cream, sprinkles maybe?

JF: My favorite are those industrial waffle makers where you pour the batter in and flip them over. In fact, I had to teach Debbie Ridpath Ohi how to use one at the Hampton Inn during nErDcampMI. I love the way those giant waffles soak in the syrup and if you pour too much in you get the crispy burnt parts that leak out. One of the best waffles I’ve had is from The Friendly Toast with crushed pecans inside and caramelized bananas on top.

I generally like chocolate chips mixed in with my pancakes. Another one of my favorite restaurants, In a Pickle will even mix in m&m’s, Reese’s, Snickers, Cookie Dough, or Oreos.

For French toast, I prefer nice, thick challah bread as the base. As far as toppings, I IHOP’s boysenberry syrup is my favorite, but I don’t think I could have that all the time. It’s just for special occasions; original maple is perfect for everyday use.

(Excuse me while I wipe the drool off of my face)

TMT: In August, you shared your PB 10 for 10 list (10 pictures book you just can't live without) and your theme was Team Rhyme. You have a rhyme Tumbler and you chose to use rhyme in Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. Can you talk about your process for writing in rhyme?

Just like a wand, I didn’t choose to use rhyme, rhyme chose me. (I’m not claiming to be a rhyme-wizard, btw.) When I started writing picture books, they just came out in rhyme. I’ve since learned how to write in prose; however, all but one of the manuscripts I’ve sold to date is written in rhyme (that one is JACK! [and the beanstalk], Two Lions, 2017).

The most important thing about a rhyming picture book is not the rhyme and rhythm. It’s the story. So first you’ve got to have a good idea, characters, and plot for a picture book.

For me, I think that writing in rhyme adds a certain element of charm. And it’s taken me several years to really figure out how to get it right. The rhythm/meter is what’s critical. You want to make it so the reader has the easiest time reading the story as possible. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it, leading SCBWI workshops about it, and even writing about it on my website.

TMT: What is the best writing advice you have received and what advice would you give student writers?

I honestly can’t think of one piece of advice I’ve received that trumps all others. I’ve had some great mentors from Jane Sutton to Heather Kelly to Anna Staniszewski, and I’ve certainly tried to absorb as much about the craft of writing as I could over the last several years.

As far as advice I can give, it’s: keep writing. Read your stories to your family and friends. And then revise to make them better. Then write more stories. What you write next will be better than what you wrote before.

(Again, it might seem obvious that the more you practice something, the better you’ll get at it, but it’s important to remember this applies to writing as well.)

TMT: What are you reading and loving right now (or recently)? What are some ways what you have read influences your own writing?

Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley and Snoozefest by Samantha Berger are both new favorites.

I think there are two things I really look for when reading picture books.

1. Have I seen something like it before?
2. Does it evoke a strong emotional response?

I don’t know any bedtime books that turn a Woodstock-style festival into a nocturnal Snoozefest, so this fits #1. And Boats for Papa literally made me tear up in the middle of a book store (see #2).

If a book can do both 1 & 2, it’s bound to be a classic (at least in my eyes).

For example, The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart & David Small has a historical fiction angle, is written in epistolary format, has wonderful award-winning illustrations, and gives me chills when Uncle Jim sees Lydia Grace’s garden on a wordless spread.

For me, I think I’ve had an easier time with #1. Evoking an emotional response is tough and it’s certainly something I’m still working on. We’ll see what people think about Dear Dragon next year.

TMT: At Teach Mentor Texts, I'm all about promoting literacy and spreading the love of reading and writing books. How would you finish these statements: 

Reading is... and Writing is...

JF: Reading is...the best way to pass the time between waking and sleeping.

Writing is...where all stories are born.

Thank you, Jen, for inviting me. Oh, and tell Peanut that I prefer to eat my sprinkles plain – out of the container with a spoon.

Thank you, Josh! What a fun interview. I never thought about rhyme picking a writer and I might need to figure out how to frame your reading is... and writing is... sentences.

Good Coffee Strong Coffee and I Like Chocolate

 Today Poetry Friday is at My Juicy Little Universe! 
Be sure to visit and check out all the great poetry posts!

I'm a huge Starbucks fan and lately I've also fallen in love with a local coffee shop called Hansa coffee. They have an amazing cold brew that I love with some almond milk and raw sugar mixed in. Knowing that school officially starts for me on Monday, I thought some back-to-school teacher cartoons might be fun.

Here's one by Mark Anderson that is absolutely perfect! 

(Click on the link to view.)

#6233 from Mark Anderson - www.andertoons.com

And to go along with this sweet cartoon, here's one of my favorite coffee songs from Jars of Clay. After talking about starting the school year and getting writer's notebooks going, I really love the idea of a Favorites tab in notebooks. Or a heart map section where kids can identify their writing territories and usually favorites fit into this. I could write a few things about my trips to Starbucks, the people I see there, my favorite drinks, where I like to sit, which stores have the best baristas. I really could go on and on. 

"Coffee Song"

Call it obsession

Call it fanatical

But I am not trying

To make this a spectacle

I have this craving

Justifies behaving

I really need some of that

Ooo, good coffee

Strong coffee

I need to have some

Ooo, good coffee

Strong coffee

Ooo cappuccino

Double espresso

I need something with

A really big kick

You ask me about creamer

You ask me about sugar

I tell you those things make me sick

With my...

Ooo, good coffee

Strong coffee

I need to have some

Ooo, good coffee

Strong coffee

Maybe you want a similar favorite poem-song that's a little more student friendly? How about an ode to chocolate? 

Here's another back-to-school comic by Mark Anderson! 

(Click on the link to view.)

#6431 from Mark Anderson - www.andertoons.com

And here's a chocolate song from Disney's Choo Choo Soul that always gets in my head....

"I Like Chocolate" 

I Like Chocolate

I like chocolate sauce with chocolate ice cream,

chocolate cake with chocolate frosting,

chocolate milk with chocolate cereal, 

chocolate cupcakes, chocolate milkshakes

Do your dance now, do your chocolate dance

Do your dance now, do your happy dance

Do your dance now, do your chocolate dance

Do your dance now, do your dance now

I like chocolate

I like chocolate

I like chocolate

I like chocolate

Do your dance now, do your happy dance

Do your dance now, do your chocolate dance

Do your dance now, do your happy dance

Do your dance now, do your dance now 

Do your chocolate dance

I like chocolate

I like, I like chocolate

I like, I like chocolate

I like chocolate

I like chocolate sauce with chocolate ice cream,

chocolate cake with chocolate frosting,

chocolate milk with chocolate cereal, 

chocolate cupcakes, chocolate milkshakes

I like chocolate

Do you have any songs about your favorite things to share?

If you are back to school or going back to school, 

I wish you lots of good, strong coffee and chocolate!

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too

 Today Poetry Friday is at The Opposite of Indifference! 
Be sure to visit and check out all the great poetry posts!

We hopped in the car today to visit a local library that was recently renovated and Shel Silverstein's poem Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too popped into my head.

There's something about this poem that I love. 

Maybe it's the way the words roll of my tongue.

Maybe it's the way the poet uses repetition.

Maybe it's the way they go off on an adventure.

Whatever that something is, I like it!

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too

Went for a ride in a flying shoe.

"Hooray!"

"What fun!"

"It's time we flew!"

Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew

And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew

As higher

And higher

And higher they flew,

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too,

Over the sun and beyond the blue.

"Hold on!"

"Stay in!"

"I hope we do!"

Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle too

Never returned to the world they knew,

And nobody

Knows what's

Happened to

Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

Shel Silverstein is such a class children's poet. 

Do you have any favorites by him?

(I dare you to pick just one!)

Poetry Friday - My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks and Brothers

 Today Poetry Friday is at Keri Recommends! 
Be sure to visit and check out all the great poetry posts!

I've had this book on my TBR list for a long time and I finally requested it from the library. It's a cute book that could easily be a fun activity with kids. My own kids loved listening to the comparisons and we started coming up with our own. 

The author takes all sorts of everyday objects and uses them to create portraits of different members of her family and then works them into her description of them, too. Here's my favorite snatch of text from My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven.

"And then there 

is Schmutz.

I'll be honest with you...

Schmutz stinks!

Schmutz is as stinky

as an ONION.

He's as nasty 

as canned FISH,

as icky as PEPPERONI,

and as smelly as

DIRTY SOCKS."

Reading this book is a great opportunity to talk to students about using similes to describe in their writing. I love that this book combines an artwork activity and thinking about how that can link to their writing. I don't think this a book kids will soon forget so it'll be great for them to remind them of when they need to add some description to their writing.

I had so much fun with this book, I thought I would try some similes myself!

Little Bean has a spirit 

as free as a song traveling in the wind.

Peanut has a soul

as thoughtful as a gentle giant.

Little Bean has a face that lights up

as bright as the morning sun.

Peanut has a laugh

as pure as a bubbling stream.

Brothers

as proud as superheroes 

zipping across the sky,

as wild as monkeys 

swinging through the jungle,

as sticky and sweet 

as the gooey chocolate and melty marshmallow 

in a campfire s'more.