The Woods

The Woods
by Paul Hoppe 

In The Woods, a young boy sets out to find his lost stuffed rabbit before going to bed.  On his quest, he imagines he is in the woods and encounters many scary monsters. To defeat the monsters, he does nice things, and by the end he has his stuffed rabbit and a few other stuffies to snuggle with. 

I see using this book for copycat writing.  Students could follow the organizational structure of searching for a lost item, running into obstacles, and overcoming them.  The obstacles wouldn't need to be monsters, and the solutions wouldn't need to be solved with kindness.  If you assign this copycat write, students  could choose to follow the exact format or invent their own. It could be realistic or fantasy based.  This book could be used a lot of ways. 

Published: 2011

Fig Pudding

Fig Pudding
by Ralph Fletcher


In this work of fictional personal narratives, 11 year old Cliff covers all of the emotions from laughter, tears, shame, and joy.   These stories can be used to teach the ideas trait in writing, especially for expanding details.  Examples of exploded moments, precise details, dialogue, and thought shots are found throughout the book.

Hugs From Pearl

Hugs From Pearl
by Paul Schmid

Pearl is a lovely little porcupine who loves to hug her friends.  Her non-porcupine animal friends don't always love her hugs because Pearl is a porcupine.  Will she ever be able to hug her friends without hurting them?

This book is great for copycat writing.  Students could choose an animal and write about a problem the animal is facing due to one of its physical characteristics.  For example a snail might have trouble hanging out with his faster friends.  Another one might be a dog who can't figure out a way to visit his mouse friends in their mouse hole.

For each story I would ask students to introduce the character and the problem, attempt at least two failed solutions, and finally have a happy resolution. 

This could be done at any time of the year or after an animal research project. 

Published: 2011

Locations: Public library

Me and My Dragon

Me and My Dragon
by David Biedrzycki

In Me and My Dragon, a young boy describes what would happen if he had a pet dragon.

This story is a list of what the boy imagines doing with his dragon.  I could see using this book as an inspiration for writing at any time of the year or after my students complete their animal research project.  Students could list what they would do with their animal.  I would ask them to explode one moment in their story (see Falcon by Tim Jessell for an example).

Published: 2011

Locations: Public library

Falcon

Falcon
by Tim Jesssell

In Falcon, a young boy imagines he is a falcon.  He lists a lot of his actions but really blows up the final moment of the story.  

After reading this story, I would ask my students to imagine they are an animal.  They could list a few actions but would need to explode one moment just like Tim Jessell did. 

Published: 2012

Location: Public Library

Dinosaur Thunder

Dinosaur Thunder
by Marion Dane Bauer
Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

In Dinosaur Thunder, Brannon's family tries to help him get over his fear of thunderstorms.  

After reading this story and Thundercake by Patricia Polacco, I will have my students compare the two stories. Their are a lot of similarities and differences to discover.

Published: 2012

Locations: Public library

Work In Progress

Due to a busy schedule I am only updating Mr. Markey Reads 4 Kids at this time