Mentor Texts for Emergent Writers: Modernizing Mentor Texts

The Context:

Even before they can read and write, three, four, and five year olds are soaking up the beauty of rich illustrations, listening avidly to texts read aloud, and reveling in the sing-songy nature of rhyme and repetition. They laugh uproariously at remarks made inside speech bubbles, delight in lines, shapes, and swaths of color that convey meaning, action, and human emotions, and take comfort in knowing that they can return to their favorite story characters again and again, just by opening up a book. But how do emergent writers make enough sense of mentor texts to actually transfer skills and apply craft moves to their own writing?

When children are at the beginning stages of learning how to write (think: kindergarten), they are literally using every ounce of brain power they have to write a simple sentence. Just as emergent readers have to work hard to decode each word and therefore may not read with great fluency, expression, or comprehension, emergent writers have to integrate so many new skills at once, which can make using mentor texts that much more challenging for them.

Zoom In:

I’ve been thinking about possibilities for mentor texts for emergent writers–some of which are commonly used and others less so. Given all the new skills that young children are working on, it seems to me that mentor texts should be as relevant to their writing lives and as fun to read as possible.

Speech Bubbles: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

Young children love the subtlety and humor of all of Mo Willems’ characters. In some of his books, like the Elephant and Piggie series, they are written entirely in speech bubbles, while in others he uses them sporadically to communicate the silliest and most surprising things. Think of Trixie’s exclamation, “Aggle Flaggle Klabble!” in Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Speech bubbles are particularly accessible to young children because they relate as much to drawing as they do to text. They do not require a lot of words and they can convey a character’s voice in a very immediate way. Children are universally delighted by Willems’ use of speech bubbles. They understand their purpose and feel empowered to try them too. If I were to use this in my classroom I would encourage my students to try using speech bubbles when they want their characters to talk.

Personified Shapes: Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

Children intuitively understand that lines, shapes, and other forms can become characters in books. Perhaps this is because their own drawings begin with approximations of figuration. Perhaps this is also because children have such vivid and full imaginations. Children can relate to abstraction and to simplified representations of people, animals, and things. Little Blue and Little Yellow so beautifully plays upon colors and forms that blend together, run, jump, hide, and cry. Studying a text like this gives children permission to draw and write characters without too much fuss. If I were to use this book as a mentor text in my classroom I would want to convey how much action, feeling, and emotion can be made from simple shapes, forms, colors, and textures.

Playful Language: Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan

In Buffalo Fluffalo, a story about a buffalo who acts tough on the outside but is really sweet and sensitive on the inside, Kalb cleverly weaves together rhyme, repetition, and silly sounding words to tell a charming and heartwarming story. “Fluffalo, huffalo, snuffalo, scruffalo, and enuffalo” are just a few examples of rhyming words she invents, and in doing so she shows the reader that language can be made up and playful. If I were to use this book as a mentor text, I would want my students to understand that even though they are still learning how to write, they can also express their ideas in ways that are fresh, fun, and creative.

Drawing as Writing: Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells

In this story, bunny Ruby is making an “angel surprise cake” for her grandma, while her little bunny brother Max is making an “earthworm cake.” Max wants to help Ruby make her cake too, but every time he gets near the ingredients he manages to knock something over. And every time he does this, Ruby sends Max to the grocer with a list where she writes down things like “Milk” or “Flour.” Max is still learning how to write, but he really wants “Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters,” so in his attempt to add it to the list, he ends up drawing a squiggly line instead. The grocer can read Ruby’s handwriting but not Max’s. Eventually, he figures out that if he draws a picture of “Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters” the grocer might understand what he wants. So he draws a picture of the squirters and sure enough, the grocer can “read” his writing. If I were to use this book as a mentor text I would want to use it to honor the way that young children are still learning how to write real words. Max is little. He does not yet know how to write letters, but he can draw pictures. Pictures carry meaning. They contain important messages too!

One Final Thing:

Intentionality is key to choosing a suitable mentor text for your students, no matter their writing ability or age. I hope that these book suggestions will provide a new perspective on texts, both new and old, that can be used with the youngest and most emergent writers as they learn to communicate their ideas, tell their stories, and express themselves through pictures and words.

Giveaway Information: