If you're looking for an accessible introduction to gender and gender stereotypes, then PINK, BLUE, AND YOU is a book you'll want to own. Take a look inside of the book, hear from the co-authors, and then leave a comment for an opportunity to win a copy of PINK, BLUE, AND YOU!
Category: picture book
How My Immigrant Experiences Inspires My Book Ideas
Aya Khalil shares how she got ideas for her award-winning picture book, THE ARABIC QUILT, and experiences that inspired it. She talks about the importance of telling own voices and immigrant stories.
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The Smile Shop: A Tribute to Language and London
Award-winning author-illustrator Satoshi Kitamura details the inspiration for his picture book The Smile Shop. He explains how his introduction to the Spanish language planted the idea in his head and how the book is a tribute to the London he knew and loved when he was living there and developing his career as an artist.
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Embracing “First Words”: Writing FLYING HIGH: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles
Michelle Meadows provides a look at her writing process for her new picture book biography about Simone Biles, gymnastics champion and Olympic superstar.
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An Extraordinary Way to Inspire Writing About Ordinary Moments
Whether you're about to embark on the 9th Annual Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge or you're about to begin a unit on poetry where you want to encourage students to capture the beauty of their ordinary lives in verse, consider using Extraordinary! as a mentor text. Leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win a copy of Extraordinary!
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Paint a Portrait with Words
Jen Bryant is a biographer whose recently released picture book, Above the Rim, is a worthy mentor text. Jen stops by TWT to chat with Stacey about some of the most important things kids can keep in mind when they're researching and writing stories about famous people or everyday heroes. Watch the interview, look through some excerpts from her newest picture book biography, and then leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball.
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10 Books Celebrating Black Joy and Daily Life
While books about oppression, struggle, and suffering are of critical importance to read and discuss with children, so are books about Black joy and about the daily lives of Black children. I've curated a list of ten new (i.e., published in 2019 and 2020) texts that focus on Black people living life. Depending on who your students are, these books could serve as mirrors, windows, and/or sliding glass doors.
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The Threads of Writing a Picture Book Biography
Kelly Starling Lyons shares about her experience of writing Dream Builder, a picture book biography about Philip G. Freelon, an architect who created he National Museum of African American History & Culture.
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A Review of Kaia and the Bees
Kaia and the Bees is a picture book you can use as a mentor text in narrative writing units. The book contains many craft moves, which makes it perfect for using in minilessons, writing conferences, and strategy lessons. Learn more about the book and take a peek inside of it.
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A Mentor Text to Inspire the Next Generation of Writers and Activists + a Book Giveaway
I’ve found a hybrid mentor text that will inspire young writers and budding activists. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of Scot Ritchie’s new book, Join the No-Plastic Challenge.
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How to Deal with “Too Much” Energy in the Classroom + a Book Giveaway
Every writing workshop I've ever taught or consulted in has had at least one child who is in perpetual motion. Many times, that child is the kid who talks their classmates during independent writing time, interrupts their teacher during a writing conference, or cannot respect their peers' space in the meeting area. The first few weeks of school are the perfect time to begin conversations about living in a classroom community where all learners have different needs. Susan Verde, author of Unstoppable Me, chats with Stacey about the ways we can build classroom writing communities that welcome kids with who are often seen as having "too much" energy.
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Six New Narrative Picture Books for Your Mentor Text Basket
Just as we reflect our teaching practices in the summertime, we can rethink some of the mentor texts we use and find new ones to share with students in minilessons, writing conferences, and strategy lessons.
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 