The Writing Process

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.  ~William Wordsworth

The Best Story.  Eileen Spinelli.  Dial, 2008.
A girl asks her family for ideas when she decides to enter a writing contest.  In the end she learns that listening to her own heart creates the best personal narrative.  Picture Book.
Read-aloud 1st-4th grade

Homework.  Arthur Yorinks.  Walker and Company, 2009.
Instead of doing his homework, tony reads comic books in bed until he falls asleep.  His pencil, eraser and ballpoint pen come to life and write his story for him.  The writing process made very enjoyable!
Read-aloud 1st-5th grade

Once Upon a Royal Superbaby.  Kevin O’Malley.  Walker & Company, 2010.
Follow-up to Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude,  the girl and boy have another writing assignment, this time about a king and queen.  This is just as fun an entertaining as the first.  A good way to talk about the writing process, collaboration.
Read-aloud 1st-5th grade

The Plot Chickens. Mary Jane and Herm Auch.  Holiday House, 2009.
Henrietta the chicken loves to read and decides to write a book.  When she finally gets it published, she is devastated by the bad reviews.  Loaded with insights into the writing process.  Picture Book.
Read-aloud 1st-3rd grade

Share a Scare : Writing Your Own Scary Story. Nancy Loewen.  Picture Window Books, 2010.
Tips and tools for writing your own scary story.  Setting, characters, sensory details, foreshadowing, plot, suspense, imagery, dialogue, etc. are explained where they appear in the story.
Read-aloud 3rd-6th grade

Spilling Ink : A Young Writer’s Handbook.  Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter.  Roaring Brook Press, 2010.
An in-depth, but playful how- to manual for young writers with personal anecdotes and suggestions from the authors.
Grade 5 and up

Sue MacDonald Had a Book.  Jim Tobin.  Henry Holt, 2009.
Without vowels, the words are unreadable.  Sue has to find the vowels who have escaped from her book.  Set to the tune of “Old MacDonald.”  Lively!
Read-aloud K-3rd grade

Thank you, Miss Doover.  Robin Pulver.  Holiday House, 2010.
Miss Doover’s class is learning about writing thank-you letters and the art of revising.
Full of humor for kids and adults, this is a great writing lesson.
Read-aloud 2nd-6th grade

Word after Word After Word.  Patricia MacLachlan.  Katherine Tegen Books, 2010.
A visiting author teaches five students about the power of words and writing.  Helpful in teaching story elements.
Read-aloud 3rd-5th grade

Words, Wit and Wonder : Writing Your Own Poem.  Nancy Loewen.  Picture Window Books, 2009.
Rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia are defined and described as tools for writing different forms of poetry : acrostic, cinquain concrete poem, free verse, haiku, limerick.  Picture Book.
Read-aloud 2nd-6th grade

A Writing Kind of Day : Poems for Young Poets.  Ralph Fletcher.  Boyd’s Mills Press, 2005.
A collection of poems that explore the creative writing process.
Read-aloud 4th-6th grade