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I wrote a guest post myself for the Nerdy Book Club for the first time in December. It was a great experience! You can read my book review on Little Red Writing (Written by Joan Holub and Illustrated by Melissa Sweet) by clicking on this link. I also included instructional strategies via a Google Doc. You can see my suggestions here as well.
Instructional
Ideas to Use with Little Red Writing:
Many instructional
angles can be explored with Little Red Writing written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Melissa Stewart (Chronicle,
2013). Here are just a few ideas on how the text could be used
instructionally with students:
- Little Red Writing can be compared and contrasted with a variety of other books in several
different ways.
- As a
fractured fairy tale, Little Red Writing could be compared with an
original version of Little Red Riding Hood. A class could explore how
the Joan Holub put a new twist on a classic story with humor, puns, and word
play. Similarities could also be explored to show how the author honored and
tied in the original storyline as well.
- School
supplies are personified in Little Red Writing, which could be compared
to the humanistic office supplies in the book Little Red Pen by Janet
Stevens and illustrated by Susan Stevens Crummel (HMH Books for Young Readers,
2011). Not only could a teacher compare these school tales to one another, but Little
Red Pen is also a fractured fairy tale of the original Little Red Hen story.
- Little Red Writing can be compared to another fractured fairy tale version of Little Red
Riding Hood, such as Carmine: A Little More Red (Houghton Mifflin
Books for Children, 2005). This book happens to be written and
illustrated by Melissa Sweet, who served as the illustrator for Little Red
Writing as well.
- Cause and
effect statements could be explored with students throughout the storyline. For
example, because Little Red wanted to write an exciting story, the effect was
that she went on an adventure around her school looking for creative
inspiration.
- Opportunities
to delve into using context clues abound with the book. A teacher could support
students constructing sensible inferences, predictions, and conclusions with
evidence in the text. Also, the meaning of vocabulary words that might be
unfamiliar to readers can be figured out using context clues and hints provided
with the illustrations.
- Qualities
of Joan Holub's writing could serve as a mentor for students, such as how she
uses unique word choices, makes creative ideas come to life, and creates a
memorable main character's voice in the story. Also, illustrator Melissa
Sweet's interpretation of the story through her art creates a distinct
presentation for the reader.
- Students
could connect the writing challenges that Little Red faces with main characters in several other picture books. Some books that could be great for connecting Little
Red Writing to include:
o
Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills (Schwartz and Wade, 2012)
o
Author: A True Story by Helen Lester (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2002)
o
The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf (Dial, 2008)
o
Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale by Daniel Kirk (Harry M. Abrams, 2009)
o
Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012)
Website Links:
Chronicle
Books has made a Teacher’s Guide
available online for Little
Red Writing to give some tips on how to use this book instructionally in
the classroom. You can also view a preview of the text via Chronicle Books as well.
You can find out more
about Joan Holub and Melissa Sweet in a variety of ways. Here are some helpful
links to give you some insight into their creative processes:
Author Joan Holub:
Illustrator Melissa Sweet:
