#10for10 Nonfiction Books for Kid Writers

I participated in the #pb10for10 (started by Mandy Robeck and Cathy Mere) in the past and had found so many picture books from other teachers that were new and inspiring to add to my own collection. Mine own post actually ended up being #pb11for11 as I was a day late.  You can see this list here.  So, I thought I'd gather up a list of nonfiction books that are must haves for our classrooms.

I remember the days roaming the library as a youngster in elementary school.  Not a “reader” yet that had learned the deliciousness of getting lost in a fictional tale, I sought out books that would teach me ways to create.  I craved to write, but there was not a lot of guidance out there to give me an idea on what writers do.  So, my the only writing consisted of my diary.  Thank goodness, we've come a long way since the 1970's!

Even though there are now writing books to inspire young writers, most of our classrooms do not house books of this fashion in our classroom independent library bins.  Perhaps we are not sure what is “kid-friendly” and what is strictly for adults.  Could it be that we can't find the right books?  

The market is flooded with writing books for kids, but many consist of imagine-you-are-invisible-type prompts or journal-entry writing ideas and do not really help young writers understand how to find real, authentic ideas to write about.  Real writers do not write from prompts. The last thing I'd want to write about is what it would be like to be stuck in a snow globe.  Ughh. . .  

Kids need strategies for writing in real life.

Well, here are 10 books that focus on writing for kids.  These are your students that already know they are writers and they want to be authors one day, and I'm thinking that if their passion for writing is real, they will teach themselves, with the help of a few books.  These are books for the writer themselves, to learn more about being a better writer.  

It's time we created a bin just for them.

1.  Spilling Ink:  A Young Writer's Handbook by Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer

Authors,  Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer, put together a perfect resource for those wanna-be writers, giving them inspiring advice that they wish THEY had when they were young.  Honestly, I think that if someone picked up this book to read and was not planning on writing, they probably will want to be before to get to the end!

2.  Look at My Book:  How Kids Can Write and Illustrate Terrific Books by Loreen Leedy.

Look At My Book is perfect for those writers that need step-by-step directions about how to create a story, giving kids some good strategies for ideas and then how to put it all together in a published book. As a "maker", I like the publishing component of this book.  It's very easy to to understand and follow.

3.  A Writer's Notebook:  Unlocking the Writer Within by Ralph Fletcher

Ralph Fletcher's books absolutely, positively, must be a part of a collection of books for kids on writing. I have a teacher friend that reads this book aloud to his class when beginning writer's notebooks in the classroom to help students understand what notebooks really are.  It helps them understand that they own their notebooks and how writers don't have special "writing skills", they just pay attention to the world. Fletcher's other books to add to the collection are How Writers Work, Live Writing, and  Poetry Matters.

4.  Dude Diaries by Micky Gill

The Dude Diaries series intrigues me.  These books are the kinds of books that one sneaks off the shelves and hides away with. They nudge the writer to put down your secrets.  As a young writer, being able to put down thoughts that I could not tell anyone else was liberating.  

These books will get filled up with writing.  A teacher could suggest to her class that anyone could add their writing to the Dude Diaries for others to read (audience acceptable content only - kids would need guidance on this). Talk to your class about the possibilities for these books.

5.  Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

Newberry Honor author, Gail Levin, shares her secrets with kids on how she creates stories that kids love.  She give strategies for ideas, writing craft suggestions, and even offers advice for when you are stuck as a writer.

6.  Seeing the Blue Between:  Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets by Paul B. Janeczko

This book is for the young poets.  I've had fourth graders tell me they love and collect poems at home. Some tell me that poems come right out of them from nowhere!  Once kids fall in love with writing poetry, they crave to get better at it.  This book is filled with poems from wonderful authors, what poetry means to them and their advice to young poets.  If you are going to buy this book on Amazon, make sure you partner it up with Janeczko's other book about poetry, The Place My Words Are Looking For:  What Poets Say About and Through Their Work.

7.  Show, Don't Tell!:  Secrets of Writing by Josephine Nobisso and illustrated by Eva Montanari

This is a picture book that writers will sit with and admire the illustrative art work.  Throughout the book, advice to writers about how to "show and not tell" is woven in.  This craft is a tricky one for kids to understand, but once they do, they use it and their writing changes dramatically.  It's one of those hybrid genres as it's really a narrative and nonfiction combined.  Kids love teaching books with a story.

8.  Amelia's Notebooks by Marissa Moss

I don't think you could create a quality collection of books about writing for kids without including Amelia's Notebooks.  I, myself, sit with these and get lost in them.  And, it's impossible to NOT be inspired to write something in your own writer's notebook in Amelia style after spending some time with them.  This series just keeps growing, just as our own writer's notebook collections grow.  Again, not non-fiction, but, they need to be included.  Make sure you check out Marissa Moss' book, Max's Logbook, as well.

9.  How I Came To Be A Writer by Phyllis R. Naylor

Adding some biographies about authors and how they came to be writers is also important in adding this collection. Phyllis Naylor (author of Shiloh) has not written a how-to book, but instead a book that speaks of how hard it is to be a writer.  She writes about her challenges and how she did not give up on her dream to be an author.

10.  Once Upon A Slime by Andy Griffiths

Andy Griffiths writes a book filled with ideas for getting writing going along with telling about his own writing journey.  He has cool illustrations kids will love and snippets from his books.  He teaches other things writers do such as map-making, and even gives his writers quizzes to learn more about themselves.  He teaches how to write for many different audiences, meaning many types of kids.

Griffiths is rather humorous and for writers that like to write goofy things, this is the perfect writing book for them.

Hopefully, this list will inspire you to get started with a new bin for your wanna-be writers.  I know that I would have snuck these books home with me if I'd have had access to them as a young girl.

If you know of other books to add to this list, please share!!

Shari :-)

Making Commitments to Myself as a New School Year Begins

My summer was glorious.

The 20 previous summers have been filled with taking care of my four children, running here and there to baseball, swimming lessons, hockey and basketball camps, volleyball leagues and summer sports tournaments.  When that stopped, I started my Masters and took classes in the summer.  Well, those kids are full grown now and the extra classes are finished.  This summer, I finally spent time on me.  Yes.  Me.  Myself.  Alone.

Never done that before.

Yes, there was guilt.  But, I was forced by my soul.  A hurricane of sweet delicious clarity swept through by being.   I am now at this powerful sense of peace and wellness.

But, here's the rub.  (There's always a rub.)

It's mid August.  If you are an educator, you know the hovering feelings that arise in mid August .  You are aware of "mid July feelings" as well (a summer half over).  But, it's this particular time of year when anxieties start to creep into a newly found sense of a peaceful being.  We know it well.

Teachers at our school are feeling additionally anxious this year as our school was being gutted this summer for an installment of a new heating/cooling system along with some remodeling.  So, teachers can not ENTER the building until August 27th.  Those little kiddos are will be bursting through those front doors on September 4th.  Many rooms had to be totally packed up and have all supplies and furniture hauled to the gym.  Entire rooms need to be put back together and ready for the first day in  one week.  Yes, one week superpowered week.  And, that's workshop week, mind you.  We all know what those bring. Although, our administrators have carved out tons of time for "work time" at our school. They know.

We will all be praying for miracles and calmness.

I, myself, am one to work in my room until dark getting everything ready and helping nervous new teachers arrange rooms and plan for those first few days, along with a multitude of daunting to-do lists.  Many committed and passionate teachers at our school work daunting hours.  We could just bring our sleeping bags, along with a new change of clothes and our make up and sleep there.

However, this year. . .

I am vowing not to live at school.  

I have felt like I have finally learned how to live "without working" this summer.  Once school starts, I tend to be consumed with work.  I arrive there early, I work late, I bring it home.  I am passionate about my job and doing a job well.  However, when you work in this manner, there is no room in a school day left for writing, creating, reading, exercise, and eat right, let alone spend time with family.

That is changing this year.

I took drastic measures.

This literacy coach now has her own coach.

She knows my weaknesses and my goals and she is helping me write a plan, because I know that I can't hold myself accountable on my own.  It's too much.  Even to sort out areas that are causing me the stress and dissatisfaction required an abundance of writing, talking and reflecting.

I, along with my coaches' help,  have narrowed down my new commitments to: 

The Three Commitments to Myself

1.  Physical exercise

Duh.  I know I need this.  I just wasn't doing it.

I am requiring myself to be out of the building by 4:30 each day to exercise.  I'm starting TurboFire from Beachbody, which is a 90 day workout program.  I'm going to complete it from start to finish and then, I will begin a new program called Bodypump.  She's helping me map out my year for physical activity so I can make goals and see where I'm going. We do this as teachers!  We make year long maps for our teaching year.  We need to do this for our physical beings as well.  This is huge for me.

2.  Eating right

I am almost finished with the  3-week Beachbody Ultimate Reset, which has transformed my eating habits and cleansed my internal self.  I am refraining from coffee and switching over to Teecceno, an all natural herbal caffiene free coffee.  It is delicious!  I have devoted my diet to clean eating with no preservatives, added Shakology to my day along with eating every 3-4 hours to keep my blood sugars level and energy consistant.  My coach is helping me to plan out meals for my week to help me be successful.  No excuses.

3.  Create every day.

Whether it's writing, painting, sketching, art journaling, collaging or sewing, I need to create every day. This feeds my soul and is being true to who I am.  I find that when I am depleted and then I spend time creating, I am renewed.  I am NOT a morning person, yet, I am going to train myself to be up at 5:00 and put an hour to 90 minutes in writing every day.  It will be hard and I think this be my most difficult challenge.  This summer, I completed Jeff Goin's writing challenge of conquering the 15 Habit of Great Writers.  Even though, I will never consider myself a great writer, through his course, I was able to break through some fears and get my blogs up and running and create the discipline to write every day so that it feels natural.  Like breathing.  I can't lose this.  I'm not sure where it will take me and that's the joy of it.

I also took some online art courses that got me painting and art journaling and I am going to keep that going in the evenings and weekends that allow me time (ok, I will schedule it). I even have worked up the courage to create a second blog to share some of my art and I created a facebook group called Islands of My Soul for creative souls to support and share their creations and ideas.

Big Changes.  Yes.  Commitment and Discipline it will take.

But. . . this is why I have a coach.

I am believing in myself.  My coach is, too. 

This is my time.


What new commitments are you making to yourself this year as a new school year begins?

Shari :-)