My son is eight years old and going to be in second grade. After discovering and devouring both
Stick Dog books and a little encouragement from a school assembly with the author, he started creating his own Stick Dog books. Each book follows Stick Dog and his friends in an attempt to get some kind of food. So, he decides which type of food they are going to try to get and he writes and illustrates his own version. We even co-authored one version, of course my ideas were generally shot down for his much more creative ones. :) What do moms know anyway?
After he finishes his books, we add them to one of our book baskets. He is an author after all! Adding a child's work to works of published authors makes them feel more confident and valued.
Imitating a mentor text isn't just for independent readers and writers. If you have a young child, you could read
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or
Brown Bear, Brown Bear. These books have very predictable patterns that your child will recognize and be able to imitate. You can record your child's ideas and then he/she can illustrate.
- Ms. Bless
