LOOK! I WROTE A BOOK! (AND YOU CAN TOO) by Sally Lloyd-Jones & Neal Layton

 As a person who loves reading and writing, I was drawn to this book by the title. I loved all the funny ideas in drawings and the explanations of the writing process (including revising). The cartoony crayon style illustration adds to the fun.

 

Summary from the publisher:

 Want to write a book? Well, the spunky, know-it-all narrator of this side-splitting story can tell you just how to do it. She walks readers through the whole process, from deciding what to write about (like dump trucks or The Olden Days) to writing a story that doesn’t put everyone to sleep and getting people to buy your book (tips: be nice, give them cookies, and if all else fails, tie them to a chair).

 

Look! I Wrote a Book! was written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Neal Layton, and published by Schwartz & Wade Books in 2019.

 

Opening:    

When you want to write a book,

first you need a Good Idea.

 

My Thoughts as a Writer:

Check out this book for a humorous example of a how-to text. It would be interesting to compare this one to Kate Messner’s How to Write a Story and think about the choices that the authors made about what to focus on.

 

My Thoughts as an Educator:

This is a great book for an elementary classroom! I loved how it explains the process of writing a story. It will likely motivate some children to get to work on their own.

 

Ages: 5-9

Grades: K – 4

Themes: writing, story structure

Activities:

List:  Make a list of topics you might like to write about. Think about who might like to read a story about your topic.

Draw: Design your own book cover. Make up a title and then draw a cover illustration to go with it.

Plan: Get a big sheet of paper and draw a beginning, a middle and an end for a story. Make sure it’s not boring. If it is, then add some obstacles to get in your character’s way. Reading the book again will help remind you of ways you can make your story more interesting.

Write: Imagine you are a famous author. Write your own About the Author page with important facts about you.