Learning from Picture Books: Crankenstein!

Crankenstein!

written by Samantha Berger

illustrated by Dan Santat

published by Little Brown and Company, 2013

ages 3 - 7

 

From the Publisher:

BEWARE OF CRANKENSTEIN!

Who is Crankenstein?

HE IS A MONSTER OF GRUMPINESS THAT NO ONE CAN DESTROY! MEHHRRRR!!! HE'S ALIVE!

He may look like any ordinary boy, but when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or an early bedtime, one little boy transforms into a mumbling, grumbling Crankenstein. When Crankenstein meets his match in a fellow Crankenstein, the results could be catastrophic--or they could be just what he needs to brighten his day!

My Thoughts as a Writer:

The concept of this book is one all kids can connect with! I loved the voice in this story and admired how so much was conveyed in just a few words. The illustrations complement the story so well – I loved the expressions on Crankenstein’s face.

I also liked the way the book was structured, with repetition in sets of 3s, just enough to entertain without being monotonous for an adult during a read aloud. The ending was cute. This is another example of how a good concept is important in creating a picture book.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

This book would be a nice one to read around Hallowe’en or in comparison with other monster books. I’d use it to start a discussion about feelings and what makes you feel grumpy, and expand the discussion to talk about what to do when you feel grumpy. You could also encourage students to write about their own “Crankenstein” stories or moments.

The edition I borrowed from my public library had funny labeled diagrams of Crankenstein on the front and back covers. These would be a great model for a fun activity where students draw themselves as a Crankenstein and make up their own labels.

For other great picture books to read, check out Perfect Picture Book Friday, using #PPBF on Twitter, or visit Susanna Leonard Hill's blog for a list of bloggers who are blogging about picture books today!

Did you know it's Picture Book Month? Every day in November, a picture book champion explains why he/she thinks picture books are important. 

It's also PiBoIdMo (aka Picture Book Idea Month), where picture book writers try to come up with 30 ideas in 30 days. I'm excited to try the challenge!

Brainstorming Tip: Keep the Writing Flowing

I hate being stuck. Sometimes, I get to a point in my story where nothing is happening. The words I'm writing aren't advancing the story. The story itself seems like the worst thing I've ever written. And the plot has worked itself into a giant tangled mess before I've even gotten to the good parts.

A lot of the writing advice I read says that when this happens, the best thing is to put the story aside for a while and do something else. For me, that can lead to even more time away from the story. You know the saying: "Out of sight, out of mind." After all, there is Christmas baking to do.

Instead of taking a break, I like to think of being stuck as a sign that I need to go back and do some more thinking. There's a reason the writing isn't flowing. It's probably because I took a wrong turn somewhere, and wrote something that sabotaged my story.

What often works for me is to revisit my outline or short summary and rewrite it. First I read through it, finding places where I can ask "Why?" This reminds me of my character's goals and what she wants. Or gets me thinking about different ways to continue on the story path.

The more writing I do, the more important it's becoming to make sure the story is all about what my character wants and how she's going to get it.

Goal Update:

In case you're wondering, here's what I accomplished during November:

1) I came up with 30 ideas for PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month), and ended up writing a picture book draft for one idea that wouldn't let go

2) I wrote 10,000 words in my "mini-NaNo" where I was focusing on my new project (Novel # 5). I'm pleased with how much I accomplished, even though I know I'll need to do some serious rewriting.

How did you do? Did you get something accomplished in November?

Tips for Picture Book Writers: Stuck for Ideas?

I'm doing pretty well in collecting picture book ideas for PiBoIdMo, but now that it's geting closer to the end of the month, there's a little pressure to get that notebook filled. In case you're struggling too, I have a great resource to help you out.

Rick Walton, author of the new picture book I Need My Own Country!, has an amazing online picture book course with lots of tips and strategies for picture book writing. I love this quote:

"The farther you go, the deeper you dig, the more creative the ideas get." 
Rick Walton, Step 4: Brainstorm Story Ideas

Rick's website includes a fantastic compliation of places to get more ideas. Some suggestions from Rick's list:

• Adapt a Folktale, Fairytale or Fable
• Answer a Question
• Start wth Random Characters, Conflicts, Locations (this one is so much fun)

 
For the full list, check out Step 7: Find More Ideas for Stories.

What resources do you turn to when you're stuck for ideas?

Tips for Picture Book Writers: Researching an Idea

Since I'm participating in PiBoIdMo (30 picture book ideas in 30 days, started by Tara Lazar), I thought I'd pass along this tip.

When I want to find out what other books have been published that relate to one of my ideas, I check out the Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University. This free resource allows you to search by keyword to find books written on your topic. It's also a great resource for teachers looking for picture books to address a particular lesson topic.

Do you know of any good resources for finding out about picture books?

Dealing With Weak Story Ideas

I've been enjoying PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) and getting a good start on filling my notebook with ideas. But I know some of the ideas I've jotted down aren't strong enough to carry an entire story.

I usually write them down anyway. I often find that some of my stories result from ideas that connect or resurface again later, maybe in a different, more interesting way. Often, ideas that come back again and again in my notebook are the ones that I end up developing into a story.

In fact, taking two apparently unrelated ideas (neither of which is strong enough to be a story on its own) and trying to see how to bring them together is a fun, creativity boosting idea that might result in something interesting.

So, my writing tip for today is to write down all your ideas, no matter how lame they seem at the time. You never know when they'll be useful. What do you do with ideas that are just not strong enough to stand alone as a story?

In case you're interested, here's my November writing goal update:

PiBoIdMo:  Although I try to come up with a new idea every day, some days I'm on a roll and get several, while other days I end up with nothing. I figure it will all average out in the end.

Mini-NaNoWriMo:  I haven't made much progress with my Mini-NaNoWriMo this week and I'm trying not to let that get me down. I've been doing many other (non-writing) important things. But I'm still enthusiastic and planning to continue to try to keep my focus on writing.

November is Writing Month

I'm not usually too fond of November. It's cold, dreary and follows fun-filled October (otherwise known as the Month of Treats in our household because of all the desserts, with Thanksgiving, 2 birthdays and Halloween). But this year I'm excited about November, because of my writing goals. I'm sure I'm being overly optimistic about what I can accomplish, given all the craziness in my life right now, but I've decided to work on two different writing goals:

1) I'm doing a mini NaNoWriMo, where I focus on writing a new story and try to get as much writing as I can done each day, with no pressure to complete a novel. I'm not going to sign up for anything but I will keep track of my progress so I can see how much I'm getting done.


2) Since I get lots of story ideas while I'm teaching, I'm going to also try PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month). The goal is to think up a new picture book idea every day. For me, that mostly means being more vigilant about writing down the ideas I already get, so I decided to sign up for it.

I love the idea of having a notebook that contains nothing but ideas. My usual writing notebook is filled with so much more, sometimes ideas for new projects get lost in there.

How am I doing? So far, so good. I've started writing my novel, even though there's something important I haven't worked out yet, and it scares me a little that I don't know where it's going. And I already have 2 picture book ideas in my notebook.

What are your writing goals for November? Have you made a start on them?