Notice the beginnings, the middles and the endings. Take note of character development or topic development. Note the word usage and length of sentences. What makes a particular book a popular book. How does it appeal to children or to a specific age group? Lazy summer days are the perfect time to catch up on the type of research. So visit or library or bookstore for some of the great books of children's literature.
I have included several lists of great books to study. Always take notes when you read a particular book. Even better, make notecards and keep them in a file box. You may get your own great ideas for your own book or story while reading other works. Happy Researching and Happy Writing!! This list if from the American Library Association.
1999 Notable Children's BooksLibraryy (MN). Younger Readers
Alda, Arlene. Arlene Alda's 1 2 3 Tricycle Press. 1883672716. A curvy kite string forms the number 2 in this artful counting book, which uses crisp color photographs to reveal number shapes all around.
Babbitt, Natalie. Ouch! A Tale from Grimm Illustrated by Fred Marcellino. HarperCollins/Michael di Capua. 0062050672. Destiny kicks in as a simple young man outwits the devil and wins himself a princess in this sly and painterly reworking of a Grimm tale.
Banks, Kate. And If the Moon Could Talk Illustrated by Georg Hallensleben. Farrar Straus & Giroux/Frances Foster. 0374302995. Tranquil paintings and evocative prose capture scenes beneath the darkening sky--from a child's room at bedtime to the greater world beyond.
Feiffer, Jules. I Lost My Bear Morrow Junior Books. 0688151477 Crackling cartoon art humorously expresses the anguish of a small girl with a big problem in this comic look at family life.
Fleming, Denise. Mama Cat Has Three Kittens Henry Holt. 0805057455. One kitten is decidedly out of step in a vibrantly playful picture book that is definitely in step with the feelings of sometimes contrary preschoolers.
Heap, Sue. Cowboy Baby Candlewick Press. 0763604372. On spacious, desert-hued pages, Sheriff
