I’m always on the lookout for those must have texts. I recently ordered four new picture books for writing workshop, sight unseen, and I ended up only liking one of them. (I have to stop buying books I haven’t actually looked through.)
But lucking out on this one book made up for the other three. And actually, I don’t just like this book… I LOVE IT!
It’s not even new. But I just discovered it, so it’s new to me.
WE ALL HAVE THIS KID… WE MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN THIS KID
Meet Ralph, a reluctant writer who can’t think of anything to write about. Unlike other books I bought though, his struggle with writing and the support his teacher gives him are authentic and realistic. She says exactly what we would say. And the writing community in his classroom is friendly and genuine, which helps him overcome his fear of writing and sharing his stories with others.
The illustrations are humorous and Abby’s pictures of student writing look a lot like many of our students’ examples, complete with simple drawings and invented spellings. She celebrates Ralph’s story, even though he verbally shares WAY MORE than he wrote on his paper. So much of this book is developmentally appropriate and reflects best practices in the teaching of writing. That’s why I love it!
Respecting the author’s work, I don’t want to share too many photos, but here are a few pages to give you an idea of why we think this is a must have text for writing workshop.
TAKE A PEEK INSIDE
Right from the start, she teaches that writers get their ideas from everyday life… small moments in time. “Stories are everywhere!” the teacher says.
She also shows that sometimes writers struggle to think of ideas. Kids will relate!
(Heck, I relate!)
They continue to work on some strategies and, over time, Ralph finally shares his story. And the other children ask him lots of questions. I love the nod to a writing community here.
If you’re a kindergarten or first grade teacher, you know how important this next part is. Ralph’s teacher shows that it’s ok to verbally tell a story, even if it’s not all written down on the paper yet.
And she shows Ralph’s actual story so the children can see his writing and celebrate it. You can see why we think this is a must have text for writing teachers in K-1.
KEEP AN EYE OUT
Don’t miss out on the subtleties of the author’s endpapers. Before the story even starts, we see clues that Ralph is struggling to find ideas to write about. By the end of the book, though, he’s quite a prolific author!
And make sure you look carefully at the illustrations inside the book for some familiar characters from popular children’s books. Pigeon, Lilly, David, Frog & Toad, Olivia, and a few others are tucked in here and there. Your students will have a lot of fun spotting them!
Look for Abby’s picture book in your school or local library. If you can’t find it, you can check it out here:👉 RALPH TELLS A STORY by Abby Hanlon.
Happy teaching!
A RELATED BLOG POST
Teaching children how to write procedural, or step by step, texts can be tricky. Support young writers with a variety of WRITING TEMPLATES on topics they have a lot of experience with… from washing a car and playing soccer, to cooking with their family and catching fish.
See more in this BLOG POST for kindergarten and first grade teachers.👇
