A Squiggly Story
by Andrew Larsen (Author) Mike Lowery (Illustrator)
A young boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister. But there's a problem, he tells her. Though he knows his letters, he doesn't know many words. "Every story starts with a single word and every word starts with a single letter," his sister explains patiently. "Why don't you start there, with a letter?" So the boy tries. He writes a letter. An easy letter. The letter I. And from that one skinny letter, the story grows, and the little boy discovers that all of us, including him, have what we need to write our own perfect story.
This picture book from award-winning author Andrew Larsen playfully and imaginatively explores a young child's process of learning to express himself. It promotes the idea that stories are available for everyone to tell, whatever way we can, and will inspire pre-readers to try writing stories of their own.
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--What happens when you have a story but you're not sure how to write it down? Larsen introduces a boy as he struggles to write a story, even though his sister tells him it's easy. The feeling of frustration at not being able to form letters, the excitement of reading a story aloud to the class, and the just-a-little-bit bossy older sister will all be relatable elements to young readers. Because the book shows the boy employing several real-life strategies for prewriters, like starting to write with well-known letters and drawing pictures in place of words where the letters are unknown, this is especially recommended for school library collections. Teachers may find it can be used as a model text during writing units for preschool and kindergarten. The title is illustrated in a graphic novel-style, with speech bubbles and boxes for different images on some pages. The palette of greens, beiges, pinks, yellows, and blues is cool, and the simply drawn cartoon characters are stylized but expressive. The boy and his sister and the students in the boy's class are illustrated with a wide variety of skin tones, giving this volume an inclusive feel. VERDICT A solid read-aloud for most any children's collection, but especially where writing is emphasized at an early age.--Celia Dillon, The Brearley School, New York
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Andrew Larsen is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including In the Tree House, a TD Canadian Children's Literature Award finalist; The Bagel King, one of CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens; and A Squiggly Story, a finalist for the OLA's Blue Spruce Award. He lives in Toronto with his family and their dog named Sally.
Born in Hong Kong, Dawn Lo is an illustrator currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the unceded lands of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Her work has appeared in the picture books Snow Song and The Rainbow Garden Is My Friend, as well as in stationery, greeting cards, public art installations, murals and more! When she is not drawing at her home studio, she works at the public library where she can surround herself with more books.
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
Imagination
Authorship
Drawing
Creative writing
