If you’ve ever heard authors share writing advice, usually one of the universal top tips is to read widely. And that’s certainly true for writing children’s books. As KidLit writers, not only should we be reading children’s picture books for enjoyment, but we should also use them to study and learn from as mentor texts.
When we do this, we’re using them as “Mentor Texts.” A Mentor Text is a book that is read for the purpose of studying and learning from. Through Mentor Texts you can learn about an author’s craft for character development, story structure, language, emotion, action, and more. Reading a Mentor Text requires paying attention to things like opening lines, page turns, word choice, and transitions. It’s analyzing the manuscript to ask, “How did they do X.” Then reading until you find a few answers, then attempting to apply it in your own way to your manuscripts.
So what books make good Mentor Texts?
Truthfully, you can use any book (because sometimes we need examples of what not to do too!) but the best thing to do is find great books that have stood the test of time and learn from them.
Below I’m sharing some of my favorite books to use as Mentor Texts, if you haven’t read them in a way to study them, go do it! And if you haven’t read them at all—put them on your TBR list STAT.
Christian Mentor Texts 👇
- What Are Mouths For by Abbey Wedgeworth
- God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell
- Like Me by Laura Wifler 😉
- Don’t Forget to Remember by Elli Holcomb
- Corrie ten Boom by Laura Caputo-Wickham
- Did God Learn His ABC’s? by Amy Gannett
- Wherever You Go, I Want You To Know by Melissa Kruger
- Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It by Hunter Beless
- Courageous World Changers by Shirley Raye Redmond
- Just Because Your Mine by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Find them all (plus a bunch more) linked here!
Mass Market Mentor Texts 👇
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
- Jamberry by Bruce Degen
- The Mitten by Jan Brett
- Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
- The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
- Extra Yarn by Mark Barnett
- The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Find all 40 of my recommendations here!
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