Module 1: Little Red Writing
Summary
Summary
Joan Holub's little Red Writing (Holub, 2013) takes the reader on a whimsical but practical journey through the basics of writing. Young students will learn about how to get their ideas on paper as they follow the steps for creating their own story. Tips are given that help them stay on point with their topic and suggestions are given to help them develop their sentences. Older readers will benefit from the reminders of ways they can enhance their writing skills, and they will be amused and inspired by the illustrations and playful use of language. The book briefly explores twenty basic writing principles in a playful and accurate way, and readers of many ages can refer to it as they develop their writing skills.
Holub, J. (2013). Little red writing. New York: Puffin.
Holub, J. (2013). Little red writing. New York: Puffin.
Impressions
Holub has found a practical and creative approach to teaching the principles of writing. Many students are daunted by the thought of having to write, and this book breaks the process down into understandable bits of information. It identifies parts of speech, the limits and considerations you should give to these parts when constructing a sentence, and provides illustrations that help the reader understand the text. At the same time, it gives readers the opportunity to know, and perhaps relate to, Little Red. Her story is not unlike that of Little Red Riding Hood and the familiarity of the character makes the story fun and memorable. Little Red experiences many emotions during her journey of writing a story, and students might feel reassured by learning how she navigated her way to a happy ending. Melissa Sweet's artwork complements the text beautifully and adds to the enjoyment and content of the story.
Professional Review
Exploding with puns, wordplay and the irrepressible desire to re-imagine "Little Red Riding Hood" one more time, Holub and Sweet bring forth some actual useful writing advice-- that's not just for beginners.
It's Write On! Day at the Pencilvania School, and all the little pencils and their teacher, Ms. 2, are about the follow the story path. Ms. 2 gives our heroine, Little Red, a basket of nouns and reminds her to stick to the path. She becomes entangled in descriptive adjectives, stuck in a sentence that just keeps going, and is rescued and then ambushed by adverbs and random nouns. Principal Granny seems to have a long electric tail and a growly voice when Little Red gets to her office. It's not the principal but the Wolf 3000--a voracious pencil sharpener! But Little Red has one left, and she uses it judiciously. Watercolor, pencil and collage give the magnificient Sweet lots of material to play with: The little pencil-pupils each have an identifying eraser cap (a stegosaurus, a basketball, a map of Pencilvania). When Little Red looks for excitement in her story, she goes to the gym and is "quickly drawn into the action," as all the pencils twist, jump and play catch on the page. The artwork--which integrates written text in a variety of lettering styles--fills the pages with a riot of color, shape, movement and design. Endpapers and title pages are all part of the tale. Little kids should love the illustrations and their multiplicity of meanings, and older children trying out their writing wings will find good, strong advice. Every writer's group should start with this story (Kirkus, 2013).
Kirkus (2013). [Review of the book Little red writing, by J. Holub]. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joan-holub/little-red-writing/
Kirkus (2013). [Review of the book Little red writing, by J. Holub]. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joan-holub/little-red-writing/
I would recommend this book for any grade level at an elementary campus. The librarian could adapt this for younger students by making comparisons to the story Little Red Riding Hood. Both are on a journey and have challenges along the way that they must work through. Writing can be a little scary, and Little Red conquers her fears and learns a lot along the way. This would be a good way to ease students fears about writing and it provide examples of strategies students can use to overcome obstacles when writing.
Older elementary students can pick apart the principles of writing by taking the book in smaller chunks and exploring all of the ideas presented in the text through examples and illustrations. The librarian could focus on ways writers use word choices, sentence construction, plot development, setting, and characters when creating their stories.
This is a book that could be used as a reference book once it's introduced. Students, teachers, and the librarian, can refer to it many times to get reminders on how to use basic writing principles.
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