Just finished reading this book.
Wow is all I can say. I am in awe.
If you want to know how to do rhyme…LOOK AT THIS MENTOR TEXT!
Three things that stood out to me
1. Perfect rhyme scheme.–No near rhymes at all. Every line 7 syllables except for 4 lines (that were together) of 8 syllables. Now that is magic!
2. Low word count--just under 350 words Parents do not want long, drawn out stories, and pre-schoolers would not listen to it anyway. (Reminding myself of this, too!)
3. She writes perfectly for the target audience. Any pre-schooler or kindergartner will relate to EVERY PAGE of this book. She writes what they experience. Down to the last detail.
Here is a brief outline of the story arc.
1. Waking up and going to school for the first time
2. Getting dressed, brushing teeth, breakfast, running late
3. Driving, meeting teacher and new faces
4. Hanging up coat and saying goodbye
5. Feeling shy, being asked by teacher what he wants to do
6. Different activities at pre-school or kindergarten–blocks, train
7. Story time
8. Lunch time
9. Missing mama
10. Going outside for recess and play–tag, slide, hide and seek
11. Drawing time
12. Mama comes back–
13. Showing mama the slide, saying good-bye
14. He loves being with mom and school
So in summary, there is a reason that this book is so popular. Nice work, Anna Dewdney!