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annetjeberg's review against another edition
3.0
The information was solid, but it was a bit confusing for me who'd the target reader would be for this book. I think it was a bit dry for my younger kids, and not enough information was lacking for my older kids.
beths0103's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent mentor text to use with students when doing any sort of fiction writing in class. I plan to use this when I do NaNoWriMo with my 8th graders.
mallen8509's review against another edition
5.0
Teaching kids how to write is hard.
And I love to write.
It's still a weakness of mine that I work on every school year.
How to Write a Story is a super cute book that assists in the writing process.
We took it step by step and wrote some really cool stories.
And I love to write.
It's still a weakness of mine that I work on every school year.
How to Write a Story is a super cute book that assists in the writing process.
We took it step by step and wrote some really cool stories.
allmadhere106's review against another edition
3.0
For: readers looking for an easy to follow step-by-step for the writing process.
Possible red flags: some readers may find too bland and straightforward.
Possible red flags: some readers may find too bland and straightforward.
pandacat42's review against another edition
4.0
Would probably be better for 1st or 2nd grade. It's a pretty good book, I'm just not sure when I'll have the opportunity to use it with the kids at the library, given my school-age programs are more STEM-oriented.
Probably more useful for teachers or book clubs.
Probably more useful for teachers or book clubs.
internationalkris's review against another edition
5.0
Pretty perfect short guide to writing a story for young people. I love that the book doesn't overdo it with advice or examples but also leaves in so many important steps like taking a break after the first draft to let ideas percolate and questions arise. This will be a certainly be used as an instructive book but it is friendly and not heavy handed.
pib003's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I worked with slightly older kids so I could read this to them! But I think it's too complex and didactic for a preschool storytime.
anneke_b's review against another edition
3.0
The information was solid, but it was a bit confusing for me who'd the target reader would be for this book. I think it was a bit dry for my younger kids, and not enough information was lacking for my older kids.
ashleyaewert's review against another edition
4.0
Great book to read to students as you are introducing how to right a story and the different steps to writing a successful one. Character is engaging as well as the illustrations show just how easy following the steps can be to create a story that jumps off the page!
panda_incognito's review against another edition
3.0
This nonfiction picture book will be a great fit for kindergarten through young elementary-age classes, but has little appeal beyond that demographic. The advice is extremely basic, and even though this is a good introduction for a classroom assignment, I know that I would have found it frustrating when I was an independent beginning writer looking for advice for how to tell a story.
This book covers different elements of creative writing, such as conflict, a setting, and a main character, but these are all concepts that attentive readers are already aware of. When I was a child, I wanted insight about how to tell a story, and how to shape a story's unfolding events, but this book does not provide any advice for how to plot a narrative. It also ends very abruptly, and lacks any conclusion or author's note that would share more information or encouragement.
Because this book focuses on the most basic introductory concepts, this book is best as an educational tool for very young children. For ideas about story structure and how to keep your idea going after a few paragraphs, I would recommend [b:Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly|136218|Writing Magic Creating Stories that Fly|Gail Carson Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349044003l/136218._SY75_.jpg|131275] and [b:Brave the Page|43230756|Brave the Page|National Novel Writing Month|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568805857l/43230756._SX50_.jpg|66922857], even though they are geared towards middle grade readers. A teacher might want to pull some ideas from these books to share at a development-appropriate level with their class.
My critique might seem silly, since this picture book is not geared towards children who are old enough to write anything very complex. However, given how few books about writing are available for young readers, I know that older children will read this as well, and even a young child who is serious about writing may find this insufficient, as I know I would have. This is a good classroom introduction for children who may or may not have any interest in creative writing, but it is too basic and shallow to be very helpful to a child who has already developed a specific interest in this subject and is looking for how to structure a story and keep it going beyond a few paragraphs or pages.
This book covers different elements of creative writing, such as conflict, a setting, and a main character, but these are all concepts that attentive readers are already aware of. When I was a child, I wanted insight about how to tell a story, and how to shape a story's unfolding events, but this book does not provide any advice for how to plot a narrative. It also ends very abruptly, and lacks any conclusion or author's note that would share more information or encouragement.
Because this book focuses on the most basic introductory concepts, this book is best as an educational tool for very young children. For ideas about story structure and how to keep your idea going after a few paragraphs, I would recommend [b:Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly|136218|Writing Magic Creating Stories that Fly|Gail Carson Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349044003l/136218._SY75_.jpg|131275] and [b:Brave the Page|43230756|Brave the Page|National Novel Writing Month|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568805857l/43230756._SX50_.jpg|66922857], even though they are geared towards middle grade readers. A teacher might want to pull some ideas from these books to share at a development-appropriate level with their class.
My critique might seem silly, since this picture book is not geared towards children who are old enough to write anything very complex. However, given how few books about writing are available for young readers, I know that older children will read this as well, and even a young child who is serious about writing may find this insufficient, as I know I would have. This is a good classroom introduction for children who may or may not have any interest in creative writing, but it is too basic and shallow to be very helpful to a child who has already developed a specific interest in this subject and is looking for how to structure a story and keep it going beyond a few paragraphs or pages.