Ten-Word Tiny Tales: To Inspire and Unsettle (Candlewick Press)
Written by Joseph Coelho
Illustrated by 21 Artist Friends
As a child, I cultivated a love of writing that continues with me today. One of the things that sparked that initial hunger to write was being inspired by images I saw in books, film, and television. In Joseph Coelho’s book, he frames these fragmented story bits that imply a more prominent story despite being so simple. A different artist friend takes each fragment and provides their interpretation through an illustration. These illustrations are also evocative of stories that stretch beyond the boundaries of the page.
One story reads: “Invite me in,” she says, outside my tenth-story window. Which the artist sees in one way. However, your young reader might see that story differently, or the illustration may inspire them to start expanding on that seed. This is the beautiful potential of Ten-Word Tiny Tales as a writing motivator. The way you help a child learn to write is by letting them write about what they want first. Then, you can guide them through the writing process using material they are invested in. Kids really get invested in writing stories, especially exciting and scary ones. Ten-Word Tiny Tales is like a toolbox waiting to be opened up and used by your students. With good teacher guidance, students will be excited to write and eager to share what they have come up with.
The Princess and The (Greedy) Pea (Candlewick Press)
Written & Illustrated by Leigh Hodgkinson
In this humorous fairy tale remix, a classic children’s song & a classic fairy tale come together. We start with a new take on “The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” except this time, it’s a starving green pea who finds a table in a castle with the finest delicacies. She stuffs her face with Brussels sprouts, soup, bread, cake, etc. All of this is done in the structure of the previously mentioned poem, a long list of all the things the pea eats with something new added each round.
The story takes a twist when the pea gets so hungry she has to go to sleep. But where can she go in this big drafty castle for a comfortable night’s rest? There happens to be a stack of mattresses on one bed, so the pea wiggles herself between them and slips deep into sleep. Little does she know a princess is sleeping at the top of this stack, and the pea’s presence has disturbed her rest. This is a fun book, especially for children familiar with the two sources of inspiration. Leigh Hodgkinson’s illustrations are the perfect fit for her words, silly & playful, with plenty of emotion coming out of her character’s faces.
The Reading Circle 