A Squiggly Story

by Andrew Larsen (Author) Mike Lowery (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

A young boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister. But there's a problem, he tells her. Though he knows his letters, he doesn't know many words. "Every story starts with a single word and every word starts with a single letter," his sister explains patiently. "Why don't you start there, with a letter?" So the boy tries. He writes a letter. An easy letter. The letter I. And from that one skinny letter, the story grows, and the little boy discovers that all of us, including him, have what we need to write our own perfect story.

This picture book from award-winning author Andrew Larsen playfully and imaginatively explores a young child's process of learning to express himself. It promotes the idea that stories are available for everyone to tell, whatever way we can, and will inspire pre-readers to try writing stories of their own.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--What happens when you have a story but you're not sure how to write it down? Larsen introduces a boy as he struggles to write a story, even though his sister tells him it's easy. The feeling of frustration at not being able to form letters, the excitement of reading a story aloud to the class, and the just-a-little-bit bossy older sister will all be relatable elements to young readers. Because the book shows the boy employing several real-life strategies for prewriters, like starting to write with well-known letters and drawing pictures in place of words where the letters are unknown, this is especially recommended for school library collections. Teachers may find it can be used as a model text during writing units for preschool and kindergarten. The title is illustrated in a graphic novel-style, with speech bubbles and boxes for different images on some pages. The palette of greens, beiges, pinks, yellows, and blues is cool, and the simply drawn cartoon characters are stylized but expressive. The boy and his sister and the students in the boy's class are illustrated with a wide variety of skin tones, giving this volume an inclusive feel. VERDICT A solid read-aloud for most any children's collection, but especially where writing is emphasized at an early age.--Celia Dillon, The Brearley School, New York

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

... Larsen's text and Lowery's illustrations ... beautifully reveal the breadth and depth of meaning that even a few squiggles and swirls can have in a child's imagination.—Canadian Children's Book News
Classification
-
ISBN-13
9781771380164
Lexile Measure
270
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Kids Can Press
Publication date
September 06, 2016
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
Library of Congress categories
Brothers and sisters
Imagination
Authorship
Drawing
Creative writing

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!