Module 1: (August 26-29)Auch, M. J. (2009). The Plot Chickens. New York, NY: Holiday House.
Summary: This picture book follows Henrietta the hen, who decides to take her love of reading and turn it into a career as an author. Using writing “rules” such as “build suspense” and “write what you know,” she writes her own children’s book and sends it off to publishers. Sadly, her book is rejected repeatedly by critics and publishers alike, and it is only when she discovers the children at her local library love her book, that she is truly validated in her writing.
My Impressions: I thought this book was really cute! Kids will love the vibrant illustrations and the funny characters, and adults reading to children will enjoy the many puns and plays on words throughout the text, such as her typewriter brand, “Hunt & Peck,” and the author of her writing guide, a Mr. “Reed More.”
Reviews: “The illustrations, a combination of oil paints and digital technology, are bold and colorful. The pictures are busy, with Henrietta at her typewriter while her friends cavort around her. There are imagined scenes in cloud shapes, word balloons, and jokes aplenty. A droll chicken with a repeating line adds to the humor. This offering works on two levels. It's a funny picture book that could be used as a manual on writing.”—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI. School Library Journal. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6641313.html
Library Use: Although this is a picture book, it really does give great advice for people that want to try to write a book. That being said, I think it would be really fun to use for a program/workshop for elementary-aged kids to write their own short stories. The library could also provide paper, pencils, markers, etc. so the kids could illustrate their stories, just like the main character does in the book. It might be possible to bind these stories as well, that way the kids could take home a more book-like finished product.
Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Chickens-Mary-Jane-Auch/dp/0823423077/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290835861&sr=1-1
