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cherylrainfield's review against another edition
5.0
S Is for Story: A Writer's Alphabet
Written by Esther Hershenhorn, illustrated by Zachary Pullen
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, December 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1585365111
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
One of the things I wish I'd done much younger, when I knew I wanted to be a writer, is read about writing technique. I got so much praise from all my teachers about my writing, that writing and art were the two things I knew I did well. It took me a lot longer than I'd like to get into reading about writing technique, to seriously make my writing much better.
S Is for Story: A Writer's Alphabet
is a book I wish I'd had as a child and teen. It diffuses an incredible amount of valuable writing technique and advice into short, pithy paragraphs. If a reader isn't yet ready to listen seriously to writing advice, or doesn't want to take the time, there are short verses on every page that sum up some of the advice. But if a reader does read the text on each page, they will absorb a LOT about how story works, and how to make it better. The first two pages are more about history--of the alphabet and books--but then, starting with the third letter, C, we get into Character, including a reminder that it's the character who pulls us in and keeps us reading; characters need to be rounded, not flat; a writer needs to know their character from the inside out, and much more. The text is not simplified by taking out important information, but rather imparts deep information in easy-to-understand text. The entire book delves into techniques that make a story work. The book is also an alphabet book, which can be read with just the simple rhyming verses for a younger child, or explored more with the paragraphs of text with an older child or mature reader.
Read the full review on my blog
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
4.0
You know this series. You’ve read others like it from this publisher. You like the others? You will like this one.
The author moves through the alphabet, hitting highlights of the writing process, expounding upon character and drafts and editing and genre and many more. The pictures are inviting and the text is clear.
A sample:
“G begins the French word Genre,
a way to group stories by kind.
History, Mystery,
Folktale, Myth.
Each boasts rules to mind.
Writers and readers classify stories by kind or genre, pronounced zhan-ruh. Each category has its own structure and set of rules. Genre choices for fiction include folktales, fantasy, and science fiction. Genre choices for nonfiction include essays, memoirs, and autobiographies.”
Children’s comments:
I showed this book to a group of eight first graders, all strong readers. They all liked the pictures and enjoyed browsing through the text, trying to anticipate the word for each letter and reading through the information about stories.
The author moves through the alphabet, hitting highlights of the writing process, expounding upon character and drafts and editing and genre and many more. The pictures are inviting and the text is clear.
A sample:
“G begins the French word Genre,
a way to group stories by kind.
History, Mystery,
Folktale, Myth.
Each boasts rules to mind.
Writers and readers classify stories by kind or genre, pronounced zhan-ruh. Each category has its own structure and set of rules. Genre choices for fiction include folktales, fantasy, and science fiction. Genre choices for nonfiction include essays, memoirs, and autobiographies.”
Children’s comments:
I showed this book to a group of eight first graders, all strong readers. They all liked the pictures and enjoyed browsing through the text, trying to anticipate the word for each letter and reading through the information about stories.
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