Books in Start Writing series

Brian Higman, also known as Big Hig, has a problem. He does not have his sloppy copy writing assignment ready to turn in, and his teacher, Miss Fromme, is not one to listen to excuses. But Brian has really good reasons this time. Between the antics of his impossible five-year-old brother and his teenage brother's rock-and-roll band rehearsing at his house, not to mention the fact that his life savings have gone missing, it was impossible to get any homework done over the weekend. It takes all of Brian's imaginative powers and storytelling techniques to prevent him from getting a zero. And it takes some inspiration on Miss Fromme's part to coax Brian into turning his excuses into an actual sloppy copy.

This book gives you some great new options for starting the writing process. Parts of a story, characters, setting, plot action, and conclusion are all subjects of discussion and writing activities. You get reproducible forms for a story checklist, story plan sheets, description sheets for setting, character and plot, final copy and illustration, and assembling, binding and publishing a storybook. Other exercises include sequencing, a story web, retelling a fairy tale, and a circular story. Lots of charming illustrations provided throughout. As always, Evan-Moor also provides step-by-step instructions and lots of reproducible forms. You get checklists, graphic organizers and directions for a classroom publishing center. All 48 perforated for easy removal.

Got a passion for poetry? Are you primed to rhyme? Word whiz Loris Lesynski shows you how it’s done in this unique collection that blends “best of” with “how to”. Inside you’ll find over 30 Lesynski favorites alongside advice for kids on creating poems. In nine snappy sections, Lesynski features different ways a poem can take shape. Rhymes like “Dirty Dog Boogie” came from a catchy beat. Other ideas emerged from playing with words, as in “Mozza Mozza”. Further sections include: • Preparing for Poems — warm-ups for the mouth and the brain • Me Me Me Me — rhymes that start with you • What I’d Like to Know — poems that pose questions • How Illustrations Happen — providing pictures for poems • Writning Bolts — further activities for aspiring rhymers Bursting with Michael Martchenko’s vivid illustrations and packed with over 20 pages of all-new material by Lesynski, “I Did It Because ” is a playground of poetry where readers are invited to play along.