Show; Don't Tell!: Secrets of Writing
Innovative yet accessible writing strategies appropriate for both fiction and nonfiction are presented in this enchanting tale of a writing lion who holds court for a cast of animal friends. Aspiring writers learn the essential nature of nouns and adjectives and how to use them to express their individual visions so that they “show and don’t tell” every time. Writing lessons are cleverly integrated into a tale that incorporates a sound chip, a scratch-and-sniff patch, and a tactile object to...
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Innovative yet accessible writing strategies appropriate for both fiction and nonfiction are presented in this enchanting tale of a writing lion who holds court for a cast of animal friends. Aspiring writers learn the essential nature of nouns and adjectives and how to use them to express their individual visions so that they “show and don’t tell” every time. Writing lessons are cleverly integrated into a tale that incorporates a sound chip, a scratch-and-sniff patch, and a tactile object to engage the aspiring writer’s five senses in fun proofs.American Booksellers Association "Picks List"Winner of a 2004 Parents' Choice Recommended AwardWinner of the Best Trade Book with Educational Application award from Global Learning Initiative, a partnership of The Bologna Children's Book Fair and The Association of Educational PublishersSelected for The Original Art exhibition at the Museum of IllustrationWinner of a Children's Choices Award from the International Reading Association/Children's Book CouncilWinner of the National Parenting Publications Honors AwardInnovative yet accessible writing strategies appropriate for both fiction and nonfiction are presented in this enchanting tale of a writing lion who holds court for a cast of animal friends. Aspiring writers learn the essential nature of nouns and adjectives and how to use them to express their individual visions so that they “show and don’t tell” every time. Writing lessons are cleverly integrated into a tale that incorporates a sound chip, a scratch-and-sniff patch, and a tactile object to engage the aspiring writer’s five senses in funproofs.Publishers WeeklyWith a title that broadcasts the classic mantra, Show; Don't Tell: Secrets of Writing by Josephine Nobisso, illus. by Eva Montanari, acts as a manual based on the author's writing workshops. Prompts to incorporate tactile, audio and olfactory details help kids focus on their senses when writing; a cast of animal characters-rendered in whimsical acrylics and pencil-lead aspiring authors along with brief tips and words of wisdom. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
\ Publishers WeeklyWith a title that broadcasts the classic mantra, Show; Don't Tell: Secrets of Writing by Josephine Nobisso, illus. by Eva Montanari, acts as a manual based on the author's writing workshops. Prompts to incorporate tactile, audio and olfactory details help kids focus on their senses when writing; a cast of animal characters-rendered in whimsical acrylics and pencil-lead aspiring authors along with brief tips and words of wisdom. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Children's LiteratureThis book is a guide to writing, but it addresses too many things. A teacher could use it as a incremental instructional text in the classroom. Older reader would need to use it as a supplement or as a picture book that creatively explains the writing process. Young and old might get lost in the small text and fragmented placement of words and sentences on the page. Illustrations are scattered whimsically and wind up distracting the reader. This book does include touch, smell, and hear panels to aid in the writing process, but they only add to the many things going on the pages. Furthermore, many of the examples are set in such small or illegible text that kids might have trouble reading them. This picture book explains how creative writers need to use the five senses, the parts of speech, the need for elaboration, and the need to answer who, when, where, why and how. The book jacket warns the reader not to be "thrown by the format" and that its for "older ages." The author conducts writing workshops and that might be what is needed for younger writers in the classroom. 2004, Gingerbread House, Ages 7 up. \ —Rosa Roberts\ \ \ School Library JournalGr 3-6-This sophisticated picture book attempts to demystify the writer's craft, offering insight into authors' most crucial decisions: their choice of specific nouns and adjectives. Montanari's whimsical animal characters represent students in a writers' workshop. The lion urges his classmates to engage in a "language arts experiment," in which the directions and the animals' playful antics are splashed at many angles about the dreamscape pages. Indeed, the alluring illustrations achieve the "daydream state" to which Nobisso declares "writers go for story." Having made this clear and convincing pitch for selecting powerful nouns and adjectives, the author continues with a preachy section on the senses and figurative language, which is unoriginal despite some interactive "bells and whistles," including scratch-and-sniff pages and a sound module. The text is tedious for students who need clear explanations, the cuddly animals belie the complexity of the concepts, and the layout often makes reading difficult.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \
