Another Squiggly Story - Hardcover

Larsen, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1525304828 ISBN 13: 9781525304828

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2022

Synopsis

In the inspirational sequel to Andrew Larsen’s A Squiggly Story, a boy meets a blank page in this fun exploration of the writing process, celebrating self-expression, self-discovery and letting your imagination roam.

The young boy listens as Mr. Lopez tells his class about next week’s assignment: write a story about yourself. “You can write about ANYTHING,” he says, “as long as you write about YOU.” Marcus is going to write about his hat collection. Alia is going to write about the vampires she talks about all the time. But all the boy can come up with is a title: “The Story of Me by Me.” He can’t figure out what it should be about. His sister suggests starting with lists — Things I Like, Things I Know. Only, the things all seem disconnected. Is there some way to connect them, and make them into a story?

The kindergartener who learned to use squiggles to write a story in award-winning Andrew Larsen’s A Squiggly Story is now in second grade and learning to write an autobiography. Told in the same authentic child’s voice, this playful book encourages readers to just start, even if they don’t know how their story will go. It offers an accessible early language arts lesson on the writing process, exploring important basics (brainstorming, first draft, revising) and key terms (autobiography, editing, title, cover). Mike Lowery’s bold illustrations incorporate story panels and dialogue bubbles, keeping the energy high and giving a fresh and modern feel to the pages. A strong tie-in with early literacy curricula, this book also works well for supplementary or at-home learning. It’s a perfect choice to inspire the storyteller in every child!

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Larsen lives in a neighborhood in Toronto that has tall trees, old houses and lots of stories. He became an author when he became a stay-at-home dad. His kids have grown up, but Andrew continues to write. Andrew does his best thinking when he is out walking with his dog, Sally. He often visits schools and libraries, where he encourages children to discover their own stories. Facebook: @authorandrewlarsen Instagram:@_andrewlarsen
Mike Lowery has illustrated many books for children, including The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten and A Squiggly Story. Mike lives in Decatur, Georgia.

Reviews

K-Gr 4—Larsen crafts a story that tackles creative thinking and not being afraid to make changes in this charm-filled book with funny comic-book-style illustrations. The unnamed narrator is stressed thinking about an upcoming school assignment to write about himself: "Me by me?" just sounds like a terrible idea. While his classmates all seem to have topics readily at hand, he doesn't know what to write; he has so many varied interests, how will they ever connect? Thanks to encouragement from his older sister, and her wise advice to just write what he feels and not worry about mistakes (as she says, that's what editing is for), a story starts to come together. Once he realizes his creativity, he is able to write a story about himself and even change it a bit later after a friend likes it so much he wants to join in. Larsen's book is an excellent example of encouraging kids to think creatively and let go in the early stages. VERDICT With engaging illustrations driving the action, this is a visually entertaining book along with the positive message that children always need to hear.—David Roberts

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1525304828
• ISBN 13: 9781525304828
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lowery Mike
• Number of pages: 32