Mentor Texts for Writers

Mentor Texts for Writers: Building a Picture Book Biography

February 24, 2015 /

Mentor Texts for Writers 2015 image for blog

Recently, I have been writing a picture book biography. I love the topic, I love the research, but I do not love how it’s structured at this point. I haven’t yet captured the essence of the story through the way I’m telling it. So, I began investigating unique ways to structure a picture book biography. I sifted through biographies I really, really loved and narrowed my focus to the ones that truly embodied what I was trying to learn.

There are so many different structures, and I have just scratched the surface with these examples.

NF Text Structures Collage

One Person, Many Books

One of the things I love about picture book biographies that are being published is that many new angles are being presented about “old” subjects. For example, Thomas Jefferson is a person that nearly every child studies in school, but I am always fascinated by the ways that authors present him in new ways.

TJ builds a library
Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by John O’Brien

TJ life liberty

Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything by Maira Kalman

those rebels

Those Rebels, John and Tom by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

worst of friends

Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, illustrated by Larry Day

Biography in Verse

These books are biographies, but they are told in free verse. Both of them reflect the music of their subjects. By using free verse poetry the poets were able to distill things down to their very essence.

dizzy

Dizzy by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Sean Qualls

johnny cash

Hello, I’m Johnny Cash by G. Neri, illustrated by A.G. Ford

Utilizing a Frame that was Important to the Subject

In When Marian Sang, Marian Anderson was a famous singer. Pam Munoz Ryan has sprinkled hymns throughout the book that are reflective of the songs she sang and the story of her life. In Noah Webster’s Words, Ferris has utilized words and their dictionary-esque definitions to mirror the major accomplishment in Webster’s life.

noah webster

Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris, illustrated Vincent X. Kirsch

when marian sang

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Brian Selznick

Narrow Focus or Short Time Frame

Instead of focusing on the person’s whole life, these books focus on a particular time or event in someone’s life.

gingerbread for liberty

Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch

a home for mr emerson

A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

the streak

The Streak: How Joe DiMaggio Became America’s Hero by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Terry Widener

Comparing and Contrasting

These books are set up  with a comparing/contrasting structure. Coco Chanel is compared to other people in Different Like Coco. Ben Franklin’s and Thomas Edison’s inventions are compared to modern inventions in Now and Ben and Timeless Thomas.

different like coco

Different Like Coco by Elizabeth Matthews

now and ben

Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta

timeless thomas

Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta

Main Text and Sidebar Information

When drafting a nonfiction book, there is so much information that you want to impart to readers, but you also don’t want to overwhelm them. I love books that utilize sidebars that supplement the main text. The lovely thing about sidebars is that the book can then appeal to different levels of readers. For some readers the main story line will be just enough. For older readers, all the information is helpful.

mr ferris and his wheel

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis, illustrated by Gilbert Ford

snowflake bentley

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian

TJ builds a library

Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by John O’Brien

Incorporating Quotes

Of course, incorporating primary resources is a bonus when it comes to biographies. It also helps serve as a mentor text to young writers how primary resources can be incorporated. But as a writer, it’s hard to get those quotes incorporated just right without being too clunky. These books handle quotes from the biography’s subject well right within the text of the story.

helen's big world

Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares

a home for mr emerson

A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

martin's big words

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Brian Collier

Present Tense

When writing about the past, it seems counterintuitive to write in present tense. But these books do just that, and it works well. I never thought about a tense change as a possibility for my historical book, but these examples make the reader feel like they are right there in the moment. They bring history alive, and that’s what many authors of historical books would love to do.

ballet for martha

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg, illustrated by Sandra Jordan

brave girl

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

fantastic jungles

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Amanda Hall

Using a Refrain

I’ve been fascinated by refrains in picture books. I love to see how an author takes a thread of a story and crafts a refrain. While it’s fun to see these in fiction picture books, I’ve really enjoyed seeing them in nonfiction as well.

george did it

George Did It by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, illustrated by Larry Day

i could do that

I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote by Linda Arms White, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

tree lady

The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Nonfiction Second Person Point of View

I’ve read several nonfiction science books written in second person point of view, but this is the first second person biography I’ve read. While I’ve seen some biographies that talk to the reader directly for a paragraph or so, this is the only recent one I’ve found that carries that thread all the way through.

iridescence of birds

The Iridescence of Birds by Patricia McLachlan, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Try it Out

Do you need to breathe new life into a nonfiction book, especially a picture book biography? Try reworking it using one of these structures.

A special thanks goes out to Jackie Wellington, who sent me an enormous list of books for me to check out for unique structures. That list got me out of my funk and back to work.

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