The Six Traits of writing are word choice, organization, voice, ideas, conventions, and sentence fluency. I have included an idea of how to integrate one of the six traits into each of the picture books below.
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
A bear has lost his hat. What if he never sees it again? Wait! He has seen his hat… As a #1 New York Times Bestseller, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book, and an E. B. White Read Aloud Winner, use "I Want My Hat Back" to emphasize sentence fluency through the profound sentences, often using repetitive phrases.
Natsumi! By Susan Lendroth and illustrated by Priscilla Burris
For a small girl, Natsumi does everything in a big way. Adults are always telling her, "Not so fast, Natsumi!" Luckily, when everyone practices for the Japanese arts festival, Natsumi finds a super fun way to put exuberance to good use. This heartwarming tale about being true to yourself is perfect for readers who march to their own beat. This book can be used to teach students the importance of the author's voice. You can ask your student who they believe the author intended the audience to be.
Hank's Big Day: The Story of a Bug by Evan Kuhlman and Chuck Groenink
Open this book if you want to meet a pill bug named Hank who is best friends with a girl named Ameila. This book can be used to teach the reader organization, as certain events happen in specific order within the story.
Monsson by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Jamel Akib
Children play, birds call, and grownups go about their business during the hot days of summer in northern India. But in the bustle of street and marketplace, everyone is watching, waiting for those magical clouds to bring their gift of rain to the land. This is a great book to explore word choice, as the author introduces words that could be unfamiliar to students such as; monsoon, screeching, scrambling, Ganesh, koel, loo,and neem!
The Hueys in the New Sweater by Oliver Jeffers
The thing about the Hueys is that they are all the same. They look the same, think the same, and do the exact same things…until one day, when Rupert decides to knit himself a nice new sweater! New York Times Bestseller Oliver Jeffers introduces a cast of oval, mischievous creatures who prove that standing apart can be accomplished even when standing together. Have your student pay attention to the tone of the hueys as they correct Rupert throughout the story, and how the Hueys' tones change at the end.
The Funeral by Matt James
Norma and her parents are going to Great Uncle Frank's funeral. For Norma, it's a day off school and a chance to see her favorite cousin, Ray. But when she arrives at the church, she is confronted with rituals and ideas that have never occurred to her before. While not all questions can be answered, when the day is over, Norma is certain of one thing…This sensitive and life-affirming story will lead young readers to ask their own questions about life, death, and how we remember those who have gone before us. Not only can the Bible be heavily integrated throughout this book, but you can use this book to focus on details of what typically happens at funerals.
Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea: How a Science Project Helps One Family and the Planet by Elizabeth Suneby and Rebecca Green
Welcome to a celebration of innovation, creative problem-solving and sustainable technology. This inspiring story shows how one child can champion the protection of the environment and raise awareness about a global health issue. Collaborate writing ideas with your science unit to emphasize the importance of caring for others and solving problems.
Bonkers About Beetles by Owen Davey
This book highlights beautiful and bizarre beetles from the microscope to the truly massive! It can be used as a wonderful introduction on how to use the content page. This book is also bound to capture the curiosity of some students during the insect unit for science.
Seeds of Freedom: The Peaceful Integration of Huntsville, Alabama by Hester Bass and illustrated by E. B. Lewis
A little celebration of a little-known chapter in American and African-American history, when black and white citizens worked together to solve the problem of segregation, choosing to face injustice with acts of non-violence, each one planting a seed of freedom. As the phrase,"time to sow the seeds of freedom" is repeated throughout the pages, discuss with your student why the sentence is important.
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia bond
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"If you give a dog a donut, he'll ask for some apple juice to go with it..." Written in the irresistible "If you give…" tradition, If You Give a Dog a Donut is another home run from the beloved team of Laura and Felicia. If your students are familiar with the other books within the series, discuss with them what they think the voice of the authors are among all of the books. What message are the authors repetitively implying?
Wild by Emily Hughes
This is a story of a little girl, raised by bears, who has known nothing but nature from birth. That is, until one day she meets a new animal that looks oddly like her… Have your students use this book to study various conventions such as periods, commas, and capitalization.
Laundry Day by Jessixa Bagley
What do two bored badgers do when they've done everything, including driving their mother around the bend? Laundry! What could possibly go wrong? This is a great read to introduce conversation within stories and how to use quotation marks.
Grandad's Island by Benji Davies
Syd loves Grandad. Grandad loves Syd. And that will never change. This is a beautiful and comforting book that shows us how those who are dear to us remain near to us-however far away they may be. The colorful and adventuress illustrations within this story could be used to inspire students in their own writing. This is a fun creative-writing exercise.
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
A colorful solution in this playful, imaginative story that will have children laughing and playing with their crayons in a whole new way. Since the book's font is in a child's handwriting, this can be a great way to encourage students to write their own book, emphasizing creativity as well as basic grammatical rules.
You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang and illustrated by Christopher Weyant
It all depends on who is standing next to you! This simplistic argument succeeds in communicating how everyone is different and has different opinions. The idea of the book is clear from beginning, middle, and end. Use this as an example of organizing topics thoroughly and obviously in writing.
Emmanuel's Dream: The Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls
As a Schneider Family Book Award winner, this inspiring true story is of Emmanuel, who cycled an incredible four thousand miles across Ghana-with only one strong leg-to spread his powerful message: disability does not mean inability! This well written read can be used as an example of the power of mixing short and long sentences together.
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This biography of Michael Jordan was written by his parents in hopes of motivating their readers to set goals, work hard, and be dedicated. Michael sets specific goals throughout the story. Students could brainstorm realistic and useful goals that they would like accomplish, applying what it means to persevere.
Sparky! by Jenny Offill and Chris Applehans
Sparky is a sloth. A pet sloth. And sloths don't know how to fetch or roll over. But they sure know how to play dead. What's an eager pet owner to do? Exciting words such as mystify and encyclopedia are used in this book. If a student is interested in learning about sloths, this is a great book to refer them to.