Nana Kathy and Grandson Tobin at play finding eggs at Easter. |
I choose this picture of my grandson Tobin and I playing last Easter when he was old enough to understand the whole bunny business. Running, spying, gathering eggs, opening plastic eggs, counting eggs, and eating chocolate eggs. All play, all fun. Finding the best word "eggs" is what we do as writers. We want kids to savor them, to explore them, to mimic them and to try them on in order to learn to read, to enjoy and play with language for a lifetime. That's important business for children's writers and kids!
Enter my favorite word play book....FROODLE.
This imaginative language romp will get you creating words.
Title: Froodle
Author: Antoinette Portis
Illustrator: Antoinette Portis
Publisher:Roaring Book Press
Year:2014
Word Count:262
Top 10 Essential PB Element: Word Play
Go ahead, say it. I know you want to say it. Froodle, froodle froodle. That was fun, right? This ALSC Notable Book is oodles of fun and exhibits as ALSC states in their critia, "notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity." Yup, there is "venturesome" creativity in a book that dares, in its plot, to turn the animal world's speaking patterns upside-down. Why should cats meow, dogs bark and birds chirp? Little Brown Bird knows it's much more fun to make up language, just as little reader do.
Now read these lines aloud from FROODLE: "Tiffle biffle/just a little /miffle,"and "ickle sickle," and finally, "oobly snobby." My grandson Tobin was splurting all sorts of nonsense babble after we read this book!
As writers we need to give ourselves permission to make up nonsense words like Little Brown Bird does, too. Our rhyme, onomatopoeia, and lush language makes readers happy and playful.
Add to your writer's toolbox w/Angie Karcher's RhyPiBoMo, a free "master class" on poetry this April. Right now grab that rhyming dictionary, read a PB with playful language and WRITE. If you have recommendations for great PB word play, add to the comments section, please.