For Teachers--Literary Elements Mentor Texts
Adjectives
Lunch by Denise Fleming
Beatrice Doesn’t Want To by Laura Numeroff
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Many Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives by Ruth Heller
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Alliteration
The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss
Snow by Cynthia Rylant
SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin
June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
Clara Caterpillar by Pamela Duncan Edwards
Walter was Worried by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale by Pamela Duncan Edwards
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens
Allusion
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
Locomotive by Brian Floca
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch by Anne Isaacs
Wreck of the Zephyr by Chris Van Allsburg
Beginning, Middle, and End
Beatrice Doesn’t Want To by Laura Numeroff
Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes
Sam and the Tigers by Julius Lester
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Turk and Runt by Lisa Wheeler
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
Quest by Aaron Becker
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
Cause and Effect
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale by Versa Aardema
The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback (DVD)
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Character Traits
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Betty
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Compare and Contrast
The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo
The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
Goldie and the Three Bears by Diane Stanley
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
Drawing Conclusions
Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Krauss
Pinkerton, Behave! by Steven Kellogg
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats
Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard
The Widows Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
Journey by Aaron Becker
Foreshadowing
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola
Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say
Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Comet’s Nine Lives by Jan Brett
Homonyms/Homophones
Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones by Gene Barretta
How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear? by Brian Cleary
More Parts by Tedd Arnold
“Amelia Bedelia” series by Peggy Parrish and Herman Parrish
Never Monkey with a Monkey by Sylvia Root Tester
“Homophones” series by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann
Hyperbole
Hog-Eye by Susan Meddaugh
If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and Their Parents by Judith Viorst
John Henry by Julius Lester
Library Lil by Suzanne Williams
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Paul Bunyan: A Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg
Mike Fink: A Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg
Pecos Bill: A Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg
Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin
Idioms
“Amelia Bedelia” series by Peggy Parrish and Herman Parrish
More Parts by Tedd Arnold
Even More Parts: Idioms from Head to Toe by Tedd Arnold
Go Fly a Kite! (And Other Sayings We Don’t Really Mean) by Cynthia Fitterer Klingel
My Teacher Likes to Say by Denise Brennan-Nelson
You Let the Cat Out of the Bag! (And Other Crazy Animal Sayings) by Cynthia Fitterer Klingel
You’re Clean as a Whistle! (And Other Silly Sayings) by Cynthia Fitterer Klingel
Imagery
Butterfly House by Eve Bunting
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
The Gift by Kristine Franklin
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Pat McKissack
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Inference
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges
Mirette On the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt by Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza
Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes
Irony
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
The Fortune-Tellers by Lloyd Alexander
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg
Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Letter Writing
Small, Medium & Large by Jane Monroe Donovan
The Jolly Postman, or, Other People’s Letters by Janet Ahlberg
Raising Sweetness by Diane Stanley
Yours Truly, Goldilocks by Alma Flor Ada
With Love, Little Red Hen by Alma Flor Ada
Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
LaRue for Mayor : Letters from the Campaign Trail
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Metaphors
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin
Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
Carolinda Clatter! by Mordicai Gerstein
Narrative
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
The Babe & I by David Adler
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson
Picnic at Mudsock Meadow by Patricia Polacco
Nouns
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Truck by Donald Crews
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems
Have You Filled A Bucket Today?: A Daily Guide to Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Bear Say Thanks by Karma Wilson
Onomatopoeia
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure by Doreen Cronin
Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
Patterns
A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? by Bill Martin
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
Personification
The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci
Ghost’s Hour, Spook’s Hour by Eve Bunting
Arthur’s Family Vacation by Marc Brown
The Great Gracie Chase: Stop That Dog! by Cynthia Rylant
The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
Snow by Cynthia Rylant
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Personal Narrative
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
Fireflies! by Julie Brinckloe
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
Persuasive
I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orloff
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
Earrings! by Judith Viorst
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters From Obedience School by Mark Teague
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Plot
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Piggins by Jane Yolen
The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood
Sophie’s Masterpiece: A Spider’s Tale by Eileen Spinelli
Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting
Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola
Lunch Bunnies by Kathryn Lasky
Point of View
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian
Butterfly House by Eve Bunting
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Rhyme by Marilyn Singer
A. Lincoln and Me by Louise Borden
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
Problem Solving
Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard
Hedgie’s Surprise by Jan Brett
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola
Quotations
Patrick’s Dinosaurs by Carol Carrick
Can I Keep Him? by Steven Kellogg
Chicken Little by Rebecca Emberley
The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble
Rhyme
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen
"Llama Llama" series by Anna Dewdney
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
My Granny Went to Market by Stella Blackstone
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
Setting
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Ashpet: An Appalachian Cinderella by Joanne Compton
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jan Brett
The Potato Man by Megan McDonald
Sequence
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
The Popcorn Book by Tomie DePaola
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
No Jumping on the Bed! by Tedd Arnold
The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges
Aquarium by Cynthia Alonso
The Napping House by Audrey & Don Wood
Simile
Crazy Like a Fox: A Simile Story by Loreen Leedy
Come on, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
A Dragon in a Wagon by Janette Rainwater
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes
Synonyms
Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds by Saxton Freymann
Thesaurus Rex by Laya Steinberg
Monsters Can Mosey: Understanding Shades of Meaning by Gillia Olson
Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What is a Synonym? by Brian Cleary
Theme
The Patchwork Quilt by Valernie Flournoy
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes
Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
Mole Music by David McPhail
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet
Verbs
Simply Delicious! by Margaret Mahy
Max’s Words by Kate Banks
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens
How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Come on, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
In a Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
John Henry by Julius Lester
Voice
The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin
The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci
My House Has Stars by Megan McDonald
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
I Am the Dog, I Am the Cat by Donald Hall
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski
LaRue for Mayor : Letters from the Campaign Trail by Mark Teague