Book Review: A Squiggly Story

A SQUIGGLY STORY by Andrew Larsen is a picture book about the art of writing.

A young boy wants to write a story, but he doesn’t know how to write words. When his older sister suggests that he just needs to start with a single letter, the boy’s story begins to take shape. Although his classmates have lots of ideas, the boy soon discovers that it’s his story so he can write whatever he imagines.

Librarians and classroom teachers will find this adorable picture book to be a wonderful way to introduce young children to the creative writing process.

To learn more about the author, go to http://andrewlarsen.ca/.

Published by Kids Can Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Writer's Workshop: Writer Resources

WRITERS WORKSHOP: WRITER RESOURCES website from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign contains comprehensive guides to grammar, citation styles, ESL resources, and writing tips.

The Center for Writing Studies has developed high quality resources for young adults that explain and illustrate important writing rules, guidelines, and tips. Although aimed at the college level, the materials are also practical for middle and high school students.

The Grammar Handbook provides a comprehensive and easy-to-understand resource to review Parts of Speech, Phrases, Clauses, Sentences and Sentence Elements, and Common Usage Problems. Each concept is carefully explained and illustrated with examples.

The Citation Styles section introduces and illustrates the American Psychological Association (APA) style and the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. It also addresses common questions about Chicago Style, citing social media, and other FAQs.

The ESL Resources provides links to useful websites focusing on English as a Second Language (ESL).

The Writing Tips area offers advice for students with specific needs related to the writing process. In addition to general ideas, tips are provided for specific genre and for taking essay exams.

From basic grammar questions to citation problems, librarians often assist students working on writing projects. This website provides an excellent quick reference to help address common questions.

To learn more, go to the website at http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/.