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Each of these books has some demonstration of frequent letters that the characters send to each other, demonstrating proper letter format.

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Voice is how the writer feels about their text or idea and how they convey that in their words. The books below are examples of work that clearly show the author's voice.

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Each of these mentor texts are wordless picture books. Meaning, they have little to no text and convey the story through pictures only.

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A piece of writing needs to follow a general idea that makes sense, is explained, is focused, and follows good development. The books below show examples of writing that follows a well constructed idea. 

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Presentation is all about the look, feel, and organization of the piece of work. Any pictures or elements should enhance and connect to the text. These books below are examples of good presentation.

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Organization revolves around the structure of the text or in other words, the main idea. Quality pieces of writing follow a main idea that will not get lost throughout the story. The books below are organized and set up in a way that is easy to follow.

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Word choice involves choosing words that accurately represent the stories message, tone, feeling, and gives clarity when reading. The books below show good word choice.

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Sentence fluency can be discovered when you read the story, it is the rhythm and flow of the words. The books below demonstrate good sentence fluency.

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In this book, Maaz Khan clearly demonstrates good use of voice in each of his characters and as a whole throughout his entire story. There are so many unique perspectives and feelings in each of the characters.

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Amazon.com: Room for Everyone: 9781534431393: Khan, Naaz, López, Mercè: Books

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This book revolves around the idea trait because the characters inspire each other to use their imagination to create personalized artwork.

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Thanks for the tremendous support of my work which includes books I have written and illustrated, (The Dot, Ish, Happy Dreamer, The Word Collector) as well as collaborations, (Someday with Alisan McGhee, the Judy Moody series with Megan McDonald, Going Places with my twin brother, Paul, and the I AM series with Susan Verde)

My children's media company, FableVision, located in Boston, is dedicated to crafting "stories that matter, stories that move." I also make creativity tools for the classroom - FableVision LeanMy twin brother, Paul, and I founded an independent bookshop in Dedham Square, MA called The Blue Bunny. www.bluebunnybooks.com

Much of my work is designed to inspire all of us to navigate our true potential - to be brave, original, inspirational, inspired, and active.

My hope is that my work will also inspire YOU to make YOUR mark - and see where it takes you.

Let's stay connected - follow me on twitter - @peterhreynolds : )

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Amazon.com: The Dot: 9780763619619: Peter H Reynolds: Books

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This story relies on the text to tell the story but it also heavily relies on the illustrations and harmony of both the text and pictures to come together to tell the story.

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Conventions are things like punctuation, grammar, paragraphing, etc. Quality books with conventions will help the reader easily follow the text and gain meaning from it. These books demonstrate good conventions.

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This is a story about a little boy who wants to write like his sister, but can only draw pictures. It is a great example of organization because the sister teaches him how to organize his thoughts into one document and create a story.

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One and Everything includes a plethora of adjectives, verbs, and nouns. It is a great example of word choice because of the diverse choices shown.

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Fine artist Sam Winston, cocreator of the New York Times best-selling A Child of Books , celebrates the power of stories and written languages-and the imperative to preserve them.

Once there were many stories in the world. There were stories with sunsets and wonderful tales filled with fairies and dinosaurs. But one day, a story decided that it was the best, the most important story ever. It called itself the One and started to consume every other story it came across. The One ate stories made of seas and others full of dogs. Soon it seemed that the One was all there was . . . or was it? Inspired by the Endangered Alphabets project, aimed at preserving cultures by sharing their unique scripts, author-illustrator Sam Winston uses writing systems such as cuneiform and Tibetan, Egyptian hieroglyphs and ogham to illustrate this book in his signature typography-based style, using symbols and letters that have relayed the world's stories over the centuries.

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One and Everything [Winston, Sam, Winston, Sam] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. One and Everything

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In this book, the main character Henry shares his multitude of ideas with the other characters. This is a great example of a piece of literature that showcases many ideas and the use of imagination.

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Read 18 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. When Henry's imagination gets mixed up with the truth during show and tell, his teacher sug...

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In "Book's Big Adventure" the author clearly gives book a clear and powerful voice throughout his adventure.

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This story has text displayed in a way that highlights the authors word choice.

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children’s / teenage fiction: general fiction

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children’s / teenage general interest: city and town life

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children’s / teenage general interest: transport and vehicles

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juvenile fiction / lifestyles / city & town life

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juvenile fiction / transportation / railroads & trains

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juvenile fiction/lifestyles - city & town life

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juvenile fiction/transportation - railroads & trains

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teenage general interest: city and town life

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teenage general interest: transport and vehicles

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kindergarten vocabulary;subway;brooklyn;city life;community books;spatial concepts;directional;positional words;trains;train;books for 3 year olds;books for 4 year olds;train books for kids 2-4;toddler books ages 2-4;kids books ages 2-4;books for 2 year olds;books for 4 year old girls;toddler books;childrens books ages 1-3;realistic fiction;childrens books by age 1-3;books for 4 year old boys;kindergarten books;books for 5 year olds;phonics;kindergarten reading books;beginning reader books

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trains; books for 4 year olds; books for 4 year old boys; kids books ages 2-4; books for 3 year olds; toddler books; books for 2 year olds; train books for kids 2-4; kindergarten books; toddler books ages 2-4; kindergarten reading books; beginning reader books; books for 5 year olds; phonics; train; books for 4 year old girls; childrens books by age 1-3; kindergarten vocabulary; subway; brooklyn; city life; community books; spatial concepts; directional; positional words; childrens books ages 1-3; realistic fiction

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juvenile fiction / lifestyles / city & town life

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juvenile fiction / transportation / railroads & trains

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juvenile fiction/lifestyles - city & town life

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juvenile fiction/transportation - railroads & trains

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children’s / teenage fiction: general fiction

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children’s / teenage general interest: city and town life

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children’s / teenage general interest: transport and vehicles

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Amazon.com: Out the Door (9780823446445): Hale, Christy: Books

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The purpose of this padlet is to give teachers, students, and parents an idea of quality literature. There are many components to a great children's book, however it goes beyond structure. Here, I hope you find some inspiration or examples of Children's literature that can support the love and process of writing.

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This is a silly book about a boy who begs his mother for a pet Iguana. It is a great example of conventions because he begs by writing his mother letters. This will help students understand how to properly use conventions.

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Achetez I Wanna Iguana. Lun des nombreux articles disponibles dans notre rayon {1} ici chez Fruugo !

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This mentor text is filled with letters for text!

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The Thank You Letter [Cabrera, Jane] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Thank You Letter

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This story follows a dog named Ike who writes letters to Mrs. Larue. Another great example of how to write a letter.

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Read Aloud- Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague | Great example of persuasive letters

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Alma Flor Ada, Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, has devoted her life to advocacy for peace by promoting a pedagogy oriented to personal realization and social justice. A former Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard University and Fulbright Research Scholar she is an internationally re-known speaker and the author of numerous children's books of poetry, narrative, folklore and non fiction. Her books have received prestigious awards; among many: Christopher Medal (The Gold Coin), Pura Belpré Medal (Under the Royal Palms), Once Upon a World (Gathering the Sun), Parents' Choice Honor (Dear Peter Rabbit), NCSS and CBC Notable Book (My Name is María Isabel). She is also the author of a book of memoirs, Vivir en dos idiomas, two novels for adults, En clave de sol and A pesar del amor, and several professional books for educators, including A Magical Encounter: Latino Children's Literature in the Classroom, as well as a wealth of educational materials. Her work, in collaboration with F. Isabel Campoy in promoting authorship in students, teachers, and parents is the content of their book Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Process. Alma Flor Ada has been awarded the American Education Research Association [AERA] Hispanic Issues Award for Research in Elementary, Secondary and Postsecondary Education and the California Association for Bilingual Education [CABE] Life Long Award. She has received the Virginia Hamilton Award, for her body of work, as well as the OHTLI Recognition from the Mexican Government for her support of Mexican communities abroad.

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Yours Truly, Goldilocks [Ada, Alma Flor, Tryon, Leslie] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Yours Truly, Goldilocks

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CAN I BE YOUR DOG Read Aloud Book For Kids

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The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters

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Knuffle Bunny has a very interesting presentation. In this book, the illustrator uses real photos as the setting or some elements. But, they also combine these photos with illustrated characters and items.

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"One of the most delightful read-aloud picture books on the shelf. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale is hilarious and the emotions of all involved are captured perfectly in Mo Willems brilliant illustrations. Even after multiple reads this one retains it's charm." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny was left behind?
Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy's in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong.

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Amazon.com: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale: 0884939682625: Willems, Mo: Books

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This story is also another story that has letters in it. The cows post notes outside the farm for the farmer to read. It shows great organization of text and letters.

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The quirky, hilarious farmyard tale that started it all from New York Times bestselling duo of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin! Now the inspiration for a new Christmas special, CLICK, CLACK, MOO: Christmas on the Farm . Farmer Brown MOO. MOO. MOO.
has a problem.
His cows like to type.
All day long he hears
Click, clack,
Click, clack,
Clickety, clack,
But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes....
Doreen Cronin's understated text and Betsy Lewin's expressive illustrations make the most of this hilarious situation. Come join the fun as a bunch of literate cows turn Farmer Brown's farm upside down.

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Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type [Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

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This book can be sung aloud! It is in the form of a song or poem and is easily read.

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NEWS FLASH!

Karen performs This Jazz Man at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Sunday 6/2, 12:30pm

Join an interactive reading of THIS JAZZ MAN, as part of FREE Family Day and a nonstop, 24-hour live art variety show in the SFMOMA's Rooftop Pavilion featuring 48 artists, filmmakers, musicians, performers, and writers.

SFMOMA Family Day: 11am-4pm, features inventive hands-on gallery activities for children ages 4 to 12.

FREE - BRING THE KIDS!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

BIOGRAPHY:

Back in the 1940s and 50s (before I was born!) my mama saw many jazz greats perform at venues like Club Alabam. Mingus or Parker might play and Ellington, Bojangles and other famous folk would drop by! When he had a regular gig in LA, Dizzy Gillespie lived right down the block from my mama's house!

My favorite jazz singers performing today are Paula West and Amber Weekes.

GREAT NEWS...

This Jazz Man audiobook just won the 2011 Audie Award for Children's Titles (For Ages Up to 8)! Also won a 2010 AudioFile Earphones Award!

Bravo! to a formidable jazz man himself, the narrator, Mr. James "D Train" Williams, and to Live Oak Media for their wonderful production!

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Amazon.com: This Jazz Man: 9780152053079: Ehrhardt, Karen, Roth, R.G.: Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry

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I used to read this endlessly in Elementary school. This is a collection of all different types of poems in one book.

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Shel Silverstein, the New York Times bestselling author of The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and Every Thing On It, has created a poetry co…

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This is a great book to read for primary grades because it is repetitive and therefore predictable.

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🦙Llama Llama Red Pajama - Animated Read Aloud Book

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The Snowy Day Read-aloud, an animated story

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It's almost bedtime! At 1 Hoppin Place the fun begins when a family of hamsters arrives at the door. There are only ten minutes left, and there's still so much to do! But with the help of the Hamsters' 10-Minute Bedtime Tour (guided by his own pet hamster), the little boy is able to get his toys put away, his pajamas on, his teeth brushed, and his bedtime story read-all in the nick of time. This lively introduction to bedtime rituals and the concept of counting backwards will have young readers eagerly awaiting their own countdown to bedtime.

A sure-fire toddler pleaser from the creator of Good Night, Gorilla .

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10 Minutes till Bedtime [Rathmann, Peggy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. 10 Minutes till Bedtime

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In this evocative wordless book, internationally acclaimed artist Suzy Lee tells the story of a little girl's day at the beach. Stunning in their simplicity, Lee's illustrations, in just two shades of watercolor, create a vibrant story full of joy and laughter.

New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book 2008

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Wave: (Books about Ocean Waves, Beach Story Children's Books)

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Wave: (Books about Ocean Waves, Beach Story Children's Books) [Lee, Suzy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Wave: (Books about Ocean Waves, Beach Story Children's Books)

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Last Stop on Market Street [de la Peña, Matt, Robinson, Christian] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Last Stop on Market Street

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This entire series of books show a great use of conventions in the text and even in the pictures. The use of punctuation is especially strong here.

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When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.

In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum.

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When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.

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The presentation of this book involves the text and pictures being in a different design on each page. On almost every page, there is a different text in each sentence or thought.

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Laurie Keller is the author and illustrator of many books including The Scrambled States of America, Potato Pants!, Arnie the Doughnut, Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners (Amazons #1 Editors' Pick on their Best Books of 2007 List), The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut chapter book series, and We Are Growing!, part of the Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series and winner of the 2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. When Laurie isn't busy making books, she enjoys playing the banjo, traveling, cross-country skiing and splashing in Lake Michigan. You can find out more about Laurie at her website, www.lauriekeller.com (see attached diagram to learn how to draw Arnie the Doughnut!).

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Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners [Keller, Laurie, Keller, Laurie] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners

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The Diary of a Worm shows a great example of ideas because the main worm character put entries into his diary showing his imagination and perspective on his life.

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This hilarious picture book from the bestselling, acclaimed author-illustrator team of Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss tells the adventures of a worm through his daily diary entries.

This is the diary of a worm. This worm lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey-no matter how hard he tries.

Read the other books in the series: Diary of a Fly and Diary of a Spider !

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Diary of a Worm [Cronin, Doreen, Bliss, Harry] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Diary of a Worm

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Fireflies shows a story about a little boy catching and longing for the fireflies outside of his house. The ideas shown in this book represent the boys feelings and thoughts.

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Ugly fish is one of my favorite childhood books. This book demonstrates multiple different ideas and perspectives of the fishes and how they handle their rivalries.

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Ugly Fish is ugly and big and mean, and he won't share his driftwood tunnel or his special briny flakes with anyone. And that means the wimpy little fish who keep showing up in his tank have got to go . But then one day someone bigger and uglier and maybe even meaner arrives . . . and suddenly Ugly Fish isn't feeling quite so confident anymore.

From Kara LaReau, author of the Rocko and Spanky series, here is an irreverent and terrifically funny book about a bully who at last gets his comeuppance.

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Ugly Fish [LaReau, Kara, Magoon, Scott] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ugly Fish

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In this work of art, each of the characters has a clear voice that shows their difference in ideas from each other.

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The Mighty Asparagus by Vladimir Radunsky

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The illustrations in this book relate to the mood and emotions of the text and story. But, the text also works with the story and voice because the Author uses uppercase words, italicized, and bold words to convey meaning.

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Magical Little Minds - Read Along Storytime

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Do Not Open This Book 🛑 by Andy Lee | Kids Book Read Aloud Story 📚

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The main character in The Other Side displays a voice that clearly demonstrates her thoughts and feelings. Making this a great mentor text for the voice trait.

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Jacqueline Woodson's memoir BROWN GIRL DREAMING won the 2014 National Book Award and was a NY Times Bestseller. Her novel, ANOTHER BROOKLYN, was a National Book Award finalist and an Indie Pick in 2016. Among her many awards, she the recipient of the Kurt Vonnegut Award, four Newbery Honors, two Coretta Scott King Award, and the Langston Hughes Medal. Jacqueline is the author of nearly thirty books for young people and adults including EACH KINDNESS, IF YOU COME SOFTLY, LOCOMOTION and I HADN'T MEANT TO TELL YOU THIS. She served as Young People's Poet Laureate from 2014-2016, was a fellow at The American Library in Paris, occasionally writes for the New York Times, is currently working on more books and like so many writers - lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

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The Other Side [Woodson, Jacqueline, Lewis, E. B.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Other Side

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This piece of literature relies heavily on the use of commas in a specific long sentence that is repeated throughout the book.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Classic Board Books)

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Classic Board Books) [Viorst, Judith, Cruz, Ray] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Classic Board Books)

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Each page of this story is in the format of a letter. It is a great mentor text for teaching organization because it shows correct organization of ideas and conventions in a text.

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DEAR MR. BLUEBERRY by Simon James - Children's Books Read Aloud

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This story follows a strict process of going on a journey. The author takes the reader through an organized adventure that is easy to follow.

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Eve Bunting has written more than 200 books for children, many of which can be found in libraries around the world. Her other Clarion titles for very young readers include My Big Boy Bed, which was also illustrated by Maggie Smith, and Little Bear's Little Boat, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. She lives in Pasadena, California.

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Fly Away Home [Bunting, Eve, Himler, Ronald] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Fly Away Home

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Max chooses words from a newspaper to display word choice.

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Bright, bold pictures incorporating clever wordplay accompany this highly original tale about a younger brother's ingenuity. This title has Common Core connections.

Max's Words is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

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Max's Words (Max's Words, 1) [Banks, Kate, Kulikov, Boris] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Max's Words (Max's Words, 1)

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This book repeats things that hands can do, except each time it uses a different action or adjective.

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Amazon.com: These Hands: 9781368050319: Price, Hope Lynne, Collier, Bryan: Books

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This text is easily read and flows, which makes for easy fluency.

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0 0 1 82 472 gyro 3 1 553 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE

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This was one of my favorite childhood books! This follows a little boy who hears common noises at night, but turns them into endless possibilities.

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The Birth of Noises at Night
Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

While taking a little break from teaching in Wellesley, I was taking care of my first baby, Will. He was the inspiration for lots of my unpublished stories and for my first published picture book, Noises at Night. Will was two years old at the time, and we had moved into a new house in Stow, Massachusetts. The house had many new sounds that Will wasn't used to: the hiss of the heater, the drip drop of the faucet, to name a couple. I sat next to Will on his bed (yup, he was out of his crib at an early age!) and told him my first version of Noises at Night to help him get back to sleep. Guess what? It worked! Will fell asleep and my first picture book idea was born!

Well, I went back to teaching, but kept on working on Noises as well as many other stories. It was after having my second child, Luke, that I decided to try writing full time. While at home, I wrote A Closer Look and Lemonade for Sale and sold them both to Rigby Publishing (now Harcourt Achieve!). I also wrote many educational articles for ParentsandKids newspaper. All the while, something was still bugging me about Noises! But what was it? My version of Noises at Night was rejected sooooo many times even after I re-wrote it and re-wrote it and re-wrote it. Publishers and editors loved it, but something wasn't quite right. I suspected it was the meter (that's the rhythm of the words and how parts of words have certain stresses ). I had joined a writing group in Wellesley, Massachusetts, led by children's author, Jackie Greene, and kept working on my stories.

It's a good thing that I met Susan Lubner, my co-writer, a few years later at Jackie's writing group! We became fast friends. I noticed that Susan was so terrific with meter that I invited her to re-write Noises with me. I was so happy when she said, "Yes!" When we collaborated, Noises was re-born and we sent it out again...and again...and again! It was rejected soooo many times, until finally, our editor, Tamar Brazis of Abrams said, "We love it and we found a perfect illustrator, Bruce Whatley, who would like to illustrate your book!" So, that is how Noises at Night came to be.

Read more about Noises at Night here.

The Reading Tub recommends
Noises At Night
"Kids in early elementary still love bedtime stories. As they grow as readers, you can expand to include both picture and chapter books, as well as easy readers so they can share the fun of reading, too."

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The Birth of Noises at Night Illustrated by Bruce Whatley While taking a little break from teaching in Wellesley, I was taking care of my first baby, Will. He was the inspiration for lots of my unpublished stories and for my first published picture book, Noises at Night.

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Skippy Jon Jones is a classic! It is an adventure to read and is engaging and fun.

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Judith Byron Schachner has been illustrating and writing children's books since 1992 and has given numerous presentations in schools and libraries. Her workshops are designed to be warm and personal with a special regard for the less than stellar student.

"Kids love to review my rotten report cards and laugh out loud at a slide show involving 4 cats and a funeral. Teachers love the 'Seed Box' filled to the brim with a magical collection of 'Junk' to inspire the writer in all of us. Everyone loves to watch 'Don Juan Skippito Bumblito the Great Sword Fighter' come to life with pencil and paper. By the end of the day we all believe that the stories in our own lives are worth writing about."

Judith Byron Schachner grew up outside of Boston in the 1950's. Her early years were not easy: "Growing up we didn't have much money. My mother was very ill, and to make matters worse, I was extremely shy. All my teachers complained that 'Judith needs to speak up in class, Judith needs to improve in arithmetic, and Judith needs to finish her work on time.' But no one complained about my artwork. On paper I drew myself a world where mothers were healthy and teachers were kind. My life was perfection in pencil."

Judith graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1973 with a BFA in illustration and went straight into the "greeting card factories, which included a stint at Hallmark. For five years I designed cute cards, sad cards, funny cards, and wedding cards. I was not having fun; in fact I never wanted to pick up a paintbrush again."

Married life changed many things for Judith. One clear advantage for her was that "for the first time in many years I could step off the 9 to 5 treadmill and devote all my energy to creating a portfolio of children's book art. That was until two little baby girls were born. Then motherhood became my favorite new job. Over the years I read hundreds of books to my daughters. Inspired by the art and words I was moved once again to finish my portfolio and take it on the road to New York. Around the same time I met Donna Jo Napoli who convinced Dutton Children's Books to let me illustrate her novel, The Prince of the Pond," published in 1992.

In 1995 Judith wrote and illustrated her first picture book, Willy and May, and has turned out a number of projects since then. "The wonderful thing about my job is that one day I can be writing about history, as I did in Mr. Emerson's Cook. The next day I'm drawing a wacky old woman for I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. Or I can bring to life a beloved pet cat in my book The Grannyman. I live in a constant state of 3rd grade bliss - making up stories and drawing pictures. Isn't that what we all did as children?"

Several years ago the great author Lloyd Alexander stood in Judith's back yard admiring her daughters' Viking ship (as Judith puts it, that's another story). Working with Lloyd Alexander has been a dream come true for Judith: "Never in my wildest fantasies did I ever think that my art would inhabit his world of words."

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Skippyjon Jones [Judy Schachner] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Skippyjon Jones

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Corduroy follows a stuffed bear looking for a button so that he will be picked by an owner.

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Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California danceband. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings.

Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident; he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater.

He was introduced to the world of Childrens' Literature, when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. Through his writing, he was able to create his own theater: "I love the flow of turning the pages, the suspense of what's next. Ideas just come at me and after me. It's all so natural. I work all the time, long into the night, and it's such a pleasure. I don't know when the time ends. I've never been happier in my life!"

Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear, named Corduroy.

Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popular books for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and the Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low.

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Corduroy [Don Freeman] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Corduroy

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Voices in the park is a very fun book to look at because there is something different on every page. At first glance you may see something regular, and then with a deeper look things expand.