Mentor Texts- Crafting Leads

Marianna Moore and Pam Conley

Mentor Text Set: Crafting Leads

(General Grade Level- 1^st through 3^rd)

Leads hook the reader and heighten the reader’s curiosity by creating interest in the book. These are different examples of leads that students can use to inspire their own writing, and draw attention to quality leads in literature.

Appelbaum, D. K. (1997). Cocoa ice. New York: Orchard Books.

Chocolate comes from a faraway island where birds have pink feathers, leaves grow bigger than I am tall, and it is always summer. Children who live on the island never have to wear boots or clean ashes from the stove because winter never comes. Best of all on the island of always-summer, chocolate grows on trees. (In the form of an author’s note)

Cannon, J. (1993). Stellaluna . San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

In a warm and sultry forest far, far away there once lived a mother fruit bat and her new baby. (Beautiful imagery)

Greenburg, D. (1997). The Zack files. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

“Zack, have you ever been outside of your body?” (Interesting question)

Krull, K. (1996). Wilma unlimited: how Wilma Rudolph became the world's fastest

woman. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.

No one expected such a tiny girl to have a first birthday. In Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1940, life for a baby who weighed just over four pounds at birth was sure to be limited. (Invokes curiosity)

Lithgow, J., & Payne, C. F. (2000). The remarkable Farkle McBride . New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Oh, the pity the prodigy, Farkle McBride!/No matter what instrument poor Farkle tried,/Whether Strumming,/or blowing,/or drumming/or bowing,/His musical passions were unsatisfied. (Fun rhyming pattern)

McKissack, P., & Pinkney, J. (1988). Mirandy and Brother Wind . New York: Knopf.

Swish! Swish! It was spring and Brother Wind was back.(Catches your attention with an onomonopia)

Provensen, A., & Provensen, M. (1983). The glorious flight:across the channel

with Louis Bleriot, July 25, 1909. New York: Viking Press.

It all began one morning. … The year is 1901. The place is the city of Cambrai, in France. (Blatant statements about setting)

Scieszka, J., & Smith, L. (1989). The true story of the 3 little pigs . New York, N.Y.,

U.S.A.: Viking Kestrel.

Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody had ever heard my side of the story. (Talking directly to the reader, fractured fairy tale)

Solheim, J. (1997). It's disgusting and we ate it! New York: Simon & Schuster

Books for Young Readers.

What would you rather eat for lunch – a steaming piece of pizza, a bowl of bugs, a live oyster, or a fish’s head? (Engrossing question)

Soto, G., & Martinez, E. (1993). Too many tamales . New York: Putnam.

Snow drifted through the streets and now that it was dusk, Christmas trees glittered in the windows. (Beautiful Imagery)