A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

While exploring writing, mechanics, and literary devices, January’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections demonstrate the power of stories and their ability to entertain, inform, and commemorate.

This month’s Quill explores the power of poetry! Play with pitch, voice, volume, and whimsical words while nurturing your child’s early reading, handwriting, and math skills.

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

Get ready to add rhythm and rhyme to your days. The January Quill (Poetry) is here!

In this Quill we’ll lift our pinkies and sip tea while reading poetry; commit our favorite verses to memory; discover the difference between a stanza and a paragraph; play with rhyme, two words at a time (see what we did there?); clap and count our way through a poem to find the rhythm; and combine rhyme and rhythm to write a limerick.

Note: You can use any transportation picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

• Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loren Long
• Explosion at the Poem Factory by Kyle Lukoff and Mark Hoffmann
• Fancy Nancy Poet Extraordinaire! by Jane O’Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
• Kiyoshi’s Walk by Mark Karlins, illustrated by Nicole Wong 
• Poem in My Pocket by Chris Tougas, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
• Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani 

Get the Quill.

Wondrous Rex by Patricia MacLachlan

Meet Rex: a Labrador retriever who has a special way with words!

Our story’s protagonist has a special gift he generously shares with others! What a perfect way to demonstrate the role of anthropomorphism, this month’s literary device!

We’ll also: 

• start a wondrous word hoard;
• capitalize some proper nouns;
• create breathing room with commas;
• plop pronouns into place;
• ponder some potent punctuation;
• capture qualities with adjectives, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

You’ll meet Petra, who wants to become a storyteller like her abuelita. But first, she’ll have to summon all her courage to fight incredible odds to save herself and others. This page turner will keep your kids on the edge of their seats—enjoy!

January’s literary device is flashbacks. Find out how a trip back in time makes the here and now more interesting!

We’ll also: 

• engage with ellipses; 
• save time with contractions;
• talk about quotes;
• find the fun in figurative language;
• connect with coordinating conjunctions;
• tune into tone; and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds

Hinds has adapted Homer’s famous work into a gorgeous graphic-novel!*

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

• get lost in translation;
• wander through wordless sequences;
• contemplate commas;
• activate ALL CAPS;
• follow comic book transitions;
• explain encapsulation and closure, and so much more!

*Note About Content
The illustrations in this book depict the sensuality of the original text in much the same way ancient Greek sculpture you see in art museums might, including the human form in minimal clothing. The book also visually represents the violence of the epic with scenes of bloodshed and battle. Please review the book to decide if this story is right for your family.

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.

December’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections celebrate the power of family and friendship and provide shiny opportunities to explore in dynamic new ways:

• writing,
• mechanics,
• and literary devices. 

And this month’s Quill takes you on an exciting ride exploring modes of transportation, while also nurturing your child’s early reading, writing, and math skills.

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

Cars! Boats! Trains! Oh, my! Get ready to move with the December Quill: Transportation!

In this Quill we’ll size up books as we explore book anatomy; label pieces and parts; get a move on to memorize as we develop gross motor skills; train fine motor skills with tracing; keep track with counting; and see how one thing is not like another as we compare and contrast.

NOTE: You can use any transportation picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

• Choo Choo: The Story of a Little Engine Who Ran Away by Virginia Lee Burton
• My First Day by Phùng Nguyên Quang & Huỳnh Kim Liên 
• Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan, illustrated by Mercè López
• DK Smithsonian Our World in Pictures: Cars, Trains, Ships & Planes by Clive Gifford
• Stephen Biesty’s Incredible Cross-Sections by Stephen Biesty 
• The Amazing History of Transportation: Machines in Motion by Tom Jackson

Get the Quill.

The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el

Meet Duane, a lovable polar bear who finds friends and adventure wherever he goes!

Our story’s narrator this month has big opinions and can’t wait to share them with you! What a perfect way to demonstrate the role of the intrusive narrator, this month’s literary device!

We’ll also: 

• wiggle our way through a look at verbs describing the ways animals move;
• encounter a passage that uses repetition again, and again, and again (to great effect);
• savor some lyrical language;
• ponder the delights of personification;
• split up parts of a sentence and make lists with semicolons; 
• consider a cornucopia of color names, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

This heartwarming story of three siblings evacuated from London to live in the countryside during World War II is a feel-good story—a perfect family read aloud.

December’s literary device is genre. Find out what makes historical fiction unique and explore which genres your family especially enjoys!

We’ll also: 

• capture conjunctions and cling or string ideas together;
• show respect with honorifics;
• search for short sentences and some long ones too;
• slide suffixes in at the end;
• discuss the ins and outs of dialogue;
• catch commas carrying out all sorts of jobs; and so much more!  

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

This look at a teen girl navigating Deaf culture, high school, and relationship struggles is sure to spark Big Juicy Conversation in your home.

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

• contemplate how conflict is constructed;
• provide background details about narrative exposition;
• get acquainted with character development;
• wait and wait to find out about suspense;
• chat about colloquial expressions with y’all; 
• enjoy an aha moment with an exhilarating epiphany and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.