Research Journal #2

This process has been really fun, but I have to admit that a children’s book is much more daunting than I was expecting. I have been wobbling with how to even start my story. After doing research and playing with different concepts, I realized just how many components come into play when writing a children’s book. Luckily, I found a very helpful video which can be found below. This video is avery concise explanation of what to keep in mind when planning a children’s book. I’ve also found this blog by a children’s book editor, Mary Kole. I have begun drafting my story in Google Docs and plan to finish it later today, and start my painting bright and early in the morning.

Though I have wobbled in this process, I am really having fun with my concept. I have decided to go with a jungle theme to my story. This story will capture my touchstone beliefs about celebrating different skills that students have and being able to benefit from one another’s talents, rather than be held back by our own downfalls. In the story, I plan to have a young giraffe, frog and fish taking an exam to become official animals of the jungle. In order to complete the test, the animals will be asked to complete certain tasks that are obviously geared toward certain skill sets that not every animal might have. In the end, the teacher giving the test will end with the moral of the story which is that everyone is different. When the animals work together and learn that it’s okay to not be good at everything and to work together, they become members of the jungle because they need to understand these things in order for the jungle to be a happy place.

Though I’m excited about this idea, I’m still struggling with the complexity of my message. I really hope that I can make this story understandable and concise for my young audience, because that’s what this genre is really about.

I am trying to embrace this wobbles both a teacher and a writer because I understand that this is probably how many of my students will feel when they are forced to write outside of their comfort zone. Thankfully, I have chosen a genre that I find fun and that will allow me to paint (which is not something I get to use in an academic setting very often). I’m struggling a little bit, but really looking forward to my final draft. I will keep you all updated on how the drafting process goes!