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You are here: Home / Nonfiction Books for Kids / Under the Freedom Tree, pt. 4

Under the Freedom Tree, pt. 4

February 11, 2014 By Laura

Don't Forget to Write

Under the Freedom Tree
by Susan VanHecke, illus by London Ladd
Charlesbridge, 2014

Part 1 here?and Part 2 here?and Part 3 here.

Last week, I shared my reading experience of this book in the above posts. Now I want to think about it as a writer.

As a writer, I like trying things that I see other writers do well. When I read Under the Freedom Tree, I saw things that Susan VanHecke did that I want to do, too. Here are two of them.

I’d like to try writing about a real event in free verse poetry. By using so few words and so many sentence fragments (?Heads bowed,/hopes bold.?), she puts me right there in the moment. I’m holding my breath to see what happens.

I also want to try writing about a nonfiction topic with figurative language. I tend to avoid figurative language in a lot of my nonfiction, even though I see over and over again how powerful it is! (?To his shores they came,/wrapped in night,/to stand bravely before him.?) That ?wrapped in night? makes me see the scary journey across the night river, their dark skin, and the way that maybe only secrecy can protect them. All with only three words! I love poetry.

What do you find in this book that you might want to play with in your own writing?

CCRA.W.3, CCRA.W.4, CCRA.W.5

 

In this blog feature, I share something about my writing process or thoughts I have about writing while reading a picture book I really like.?I’m hoping this will be useful for those of you who are?educators working with young writers.

Tagged With: CCRA.W.3, CCRA.W.4, CCRA.W.5, nonfiction books, writing prompts

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Related

« A Meal of the Stars, by Dana Jensen, pt. 2
Under the Freedom Tree, pt. 5 »

JULY NEWS

Yvonne Pearson and I are halfway through our fabulous 14-stop storytime tour with our For the Love of Loons program in Minnesota. Want to hear two great picture books and walk, wail, and dive like a loon? Check out our schedule here!

Getting loon in Hinckley, MN

I have one more We Belong storytime, and it's outside on July 13 at the Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville, MN at 10 a.m. Come read and celebrate our self-worth and identity. See ya there!

I'm also enjoying a visit from one of my Florida sisters, and hopping up to Duluth for a bit of ship-watching. Happy summer, everyone!

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