education: language arts mentor texts for forms of writing k-8

this picture book shares the tale of arfy, a homeless mutt who lives in a box in an alley. arfy writes to every person on butternut street about what a great pet he'd make. his letters to prospective owners share that he's house broken! he has his own squeaky bone! he can learn to live with cats! but, no one wants him. won't anyone open their heart--and home--to a lonesome dog? readers will be happily surprised to learn just who steps up to adopt arfy. troy cummings's hilarious and touching story is a perfect gift for a child wanting a dog, and for pet adoption advocates. it also showcases many different styles of letter writing, making it appealing to parents and teachers looking to teach the lost art of written communication.

when farmer brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want. farmer brown thinks it's odd when he hears the sounds of typing coming from the barn, but his troubles really begin when his cows start leaving him notes. first they demand better working conditions, then they stage a strike!

george and blaise are pen pals, and they write letters to each other about everything- their pets, birthdays, favorite sports, and science fair projects. there's just one thing that the two friends don't know- george is a human, while blaise is a dragon! what will happen when these pen pals finally meet face-to-face?

although juno, a korean american boy, cannot read the letter he receives from his grandmother in seoul, he understands what it means from the photograph and dried flower that are enclosed and decides to send a similar letter back to her.

a young girl and her teacher correspond about the whale she has discovered in her pond.

a beguiling dog laments his fate at obedience school through a series of hilarious letters home--by the best-selling illustrator of how do dinosaurs say good night?when ike larue is "imprisoned" at the igor brotweiler canine academy, he tries everything to get sent home--weepy letters to his owner, even illness. in reality, brotweiler is more like camp than prison, but still, ike's not cut out for life w/o mrs. larue & his creature comforts. finally, he runs away only to find himself back in snort city--just in time to save mrs. larue's life.teague is at the top of his fetching form in this madcap comedy where the real world of brotweiler & the one ike imagines are brilliantly depicted thru split-screen visuals, the former in color & the latter in b&w.

owen skye can't forget about his true love sylvia, even though she's moved away. he still has the stationary set she gave him for his birthday, and so he decides to use it to write her. owen is a true writer in his head but getting the right words onto the page is another story. as he nervously begins to write, young readers easily identify with his struggles against spelling, his writer's insecurity, and his deep desire to tell sylvia the truth about what's going on in his life -- and in his heart. owen manages to write about how his little brother got his head stuck in the banister, the disastrous camping trip with his irritating cousins, and how his new baby cousin will only stop crying if he holds her. . . but writing the letters is only the first step. will owen have the courage to send them? will he ever see sylvia again? alan cumyn has given his well-loved series a new and original twist in this irresistible epistolary novel.

the postman delivers letters to fairy tale characters and the reader gets to look at the contents of each envelope. pockets throughout the book act as envelopes.

an impulsive little boy experiences the power of unconditional love timothy shmoe isn't a bad kid, but sometimes he makes honest (and not-so-honest) mistakes. time after time, timothy finds himself in disasters of his own creation, leaving a trail of broken heirlooms, torn tutus, and innocent bystanders (including his cat, fluffy). told in a series of letters, readers follow timothy through his hilarious antics and missteps. when his pocketful of marbles wreaks havoc at his sister's ballet recital, timothy realizes he's gone too far. in one final, remorseful letter, timothy apologizes for the ballet blunder and says his father probably wishes timothy had never been born. what follows is a touching lesson about the redeeming power of acceptance. bright, comic-like illustrations and hand-lettered text bring timothy and his shenanigans to life. hilarious and heartwarming, the sorry life of timothy shmoeis a call to empathy for children who struggle with impulse control, and a tribute to unconditional love.

a series of letters describe the actions of goldilocks, peter rabbit, the three pigs, little red hen, and other storybook characters when little red hen and her chicks become the target of the unsavory wolf and his cousin, fer o'cious.