Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books [Library Binding]

Loreen Leedy (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Brainstorm for ideas! Get started on some fascinating research! In no time at all kids can be off on a literary adventure that they can create as they go along. With the help of some spunky and humorous characters, Loreen Leedy tells kids everything they need to do to become authors, illustrators, editors, and designers of their own fantastic books. She provides step-by-step instructions as well as tips for incorporating the wildest and most original ideas. This innovative book will inspire young authors and give them the practical information they need to reach new heights of creativity.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-In this companion to Messages in the Mailbox (1991) and The Furry News (1990, both Holiday), Leedy focuses on the creation of a book from start to finish. In an easy-to-follow format, she lays out the basics of producing a fiction or nonfiction book, offering practical suggestions and clever ideas that will encourage kids to pick up a pen or pencil and start writing. Following the writing process fairly closely, from brainstorming ideas to binding the book, she takes readers through a step-by-step formula that almost guarantees a successful product. With pages that include discussions of lettering and artwork, this title becomes more than just a "how-to" book; it is a jumping-off point for all kinds of projects. Both teachers and students will find helpful hints here. Lively, colorful illustrations expand and interpret the text, keeping kids entranced with an ever-evolving process. It's difficult not to get caught up in the excitement generated by this creation.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Leedy offers young writers tips for publishing their own works in this informational picture book, which considers everything from brainstorming for ideas, considering possible genres, conducting research (if necessary), and planning the setting, characters, and plot to choosing a title and revising the work. A final section describes various book formats, layout possibilities, art supplies, lettering techniques, and binding methods. With the current emphasis on teaching basic skills, this resource will help teachers engage their students in authentic (as well as fun) activities that impart fundamental rules of rhetoric. The inviting layout, which includes lots of lists, captioned illustrations, and thought bubbles, makes the book accessible even to emerging readers and writers. A list of age-appropriate books dealing with writing and illustration, research skills, and getting published rounds out a welcome resource for teachers and parents with aspiring writers at home, as well as for young authors. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1 edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823415902
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415908
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,133,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing and illustrating picture books for children for over twenty-five years. Though I majored in art in college, at the time I wasn't sure what kind of artist to be. Fortunately, it turned out that combining words and art to create picture books was a perfect career for me. Most of my books center around a particular topic such as fractions, the solar system, writing, and so on. The characters and story lines help put the subject matter into a meaningful context for young readers.

After growing up mostly in Delaware, I moved to central Florida a couple of decades ago, and currently live with my husband Andy on a three acre property with hawks, herons, and horses (the horses live next door.) We love the rustle of the pines in the breeze, the screeching of sandhill cranes flying overhead, and the chattering of many small birds that come and go as they please.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your "reference" Library!, July 24, 2006

By 

Joy Dearing "Book Lover" (North Canton, Oh. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books (Library Binding)

I am thrilled to have this book. It was recommended to me by one of my graduate professors. It is a great way to discuss the writing process to kids. The pictures are great and it is an awesome read-aloud! I would recommend this book for the elementary grades.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, August 4, 2005

By 

Natasha Yim "[e-mail]" (Ukiah, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books (Library Binding)

I'm a children's book writer and the author of the picture book "Otto's Rainy Day". I recently discovered this book just as I was about to do a book reading and give a presentation at my local library about the writing and publishing process. Loreen Leedy has laid out the process in a structurally logical and easy-to-follow format that parallels what real adult writers do. She also gives wonderful examples to illustrate her points. I used the book to talk about how my book came to be a published book, from manuscript to print, but to also relate it to how kids can also write and create their own books (they don't have to wait for a publisher!). It helped me shift the focus from just me, the adult writer, to hopefully inspiring kids to create their own fun writing project.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A picturebook that truly stimulates creativity & imagination, April 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books (Library Binding)

Look At My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books by experienced children's author Loreen Leedy teaches young people how to write their own books: brainstorm ideas, get ready to do research, the design and illustrate a fantastic new book. The colorful artwork is crisp and clean, clearly illustrating various steps of the process. Offering tips for coming up with characters, settings, the perfect title, making revisions, choosing art supplies, binding the pages of one's new book and more, Look At My Book is a picturebook that truly stimulates creativity and imagination. Highly recommended.