Today I got an email about a  title from Heinemann , Writing With Mentor Texts. I am a big proponent of teaching with mentor texts. I can remember my first years of teaching when I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but I had mentor texts to ground my instruction, touchstone texts that had a place of honor in my classroom. Texts that were riddled with sticky notes of teaching points, words and phrases worth drawing attention to, examples of craft that deserved to be mimicked. These texts were touchstones for not only my students, but also for me.

I have lots of favorite mentor texts. But, the one I want to write about today is one I was never able to use in my classroom because I became aware of it too late, long after I was teaching writing. It was, however; a bedtime favorite in our house. We love pattern books in our home.

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman.

The story is about the picky Peters eaters, seven children in a family, each with their own quirks about what they will eat. Mrs. Peters does her best to give each of her picky eaters exactly what they want. One only wants milk, another only applesauce, and another lemonade.

The Seven Silly Eaters is a great book for teaching rhyme and repetition. The illustrations are charming and full of details. It’s excellent for showing the passage of time. It teaches a beautiful lesson about familial love and compromise. Plus, it’s silly!

Listen to the book here.