1. Break your thoughts into a cup.
2. Weigh your words.
3. Cut out your characters
Usually, I don't embrace rhyming picture books unless they're saccharine sweet. However, count me a fan of Burfoot's Recipe For a Story. I really enjoy the concept -- it's witty! Burfoot goes through the individual steps of how to create a delicious story.
The book is full of intelligent wordplay and chimerical characters and scenery. The rhyming makes it fun to read aloud and the recipe itself is just plain clever. Burfoot's pictures are fanciful, sweet and incredibly engaging; plenty for the kiddies to look at.
In fact, the illustrations alone are great candidates for a wordless picture book. We're talking seriously dreamy stuff, with cookie-cutter characters (literally! characters made out of batter. Yum!) and a shelf that boasts 'Dried Princess Peas' and 'Story Pops'.
Teachers, Recipe For a Story is the perfect lead-in to a lesson on narrative writing. While the story might seem light and easy during the first read, the 'recipe' is actually quite a good one to follow if you want to stimulate your students' creative writing abilities. Parents, if you're looking for some super fun reading, look no further.
Title: Recipe For a Story
Author/Illustrator: Ella Burfoot
Publisher: Macmillan's Children's Books, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 January 2015
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780230753037
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book
