blog tour + giveaway: MY DAD IS THE BEST PLAYGROUND

There's a great blog tour going on this week about My Dad is the Best Playground by Luciana Navarro-Powell (Random House Kids, 2012). If you've not seen the previous stops on the tour, take a minute to click back...and then follow the rest of the tour throughout the week.

6/10: Watch. Connect. Read

6/10: SharpRead

6/11: Home with the Boys

6/12: Nerdy Book Club

6/13: Ruth Ayres Writes

6/14: Book Faerie

6/15: Random Acts of Reading

6/16: BookingMama.com

One of the ways I can see using this book in writing workshop is to spark a discussion about tone. Take a moment and look at the cover. I mean, really look at it. What can you tell about the tone of the story  simply from the cover? Tone is a difficult thing for young writers to understand and craft in their writing. By thinking about it through cover art first, it sometimes makes tone a little more manageable. Through color, font, and the action in the picture, we can pick up on the playful, whimsical tone of the book.

Now check out the book trailer as one more way to think about tone. You'll find the music gives another insight into the tone of My Dad is the Best Playground.

I love the playful tone of this book. I'm letting it inspire a little bit of play in my own writer's notebook. It's important to consider the tone of the story. What colors and fonts "fit" your current project? What kind of music sets the tone? As we work through this ourselves, we'll gain insight about ways to help students understand tone. Will you join me in taking time to create a page in your notebook devoted to the tone of a story? I'd love to hear what you discover.

And while you're discovering, you won't be sorry cracking open My Dad is the Best Playground. It is playful and whimsical on every single page. It will make you smile and giggle. It is even better when shared with a Dad (maybe even on Father's Day).

Random House Kids is giving away a copy of My Dad is the Best Playground. Just leave a comment on this post before next Tuesday for a chance to win your own copy.