Narrative writing isn’t just about storytelling. It’s a great way to teach young writers how to elaborate on events, express emotion, and so much more! The best way to achieve this is to use mentor texts as a model. Keep reading to find my favorite mentor texts for modeling narrative writing.

When searching for books to model narrative writing I look for characters that have a problem & they make attempts to solve the problem. (This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you use my links at no cost to you)

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

A Bad Case of Stripes, a mentor text for modeling narrative

“Camila Cream is a young girl that loves lima beans, but she never eats them. Why? Because the other kids in her school don’t like them. And Camila Cream is very, very worried about what other people think of her. In fact, she’s so worried that she’s about to break out in… a bad case of stripes.”

This book is perfect for modeling narrative writing because it has clear attempts and failures to solve the character’s problem. I would use this book to model the parts of a great narrative piece.

Here is a quick lesson outline:

  • Read 1: Identify the character, setting, & problem.
  • Read 2: Identify the attempts and failures to solve the character’s problem. There are several, but I would only pick two.
  • Read 3: Identify how the characters’ problem was solved. Students may say, she ate lima beans and was cured, but there is a bigger message about being yourself and not worrying what other people think that truly helps Camila.

*Add information to your anchor chart after each read.*

You Can’t Move a Hippo by Michael Catchpool

You Can't move a Hippo, a mentor text for modeling narrative

“You can’t move a hippo if it doesn’t want to go – and thats a fact!” So how on earth are the jungle animals going to get this lazy hippo to move from the bridge? Lion, Monkey, and Warthog try to order, push, and bounce him off… but it’s a little mouse who holds the key to moving this hippo.

This book has a similar structure to the one previously mentioned. The animals have a clear problem (There is a hippo blocking their path to cross the bridge) & each animal tries to move the hippo. At the end of the story, a mouse comes along and is able to get the hippo to move by simply being polite. The components make it a great mentor text for modeling narrative writing.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari Jumps, a mentor text for modeling narrative

Jabari watched the other kids climb the long ladder. They walked all the way out to the end of the board, as big as tiny bugs. Then they stood on the edge. They spread their arms and bent their knees. And sprang up! up! up! And then the dove down, down, down.

This is a great example of a detailed event. The author takes her time to describe what Jabari sees as other children jump off the diving board. She includes verbs and figurative language to paint a clear picture for the reader. Encourage your young writers to use this example as a model for their writing.

Using picture books is a great way to help young writers understand the parts of a good narrative piece. Ensure that the books you choose have clear attempts and failures to solve the character’s problem. These 3 books are always at the top of my list during our narrative writing unit.

Thanks for stopping by,

Rebecca Jeanette