MOWMT: Backmatter - It's An Art with Joyce P. Uglow

March 19, 2025

[Note: Click on the Title/Links to buy the books.]

“Mentor texts are words that writers wish they had written themselves.” Georgia Heard 

Classroom teachers often teach their students to read like a writer. This practice is a type of close reading that writers do as they read. Indeed, they may read differently than people who don’t see themselves as writers. Writers see themselves as insiders and often notice craft moves used by other authors. They collect and apply notable techniques in their own writing adding a unique spin of their own. Reading picture books like a writer includes paying attention to the art of back matter. March ON with me to these books that I highly recommend. 

The Art of Back Matter: A Poem for March On With Mentor Texts

By Joyce P. Uglow © 2025

I’m happy I saw the letter addressed to us.

It was way in the back…

And I’m glad I noticed that plan for action outlined back there, too.

You know, those pictures of trees in the back?

They’re just like the ones on your street.

You’ll love them and, the list of words and the map

and that slime recipe slipped into the back.

I can tell you, I never miss the stuff in the back. 

THE WORLD’S LONELIEST ELEPHANT by Ralph Fletcher, illustrated by Naoko Stoop, Christy Ottaviano Books; Little, Brown and Company

Description: A heartwarming true story about Kaavan the elephant, his unlikely bond with singer and activist Cher, his rescue by veterinarian and animal rights crusader Dr. Amir Khalil, and relocation to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ralph Fletcher is one of my favorite professional development experts in the education field. It is not a surprise that he’s an award winning poet, children’s book author, and photographer. On the matter of mentor text he says, “I think of writer’s craft as the intentional use of language to create the effect you want. All writers must decide WHAT to write about, but that’s just the first step. Craft involves HOW you write about your subject.” 

☒Author’s Connection to topic | ☒ Sources

Fletcher’s back matter is titled, Kaavan: Yesterday and Today. I love how readers can hear Fletcher’s compassion for animals in this amazing story. The back matter is a two-page spread of nine paragraphs, three photos, and a list of eight sources. Fletcher skillfully included a sprinkling of dates, interesting details, and descriptions that pull at the reader’s heart strings. 

SCHOOLAPALOOZA: A Silly Alphabet of 26 Schooltime Poems edited by Ryan G. Van Cleave, illustrated by Laura Vitoria, Moonshower, an imprint of Bushel and Peck Books

Description:  Twenty-six poets and children’s book authors from Lynne Marie, Ruth Spiro, Michelle Schaub, Irene Latham, Casey Robinson, Matt Forrest Esenwine to Marilyn Singer cheer, wail, and salute the classroom in this silly tribute to school. 

The back matter is a straightforward list called About the Poets. The art in this back matter is in the connections to the poets. It is especially wonderful to have easy access to the poets’ website addresses and a list of their published books. Simple but effective.

STUCK! The Story of La Brea Tar Pits by Joyce P. Uglow, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, Bushel and Peck Books

Description:  Oozy, sticky asphalt seeps surprised Ice Age animals that wandered in for a drink (or an easy supper). Stuck instead, predators and prey got mired in the muck! Trapped until unearthed, uncovered, unstuck - revealing stacks of climate science stories buried at La Brea Tar Pits. 

☒ Author’s Connection to topic | ☒ Glossary | 

☒ Timeline 

Back matter in STUCK! provides the space for some of the research details to add to the context of the lyrical text. I used the subheading a “La Brea Tar Pits Time Capsule” to help readers understand the gigantic stretch of time from 25 million years ago when the oil formed to today’s world. “This is not the end of the story” is meant call readers to action with regard to paying attention to our future in terms of climate change. 

Having a glossary in a nonfiction picture book is essential. Case in point: the word seep… a place where oil or asphalt naturally oozes to the surface. We also included a color-coded A to Z list of fossils to categorize the invertebrates, plants, amphibians, birds, mammals, fish, and reptiles. This provides a curriculum connection to the life science study of sorting and classifying. 

GREAT GUSTS: Winds of the World And the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict, illustrated by Khoe Le, MIT Kids Press 

Description: In a dynamic collection of poems, Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict introduce fourteen winds of the world, from Japan’s mighty oroshi to Italy’s swaggering maestro and Libya’s fierce Ghibli. 

☒ Author’s Connection to topic | ☒  Curriculum Connections | ☒  Glossary | ☒  Map | 

☒ Read More 

This book’s back matter starts with “What Makes the Wind?”. Its first line blew me over in its simplicity. “Wind is air in motion.” The second paragraph beautifully addresses the reader directly. “Imagine the moment when you’re let out for recess. Classmates scatter in different directions rather than staying clustered together.” As a poet, I love nonfiction poetry collections in picture books. Crowder and Benedict made my day with the “Local Poetic Traditions” section. They give easy to understand descriptions of forms of poetry. Check it out! “Like the winds, forms of poetry are as unique as the regions where they originate.”

I AM GRAVITY by Henry Herz, illustrated by Merce Lopez, Tilsbury House Publishers

Description: What reaches everywhere and never tires? Tugging on delicate dandelion puffs and garganutuan galaxies alike? Holding the Milky Way together? Gravity, of course. Read along as Gravity boasts of its essential role in life as we know it—from the pulling of the ocean’s tides to the vast spray of stars in the sky. Back matter about the science of gravity and major historical discoveries enhances this book for STEM learning.  

☒ Author’s Connection to topic  

Herz’s I AM GRAVITY back matter consists of a not-to-be-missed two-page “Author Notes for Curious Readers”. It is set in a black two-page spread and is fashioned like so many of the pages. The reader is asked on the first line, “Who would expect that something invisible could so profoundly affect us?” The entire set of notes is written using the same tone and mood that the lyrical text delivers. In it, readers find tidbits about Sir Isaac Newton and his law of universal gravitation and Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity amongst other voicey thoughts and questions. Herz’s writing style shines from the first spread and throughout the back matter. 

This book is a wonderful example of how back matter can be a springboard for teaching research skills. I love this approach to spark agency and self-selected inquiry learning. Who wouldn’t want to discover more after reading the following sentence? I love how the four illustrations wrap into and around the text. His back letter to the reader ends with “Thanks, gravity!” You will need to pick up and study this book to fully grasp its pull.  

Read Across America Week (March 2-6, 2025) falls inside March On with Mentor Text month. The National Education Association (NEA) celebrates a nation of diverse readers by showcasing diverse books and authors. The books in this post can help you choose 

I’ve been studying back matter for a while, but I’ve only just begun to keep track of picture books with interesting back matter. This spreadsheet will grow over time. I’ve shared my analysis with you in a Google Sheet in View Mode. If you care to, you’re welcome to make a copy for your own use. Check out the listed picture book titles at your local library. If your library does not have one or more of the books, fill out a request form to suggest books for their collection. This practice supports fellow creatives – and lets many  readers enjoy the books. It’s a win-win. If you would like to own these books, head on over to your local independent book store.

Effective back matter contains relevant information that sparks wonder. Think: map for a journey, a timeline for a biography or trek across time, an author’s note or illustrator’s note to add personal touch, a glossary to help build vocabulary and understanding, further reading… It is that creative touch that makes a book stand out. Back Matter: It’s An Art. 

Does the back matter:

☐ use accessible language and format appropriate for the target age group? 

☐ include interesting illustrations or diagrams that enhance and/or complement the text? 

☐ provide valuable information for educators to incorporate into lesson plans? 

☐ re-hash the events covered in the book?

☐ give more information and sources where reader can continue to feed their curiosity?

☐ carry “all” or selected relevant extra info?

☐ spark curiosity via opportunities to discover new facts or ideas? 

☐ use that theme as a unique framing device for the information or format of the back matter.

PRIZE: My prize is a developmental edit critique of a picture book text. 

Joyce P. Uglow has been asking questions and collecting words since an early age. Retired, she now writes picture books and poetry for children who are also intrigued by words and our wondrous world, books that educators, librarians, and kids tell each other about. She currently serves as SCBWI Wisconsin’s Assistant Regional Advisor and is on the Board of the Wisconsin Center for the Book. She digs in on topics from whales, rocks, bees, trees, and families to ancient cave art and fossils trapped in asphalt seeps and everything in between. She is unwaveringly committed to sparking kids’ interests.

BONUS ENTRIES: NOTE: As you comment on each post, please note whether you have shared this post, bought the author's book for yourself or as a gift, whether you have followed our guest blogger or Rate Your Story on social media (and where), as well as whether you have left a review of the guest blogger's book (and where) for extra entries (for each show of support) and to be eligible for surprise prizes.

Feel free to click the links to buy the books mentioned and help support our Weekly Mentor Text Talks (OPEN TO ALL - Replays available to Rate Your Story Members only)! Thanks for sharing the #BookLove #MarchOn #MentorTexts #RateYourStory