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MOWMT March 19: Kari Gonzalez Plays with Mentor Texts


Ways To Play With Mentor Texts

By Kari Ann Gonzalez


Like many authors, I love to read! I read for pleasure. I read for research to see what is current in the market and of course, I read to research mentor texts and comparable titles. One thing I learned early on is that before I start tackling a new project, I research the topic to see what is out on the market, what has been recently acquired, and to start collecting mentor texts. I do this to make sure my idea is solid, and I can avoid starting a project that may have already been done, or to build it in a way that I can significantly differentiate it from anything already out there.

There are tons of ways to select mentor texts, and choosing a mentor text does not always have to be about the main character or theme. For example, in writing my stories HOW TO HATCH A READER (released in 2023 with Gnome Road Publishing art by Rachel Suzanne) and HOW TO HATCH A WRITER (releasing 2025), one of my favorite set of mentor texts were Jory John’s series. The rich use of idioms and puns in these books inspired me to also get creative with idioms and puns. I used this inspiration in my own stories to add another level of humor that would pair with the language arts theme and to create a distinctive voice to promote series potential.


For my book, IF YOU LIVE ON A FARM (releasing in 2025 with Feeding Minds Press, art by Marie Hermansson) I took a different approach. I researched mentor texts that portrayed an eclectic array of a specific subject since this picture book is a lyrical ode to varied types of farms. Not only did I review mentor texts to see how other authors represented an array of one subject, I also used mentor texts to review transitions, and comparisons, and to research compelling refrains. One of the mentor books I used for this story also doubled as a comparative title, which was Boats Will Float by Andrea Warmflash Rosenbaum. It is such a beautiful rhyming text about boats!


No Zombies In The Library (releasing in 2026 with Astra Publishing) was a tricky story for me to write by design. I like to play this little game where I challenge myself to write about a topic, theme, or type of character I have never written about before. In this case, I challenged myself to write a spooky main character during StoryStorm. I loved the book-loving zombie that developed, but I knew there was more that I could do with the character to make her more endearing and strengthen the heart of the story.


So, I started researching slightly spooky stories like Zombie In Love and Zombie Love 2 + 1 by Kelli DiPucchio (art by Scott Campbell), Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies by Megan and Jorge Lacera, Vampire Vacation by Laura Lavoie (art by Micah Player), Peanut Butter and Brains by Joe McGee (art by Charles Santoso) and Moldilocks and the Three Scares by Lynne Marie (art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo) to research characters, and how the theme of these amazing, spooky stories evolved as the text progressed.


So, whether you are researching puns and wordplay, themes, or effective refrains, dive into mentor texts to inspire your own creativity!


The Prize: One lucky March On with Mentor Texts participant will win a Non-Rhyming Picture Book Critique from Kari.


Bio: Kari Gonzalez is a writer of children’s books and the author of HOW TO HATCH A READER and three forthcoming picture books. She loves writing funny and lyrical picture books and also writes middle-grade and young adult novels-in-verse. ​Four plucky chickens are kind enough to share their home with Kari, her husband, and their two little girls. When she is not regaling her family with tall tales or creating colorful characters for her stories, you will find Kari reading voraciously or stuffing her double-decker little free library full of books.


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[NOTE: Click on the titles to buy the books and help support our authors! A percentage of the sales will go toward buying books for our weekly Sunday Mentor Text Talks. And as always, please leave positive reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and any other review forum for those books you read and enjoy! Thanks for participating!]



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