Second Installment

Okay, so your students have come to recognize that, yes, story often begins with a character who wants something. Does this mean the character gets what he or she wants right off the bat? No way! (Not unless the character, like King Midas, is meant to learn to be careful of what one wishes.) No, typically the character:

1.  Tries to get what he wants and fails. (That’s right: failure is an important part of story.)
2. Again he tries to get what he wants. And you know what? Again he fails.
3. He musters all his resolve and  . . .
4. It is often on the third try (or after the third failure) that a character gets what he wants – or changes his mind. Either of these endings can work.

Here is the pattern in my second picture book, Moon Sandwich Mom:

 Rafferty is bored, and his mother is painting — again! So Rafferty runs away from home to find a new mother, one who is fun!

First he tries living with the Porcupines, but Mrs. Porcupine?  She cuts sandwiches in half — the long way!

His mother cuts them in suns, and clouds, and moons  . . .

So , he tries living with the Beavers instead.

But Mrs. Beaver doesn’t read a book at rest time.  She just watches her show on television!

You can see where this story is leading.  Rafferty does try living with one more family — the raccoons, but that doesn’t work out well, either.  So what happens next?

He goes home of course.  Where he and his mother have the most fun they’ve had all day:

As you can see, in this ending Rafferty changes his mind and it is the "just right" ending.  Savvy readers will also notice that there were actually four tries in this story. That’s true.  Sometimes the pattern is:

1. Tries and fails
2. Tries and fails
3. Tries and fails
4. Tries and succeeds or changes mind

Success on the third try, or success after the third failure work equally well.  Either pattern feels well-paced to the reader.

You have many books in your classrooms and libraries that follow this pattern.  Here are some: