From the Subtle to the Obvious – Teaching Theme Through Mentor Text

Some themes are obvious, others not-so-much. Encouraging students to find and relate to themes in literature can be a country-road experience. No matter which book you choose, or what destination you aim for, it’s the twists and turns your students choose that make the trip an adventure.

Obvious but True: Yard Sale by Eve Bunting

Callie’s family is moving to an apartment and they have to sell all their possessions at a yard sale. A broken-hearted Callie says goodbye to her bike, her bed, and all her “stuff”. But Callie is totally devastated when a woman comes up to her and says, “Aren’t you the cutest thing? Are you for sale?” This book is a great introduction to theme because students quickly realize that the author wants his readers to understand that people are what matters…not stuff.

Seems Obvious-to-Me Choice: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

So the fun thing about this book would be listening to your students develop relevant theme statements. There’s a prince, a princess, and a dragon. The dragon smashes the castle, burns all the princesses’ clothes, and carries off the prince. In the princess’ efforts to outsmart the dragon and find the prince, she ends up with tangled hair, smells like ashes, and wears a paper bag dress. When the prince tells her to come back when she looks like a real princess…well, let’s just say, “they didn’t get married after all.” As you might imagine, your students’ thesis statements based on this story might be quite creative and entertaining.

Irony in the Theme: This is Moose by Richard Morris and Tom Lichtenheld

This lighthearted, silly book has a theme most children will identify with and enjoy. A movie director is trying to capture moose’s life on film. When moose starts the film by deciding to be an astronaut, the movie director gets frustrated and tries to get moose to do “moose-things.” Grandma Moose, Giraffe, and Squirrel are not any more cooperative – none of them fit into their role expectations. And the irony? Well, it’s all about the movie director. Most kids will love and relate to the theme of living within others’ expectations for them. And it would be a perfect book to introduce the concept of irony!

How You Look Isn’t Everything: Gaston by Kelly Di Pucchio

What looks right – might not always be right (at least for dogs and people). This story about two dogs that get mixed up as puppies is a cute reminder that decisions shouldn’t be based simply on what looks obviously right. Although most children will easily identify the theme, it might be an interesting challenge to encourage students to find examples of this theme in real life.

Accepting Craziness Isn’t Crazy: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

What happens when a very prim and proper tiger decides to go a little wild? Will the prim and proper residents of his neighborhood still accept him? Will he still fit in with his very prim and proper friends? Peter Brown’s message about all us being about to express our wild side will resonate with kids everywhere (and maybe teachers too!)