Involving Communities to Build Readers

Inviting the Community into the Reading/Writing Process
Resources for journaling projects with students

Books About Journaling

Graham, Paula N. Ed. Speaking of Journals: Children's Book Writers Talk About Their Diaries and Sketchbooks. Boyds Mills Press, 1999. Though somewhat awkwardly and repetitiously edited, this book contains excellent essays by children's book writers about the importance of their childhood journals to their current writing.

Grunwell, Erin. The Freedom Writers Diary. Doubleday, 1999. An inspiring book about a high school class of unteachable at-risk & students who are transformed by the experience of keeping diaries.

Picture Books Written in Journal Format

Axworthy, Ann & Axworthy, Anni. Anni's Diary of France. Charlesbridge, 2000.

Brighton, Catherine. My Napoleon.. Millbrook Press, 1997.

Hopkinson, Deborah (Kimberly Bulcken Root, illustrator). Birdie's Lighthouse Aladdin Picture Books(paper), 2000.

Kalman, Esther (Rich Jacobson, illustrator). Tchaikovsky discovers America. Orchard (paper), 2000.

Moss, Marissa. Amelia's Notebook. Tricycle Press, 1995.

Murphy, Stuart, J. (Marsha Winborn, illustrator) Pepper's journal: a kitten's first year. HarperCollins, 2000.

Priceman, Marjorie. My Nine Lives by Clio. Atheneum Books, 1998.

Schlissel, Lillian (Michael McCurdy, illustrator). The Way West: Journal of a Pioneer Woman by Amelia Stewart Knight. Aladdin Picture books, 1999.

Stewart, Sarah (David Small, illustrator). The Journey. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.

Van Nutt, Julia (Robert Van Nutt, illustrator). A Cobtown Christmas: From the Diaries of Lucy Hart. Doubleday Books, 1998.

Some fiction and non-fiction books for older students written in journal or letter format

Crist-Evans, Craig (with wood engravings by Bonnie Christensen). Moon Over Tennessee: A Boy's Civil War Journal.. Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

Filipovic, Zlata. Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo. (Christine Pribechevich-Zoric, translator). Penguin, 1995.

Klise, Kate M. (Sarah Klise, illustrator). Letters from Camp. Avon Books (paper), 2000.

Klise, Kate M. (Sarah Klise, illustrator). Trial by JournalHarperCollins, 2001.

Steele, Christy; Bunkers, & Graves, Kerry, Eds. A Free Black Girl Before the Civil War: Diary of Charlotte Forten, 1854. Blue Earth Books, 1999.

Tunnell, Michael O. and Chilcoat, George W. The Children of Topaz: The Story of a Japanese American Internment Camp; Based on a Classroom Diary. Holiday House, 1996.

Useful websites for locating additional books in letter or diary format:

http://www.state.vt.us/vhs/educate/diaries.htm
This site contains two journals kept by young Vermonters in the late nineteenth century and some suggestions for doing journaling projects with students, and using the journals of others for the study of history and culture.

http://www.ccls.org/teenweb/diaries.html
This site lists a number of books for middle school and young adult students written in journal, diary, or letter format.

Picture Books written in letter format

Ada, Alma Flor (Leslie Tryon, illustrator). Dear Peter Rabbit. . Aladdin 1997 (paper).

Ada, Alma Flor (Leslie Tryon, illustrator). Yours Truly, Goldilocks Atheneum, May 1998.

George, Jean Craighead. Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here. (Loretta Krupinski, illustrator) HarperCollins, 1993.

Mathers, Petra. Kisses from Rosa. New York: Knopf, 1995.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis (Brian Pinkney, illustrator) Dear Benjamin Banneker. Voyager, 1998. Includes letters between Benjamin Banneker and Thomas Jefferson.

Pittman, Helena Clare. Uncle Phil's Diner Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1998.

Stewart, Sarah (David Small, illustrator). The Gardener. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997.

Williams, Vera B. and Williams, Jennifer. Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea Mulberry Books, 1999. (postcards)

Bibliography (2 printed pages) prepared by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, 2002. Permission is granted to reproduce this bibliography for educational use in the classroom/library or in conjunction with educational non-profit workshops/in-service courses. This page is located at: http://www.jacquelinebriggsmartin.com/communitiesread.html. Permission notice must remain on the printed bibliography.

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