Patricia MacLauchlan authored some of the most classic and unforgettable novels for young readers of all time. If the author's name doesn't ring a bell, how about the titles SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL, SKYLARK, THREE NAMES, and the audio books for BOXCAR CHILDREN. She lived a long and productive life (1938-2022), writing now-classic stories for children and all humans.
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| Neal Porter Books, 2017 |
SOMEONE LIKE ME is written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Chris Sheban. This lyrical picture book addresses young readers (well, really, readers of any age) with a gentle, second person voice. Illustrations mirror that tone and expand the possibilities of imagining life deeply immersed in the daily experiences as suggested in questions and lines of text.
The title page shows an older woman and young person (gender and age don't really matter) on a stoop. They move throughout the scenes as unlimited possibilities drawn from everyday life are illuminated with an optimistic glow.
The opening spreads indicate that the root of her ideas was storytelling, evoking connection and then becoming nuggets of memories that would later launch familiar titles, including THREE NAMES. Then the author invites her companion to imagine being a little girl who read voraciously- even while walking home and crossing streets.Finding more stories and absorbing them deeply. Or being a girl who climbed trees to watch the changing skies, or snuck under a diner table to hear grown-ups talk. A girl who did SO many things that connected her to the world under her toes and at her fingertips.
This was written late in MacLachlan's life, but there is such a sense of youthful spirit and joyful engagement, such immediacy, that readers will want to find her and tell her of their own special moments. I know that was my wish while reading it.
I haven't mentioned the tremendous value of using picture books as mentor text in recent posts, but this title demands it! Many of the youngest learners are encouraged to write simple stories from their lives. "Small moments" is a prompt often used. Young writers can be eager to write highly fantastical stories with dramatic characters and events, stories that mirror movies or video games. That can and should be encouraged. But when trying to guide and develop writing skills, sentences that flow from one thought to the next, stories that becomes rich with emotions and meaningful language that the learner has experienced directly, small moments serve well. Except ...some would-be writers feel like their own lives aren't worth writing about. SOMEONE LIKE ME can be the perfect read aloud to shake loose any hesitancy about writing everyday life stories. Just a mention of the many awards and medals and movies and accolades that such "Small Moments" inspirations sprouted for MacLachlan should encourage excitement about writing from personal experiences.
Then there are older writers, those in middle and older grades. The structure of the language used merits a read aloud to demonstrate conditional forms (If you were... ) throughout the text, along with second person voice and a tone that bridges realism and dreaminess. Writers at this age likely know (and may well cherish) MacLachlan's books, recognizing their origin stories in this simple text. They might even find deep connection in that closing line:
"You might be someone like me...
a writer."
Whether shared as the gorgeous and heartwarming story that it is, a memoir-like childhood account by a treasured author, or as the launch to a writing lesson, this should, in fact be shared. I hope you'll read it and pass it on. And maybe read/reread some of those fabulous books.
