Inspiring Writers with GRUMPYCORN

by Tina Cho

In the book Grumpycorn by Sarah McIntyre, Unicorn sets out to write a new story. He sits in his special writing house, gets his special fluffy pen, his special moonberry tea, fancy notebook, and waits for an idea. But ideas don’t knock on doors. Friends do. And Unicorn gets upset. You’ll have to read this book to see how it ends. 

Being a writer, I connected with this book. And I shared it with my kindergarten students who are also learning to write. We writers set ourselves up for success with shiny pens and notebooks, but the problem is—finding ideas and executing a good story.

Picture books open up discussion with children. If you want your child to write, you can use a picture book like Grumpycorn to introduce the writing process. Your child could even write a story with the help of family or friends like Unicorn does. Your child could get a special notebook and pen and jot down ideas for great stories.

My kindergartners love writing their own stories on their own topics. And it’s picture books that inspire them. 

Happy reading and writing!