The Secret to Better KidLit? Read Like a Writer.

If you’ve been in the writing world for more than, say, five minutes, you’ve heard the classic advice: read widely. And yes—especially in children’s books—it matters. But reading for enjoyment and reading to learn are two different skills.

As KidLit writers, we need both.

One of the fastest ways to get better at writing picture books is to study Mentor Texts—books you read with a craft lens on, not just a cozy blanket and a snack. (But hey, I’ll never knock the latter.) A Mentor Text helps you reverse-engineer an author’s decisions: pacing, page turns, opening hooks, emotional beats, rhythm, voice, and the choices that make a manuscript feel effortless.

Here’s the step-by-step:

• Read once for enjoyment.

• Read again to ask: How did they pull this off?

• Read a third time and break down the mechanics—line by line if you need to.

• Then go apply it to your own manuscript.

And yes, technically any book can be a Mentor Text (you can learn a lot from what a book doesn’t do well, too!). But if you want to level up quickly, start with books that have stood the test of time—titles that nail character, language, humor, theology, emotion, or structure so well you can literally feel what’s working.

Below are some of my favorite Mentor Texts—Christian and mass-market. If you haven’t read these with a writer’s eye, you’re missing craft gold. And if you haven’t read them at all… add them to your TBR immediately. 📚

• What Are Mouths For — Abbey Wedgeworth

• God’s Very Good Idea — Trillia Newbell

• Like Me — Laura Wifler 😉

• Don’t Forget to Remember — Ellie Holcomb

• Corrie ten Boom — Laura Caputo-Wickham

• Did God Learn His ABC’s? — Amy Gannett

• Wherever You Go, I Want You To Know — Melissa Kruger

• Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It — Hunter Beless

• Courageous World Changers — Shirley Raye Redmond

• Just Because You’re Mine — Sally Lloyd-Jones

  MORE MENTOR TEXTS HERE!

• Chrysanthemum — Kevin Henkes

• Jamberry — Bruce Degen

• The Mitten — Jan Brett

• Make Way for Ducklings — Robert McCloskey

• The Seven Silly Eaters — Mary Ann Hoberman

• Blueberries for Sal — Robert McCloskey

• Extra Yarn — Mac Barnett

• The Quiltmaker’s Gift — Jeff Brumbeau

• Owl Moon — Jane Yolen

• Miss Rumphius — Barbara Cooney

SEE ALL 40 MENTOR TEXTS HERE.

Writing together,
Laura