Mentor Texts: Reading Strategies and Literary Devices

A Practical Guide for Teachers, Reading Specialists, and Parents

This page features research-based mentor text recommendations that support elementary reading comprehension strategies and literary device instruction. These mentor texts can be used for explicit strategy teaching, interactive read-alouds, guided reading, independent practice, and exploring literary techniques, helping students strengthen both comprehension and literary analysis skills.

Table of Contents

Literary Devices

Reading Strategies

Each section explains what the strategy is, what to look for in mentor texts, and suggested titles.

Reading Strategies

Monitor & Clarify


Recognizing confusion and repairing meaning
Monitoring and clarifying occur when readers notice something does not make sense and take steps to fix it. This may include rereading, slowing down, asking questions, or using context clues.

Mentor texts that support this strategy often include:

  • Challenging vocabulary

  • Complex ideas

  • Shifts in time, perspective, or meaning

Making Connections Mentor Texts


Connecting new information to prior knowledge
Making connections helps readers build meaning by linking the text to personal experiences, other texts, or the world.

Types of Connections

  • Text-to-Self

  • Text-to-Text

  • Text-to-World

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • A Day’s Work – Eve Bunting (Level K)

  • Advice to a Frog – Alice Schertle (Level O)

  • Baseball Saved Us – Ken Mochizuki (Level O)

  • The Basket Moon – Mary Lyn Ray (Level O)

  • The Cello of Mr. O – Jane Cutler (Level M)

  • Come On, Rain – Karen Hesse (Level P)

  • Dad, Jackie, and Me – Myron Uhlberg (Level R)

  • My Ol’ Man – Patricia Polacco (Level N)

  • Every Living Thing – Cynthia Rylant (Level R)

  • Granddaddy’s Gift – Margaree King Mitchell (Level O)

  • The Hello, Goodbye Window – Norton Juster (Level K)

  • Lightning – Seymour Simon (Level P)

  • The Relatives Came – Cynthia Rylant (Level K)

  • Under the Quilt of Night – Hopkinson & Ransome (Level N)

  • The Wall – Eve Bunting (Level N)

  • The Pain and the Great One – Judy Blume (Level N)

  • Going Home – Eve Bunting (Level K)

  • Roxaboxen – Barbara Cooney (Level M)

  • Oliver Button Is a Sissy – Tomie de Paola (Level J)

  • When I Was Your Age: Original Stories About Growing Up – Amy Ehrlich (Level U)

  • Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge – Mem Fox (Level K)

  • Baseball, Snakes, and Summer Squash: Poems About Growing Up – Donald Graves (Level P)

  • Owen – Kevin Henkes (Level K)

  • Wemberley Worried – Kevin Henkes (Level H)

  • Julius, Baby of the World – Kevin Henkes (Level K)

  • Chrysanthemum – Kevin Henkes (Level L)

  • Amazing Grace – Mary Hoffman (Level J)

  • Boundless Grace – Mary Hoffman (Level M)

  • My Great Aunt Arizona – Gloria Houston (Level M)

  • The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats (Level J)

  • Hey World, Here I Am! – Jean Little (Level S)

  • Frog and Toad Series – Arnold Lobel (Level K)

  • All the Places to Love – Patricia MacLachlan (Level M)

  • Chicken Sunday – Patricia Polacco (Level N)

  • Some Birthday! – Patricia Polacco (Level M)

  • The Keeping Quilt – Patricia Polacco (Level M)

  • Thank You, Mr. Falker! – Patricia Polacco (Level M)

  • When I Was Young in the Mountains – Cynthia Rylant (Level K)

  • Amos and Boris – William Steig (Level L)

  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Judith Viorst (Level L)

  • The Tenth Good Thing About Barney – Judith Viorst (Level L)

  • Ira Sleeps Over – Bernard Waber (Level L)

  • William’s Doll – Charlotte Zolotow (Level L)

Inferring Mentor Texts


Using clues and background knowledge to read between the lines
Inferring requires readers to combine what the author says with what the reader already knows to form deeper understanding.

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • A Day’s Work – Eve Bunting (Level K)

  • A Picnic in October – Eve Bunting (Level P)

  • Crickwing – Janell Cannon (Level P)

  • The Dot – Peter Reynolds (Level K)

  • Dreaming of America – Eve Bunting (Level N)

  • The Gardener – Sarah Stewart (Level L)

  • Kamishibai Man – Allen Say (Level N)

  • The Lily Cupboard – Shulamith Oppenheim (Level N)

  • Minty – Alan Schroeder (Level P)

  • Mirette on the High Wire – Emily Arnold McCully (Level P)

  • Mr. Lincoln’s Way – Patricia Polacco (Level M)

  • Mr. Peabody’s Apples – Madonna (Level N)

  • The Royal Bee – Frances & Ginger Park (Level M)

  • Tight Times – Barbara Hazen (Level K)

  • The Wretched Stone – Chris Van Allsburg (Level L)

  • A Table Where Rich People Sit – Byrd Baylor (Level O)

  • Dandelion – Eve Bunting (Level N)

  • Fly Away Home – Eve Bunting (Level M)

  • Oliver Button Is a Sissy – Tomie dePaola (Level J)

  • Teammates – Peter Golenbock (Level N)

  • Fireflies – Julie Brinkloe (Level K)

  • Bull Run – Paul Fleischman (Level Y)

  • Creatures of the Earth, Sea, and Sky – Georgia Heard (Level L)

  • Fables – Arnold Lobel (Level N)

  • George and Martha Series – James Marshall (Level L)

  • The Rag Coat – Lauren Mills (Level N)

  • Tar Beach – Faith Ringgold (Level P)

  • Where Are You Going, Manyoni? – Catherine Stock (Level N)

  • Jumanji – Chris Van Allsburg (Level M)

  • Zathura – Chris Van Allsburg (Level M)

  • June 29, 1999 – David Wiesner (Level L)

  • Something Beautiful – Sharon Dennis Wyeth (Level L)

Questioning Mentor Texts


Asking questions to clarify meaning and deepen understanding
Questioning encourages curiosity and engagement before, during, and after reading.

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo (Level R)

  • Granddaddy’s Gift – Margaree King Mitchell (Level O)

  • How Many Days to America? – Eve Bunting (Level S)

  • I Can Hear the Sun – Patricia Polacco (Level P)

  • Knots on a Counting Rope – Martin & Archambault (Level M)

  • The Lotus Seed – Sherry Garland (Level N)

  • Mr. Peabody’s Apples – Madonna (Level N)

  • Pink and Say – Patricia Polacco (Level S)

  • The Royal Bee – Frances & Ginger Park (Level M)

  • Shiloh – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Level R)

  • Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt – Deborah Hopkinson (Level S)

  • Tight Times – Barbara Hazen (Level K)

  • The Wretched Stone – Chris Van Allsburg (Level L)

  • Charlie Anderson – Barbara Abercrombie (Level K)

  • Amelia’s Road – Linda Altman (Level M)

  • Fly Away Home – Eve Bunting (Level M)

  • The Wall – Eve Bunting (Level N)

  • The Wednesday Surprise – Eve Bunting (Level K)

  • Going Home – Eve Bunting (Level K)

  • Honey, I Love – Eloise Greenfield (Level M)

  • The Day of Ahmed’s Secret – Florence Parry Heide and J.D. Gilliland (Level M)

  • UFO Diary – Satoshi Kitamura (Level J)

  • The Librarian Who Measured the Earth – Kathryn Lasky (Level S)

  • The Wise Woman and Her Secret – Eve Merriam (Level P)

  • Baseball Saved Us – Ken Mochizuki (Level O)

  • An Angel for Solomon Singer – Cynthia Rylant (Level P)

  • All I See – Cynthia Rylant (Level M)

  • Brave Irene – William Steig (Level S)

  • Sylvester and the Magic Pebble – William Steig (Level N)

  • The Trumpet of the Swan – E.B. White (Level R)

  • Dear Napoleon, I Know You’re Dead…But – Elvira Woodruff (Grades 3–5)

Summarizing Mentor Texts


Identifying the most important ideas
Summarizing focuses on the main ideas rather than all details.

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • Always Remember Me – Marisabina Russo (Level S)

  • Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – Judi Barrett (Level M)

  • Diary of a Worm – Doreen Cronin (Level K)

  • Jumanji – Chris Van Allsburg (Level M)

  • The Librarian of Basra – Jeanette Winter (Level L)

  • The Man Who Walked Between the Towers – Mordicai Gerstein (Level L)

  • My Name Is Georgia – Jeanette Winter (Level L)

  • Rare Treasure – Don Brown (Level N)

Visualizing Mentor Texts


Creating mental images using sensory language
Visualizing strengthens comprehension by engaging the senses.

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • The Basket Moon – Mary Lyn Ray (Level O)

  • Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White (Level P)

  • A Chair for My Mother – Vera B. Williams (Level M)

  • Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – Judi Barrett (Level M)

  • Eleanor – Barbara Cooney (Level S)

  • Hello Ocean – Pam Muñoz Ryan (Level N)

  • Lightning – Seymour Simon (Level P)

  • Old Black Fly – Jim Aylesworth (Level J)

  • Owl Moon – Jane Yolen (Level O)

  • Song and Dance Man – Karen Ackerman (Level O)

  • A Symphony of Whales – Steve Schuch (Level O)

  • Tuck Everlasting – Natalie Babbitt (Level V)

  • Under the Quilt of Night – Hopkinson & Ransome (Level N)

  • Who Came Down That Road? – George Ella Lyon (Level N)

  • I’m In Charge of Celebrations – Byrd Baylor (Level N)

  • Fireflies – Julie Brinkloe (Level K)

  • The Stories Julian Tells – Ann Cameron (Level N)

  • Wild, Wild Sunflower Child – Nancy White Carlstrom (Level M)

  • James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl (Grades 3–5)

  • Good Dog Carl – Alexandra Day (Wordless Book)

  • Footprints and Shadows – Anne Westcott Dodd (Level M)

  • Home Place – Crescent Dragonwagon (Level M)

  • Baby Whale’s Journey – Jonathan London (Level P)

  • Dream Weaver – Jonathan London (Level N)

  • Hurricane – Jonathan London (Level L)

  • The Salamander Room – Anne Mazer (Level L)

  • Night in the Country – Cynthia Rylant (Level K)

  • Turtle in July – Marilyn Singer (Level O)

  • The Napping House – Audrey Wood (Level I)

  • All the Small Poems – Valerie Worth (Grades 3–5)

  • The Seashore Book – Charlotte Zolotow (Level O)

Retelling & Determining Importance


Deciding what information matters most
Good readers decide which information is essential to the overall meaning.

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • Through My Eyes – Ruby Bridges (Level W)

  • Animal Dazzlers – Sneed Collard (Level U)

  • Mr. Lincoln’s Way – Patricia Polacco (Level M)

  • The Graves Family – Patricia Polacco (Level P)

  • Chicken Sunday – Patricia Polacco (Level N)

  • Mrs. Katz and Tush – Patricia Polacco (Level P)

  • Teammates – Peter Golenbock (Level N)

Synthesizing Mentor Texts


Combining ideas to form new understanding
Synthesizing occurs when readers revise their thinking as they read.

Recommended Mentor Texts

  • The Alphabet Tree – Leo Lionni (Level K)

  • An Angel for Solomon Singer – Cynthia Rylant (Level P)

  • Crickwing – Janell Cannon (Level P)

  • Diary of a Worm – Doreen Cronin (Level K)

  • Gleam and Glow – Eve Bunting (Level S)

  • Goin’ Someplace Special – Patricia McKissack (Level M)

  • Granddaddy’s Gift – Margaree King Mitchell (Level O)

  • The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket – Sonia Levitin (Level S)

  • The Other Side – Jacqueline Woodson (Level M)

  • Rare Treasure – Don Brown (Level N)

  • Rules – Cynthia Lord (Level R)

  • Smoky Nights – Eve Bunting (Level P)

  • Tuck Everlasting – Natalie Babbitt (Level V)

Additional Mentor Texts

  • Charlie Anderson – Barbara Abercrombie (Level K)

  • The Table Where Rich People Sit – Byrd Baylor (Level O)

  • The Story of Ruby Bridges – Robert Coles (Level O)

  • Oliver Button Is a Sissy – Tomie dePaola (Level J)

  • The Alphabet Tree – Leo Lionni (Level K)

  • Frederick’s Fables – Leo Lionni (Level L)

  • Fables – Arnold Lobel (Level N)

  • The Rag Coat – Lauren Mills (Level N)

  • Tar Beach – Faith Ringgold (Level P)

  • Tea With Milk – Allen Say (Level O)

  • The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein (Level J)

  • The Story of Jumping Mouse – John Steptoe (Level P)

  • Zathura – Chris Van Allsburg (Level M)

  • The Wretched Stone – Chris Van Allsburg (Level L)

  • Jumanji – Chris Van Allsburg (Level M)

  • Two Bad Ants – Chris Van Allsburg (Level P)

  • The Devil’s Arithmetic – Jane Yolen (Level X)

 

 

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