-Spark-
I Opened a Book
Julia Donaldson
I opened a book and in I strode.
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.”
-Prompt-
Give students 1-2 minutes to select a book at random in the room (there must be text in this book). Once they have chosen their book, have students either
A) Open the book up at random, somewhere in the middle
OR
B) Open it to the first sentence in the book (which is often amongst the strongest sentences in the book).
Allow students to use this sentence as their prompt. Allow writers to incorporate the sentence into their work; utilize only a phrase, word, or theme from the sentence; or maybe they write what happens next.
