Two stories, “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street” and “Ottoline and the Yellow Cat”, begin with similar introductions, including descriptions of the setting, characters, and their pets.
These engaging and familiar opening styles could inspire young students to write their productive openings.
When my daughter was in Year 4, she greatly enjoyed reading “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street”. It is a lovely family novel that tells the story of the Vanderbeeker family and their adventures.
“In the middle of a quiet block on 141st Street, inside a brownstone made of deep red shale, the Vanderbeeker family gathered in the living room for a family meeting. Their pets – a dog named Franz, a cat named George Washington, and a house rabbit named Paganini – sprawled on the carpet, taking afternoon naps in a strip of sunlight.” (p.1 “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street” by Karina Yan Glaser)
