What are Mentor Texts?

Mentor texts are written pieces that provide examples of good writing for students to write. Mentor texts give children authentic, real-world examples of different kinds of writing from which they can learn. The purpose of reading these texts is to study the author’s writing skills or the way the author uses words and writing structures. The goal is to provide students with a model they could emulate in crafting their own pieces.

Here you will find a treasure trove of mentor texts for writing that you may use to teach your child persuasive, narrative, descriptive, informational, and the six traits of writing elements. You can find a detailed description in our previous article: 4 Main Writing Styles for Students: A Writing Guide

Opinion/Persuasive Mentor Texts

John Rocco by John Rocco Grade Level: Preschool - K Red is Best by Kathy Stinson Grade Level: Preschool - K	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image1.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image3.png)	Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin Grade Level: Preschool - K You Should, You Should! by Ginny Tilby Grade Level: Preschool - G1	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image2.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image4.jpeg)
The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan Grade Level: Preschool - G1	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image5.jpeg)	Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings Grade Level: Preschool - G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image6.png)
A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image7.jpeg)	All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image8.jpeg)
Be Glad Your Dad… (Is Not an Octopus!) by Matthew Logelin Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image9.png)	Can I Bring My Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson? by Lois G. Grambling Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image10.jpeg)
My Teacher for President by Kay Winters Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image11.jpeg)	Pink Toys, Yes or No by Lin Picou Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image12.png)
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image13.jpeg)	Stella Writes An Opinion by Janiel Wagstaff Grade Level: K- G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image14.jpeg)
Animals Nobody Loves by Seymour Simon Grade Level: Preschool - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image15.jpeg)	Enemy Pie by Derek Munson Grade Level: Preschool - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image16.png)
Night Driving by John Coy Grade Level: G1- G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image17.jpeg)	You Can Write a Terrific Opinion Piece by Jennifer Lee Fandel Grade Level: G1- G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image18.jpeg)
Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image19.png)	Earrings! by Judith Viorst Grade Level: G1 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image20.png)
Do You Really Want A Dog? by Bridget Heos Grade Level: G2 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image21.png)	The Best Town in the World by Byrd Baylor Grade Level: G2 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image22.jpeg)
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki Grade Level: G2 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image23.jpeg)	REV Up Your Writing in Opinion Pieces by Lisa M Simons Grade Level: G2 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image24.png)
The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame Grade Level: G2 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image25.png)	How to Write an Opinion Piece by Sara Howell Grade Level: G3 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image26.jpeg)
Sophie Hartley, On Strike by Stephanie Greene Grade Level: G3 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image27.png)	You Are Mighty: A Guide to Changing the World by Caroline Paul Grade Level: G4 - G6	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image28.png)
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena Grade Level: Preschool - G1 How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague Grade Level: Preschool - G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image29.png) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image31.jpeg)	Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo by John Lithgow Grade Level: Preschool - G1 One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey Grade Level: Preschool - G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image30.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image32.png)
Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats Grade Level: Preschool - G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image33.jpeg)	Saying Goodbye to Lulu by Corinne Demas Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image34.jpeg)
Kitchen Dance by Maurie J. Manning Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image35.jpeg)	Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image36.png)
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image37.jpeg)	My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image38.jpeg)
Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image39.png)	Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image40.png)
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams Grade Level: K - G3		The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Grade Level: K - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image42.png)
Salt Hands by Jane Chelsea Aragon Grade Level: G1 - G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image43.jpeg)	The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image44.jpeg)
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image45.jpeg)	The Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Grade Level: G1 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image46.jpeg)
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate Grade Level: G3 - G7		Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin Grade Level: G5 - G8	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image48.jpeg)
Dreamland by Noah Klocek Grade Level: Preschool - G2 A Flower in the Snow by Tracey Corderoy Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image51.jpeg)	The Dirty Cowboy by Adam Rex Grade Level: Preschool - G2 Brave Irene by William Steig Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image52.jpeg)
Carla’s Sandwich by Debbie Herman Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image53.jpeg)	For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart by Elizabeth Rusch Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image54.jpeg)
Green On Green by Dianne White Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image55.jpeg)	Gentle Giant Octopus by Karen Wallace Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image56.jpeg)
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image57.jpeg)	The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image58.jpeg)
Small in the City by Sydney Smith Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image59.jpeg)	Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester L. Laminack Grade Level: K - G3
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration by Samar Cole Doyon Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image61.jpeg)	The Very Inappropriate Word by Jim Tobin Grade Level: G2 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image62.png)
How to Steal a Dog by Barbar O’Connor Grade Level: G3 - G6	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image63.jpeg)	My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari Grade Level: G5 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image64.jpeg)
How to Lose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson Grade Level: Preschool - G2 Chameleons Are Cool by Martin Jenkins Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image65.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image67.jpeg)	Walk On!: A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Marla Frazee Grade Level: Preschool - G2 Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image66.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image68.jpeg)
Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby Beeler Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image69.jpeg)	A Butterfly Is Patient by Diana Hutts Aston Grade Level: K - G3
Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Pegi Deitz Shea Grade Level: K - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image71.jpeg)	Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven Grade Level: K - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image72.jpeg)
What Is Weather? by Ellen Lawrence Grade Level: G1 - G2	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image73.jpeg)	The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barbara Rosentstock Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image74.jpeg)
Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image75.jpeg)	If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image76.jpeg)
Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World by Steve Jenkins Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image77.png)	Actual Size by Steve Jenkins Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image78.jpeg)
So You Want to Be President? by David Small Grade Level: G2 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image79.jpeg)	Bones by Steve Jenkins Grade Level: G2 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image80.png)
Children of the Dust Bowl by Jerry Stanley Grade Level: G3 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image81.jpeg)	Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Freedman Grade Level: G5 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image82.png)
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox Grade Level: Preschool - G2 One Day, The End by Rebecca Kai Dotlich Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image83.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image85.png)	Out of the Ocean by Debra Frasier Grade Level: Preschool - G3 All the Places to Love by Patricia McLaughlin Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image84.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image86.jpeg)
Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image87.jpeg)	Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image88.jpeg)
Shark Nate-O by Tara Luebbe & Becky Cattie Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image89.jpeg)	Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges Grade Level: G4 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image90.jpeg)
Dinosaurs! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle Grade Level: Preschool - G2 Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image91.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image93.jpeg)	Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James Grade Level: Preschool - G2 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image92.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image94.jpeg)
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image95.jpeg)	The First Dog by Jan Brett Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image96.jpeg)
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image97.jpeg)	When Sophie Gets Angry by Molly Bang Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image98.jpeg)
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image99.jpeg)	First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image100.png)
G is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book by David M. Schwartz Grade Level: G3 - G7		Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Grade Level: G4 - G7
Fairytale News by Colin Hawkins Grade Level: Preschool - G2 Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image103.png)	Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss Grade Level: Preschool - G2 *** The Recess Queen *** by Alexis O’Neill Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image104.png) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image106.png)
Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image107.jpeg)	Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes Grade Level: Preschool - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image108.png)
The Bird House by Cynthia Rylant Grade Level: G2 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image109.jpeg)	How Whales Walked into the Sea by Faith McNulty Grade Level: G2 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image110.jpeg)
Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller Grade Level: G2 - G3		Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss Grade Level: G2 - G5
Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne Grade Level: G2 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image113.jpeg)	Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen Grade Level: G2 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image114.jpeg)
Flight by Robert Burleigh Grade Level: Preschool - G3 The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Shelley Jackson Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image115.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image117.jpeg)	Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse Grade Level: Preschool - G3 Heatwave by Eileen Spinelli Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image116.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image118.jpeg)
Max’s Words by Kate Banks Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image119.jpeg)	The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Susan Stevens Crummel Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image120.jpeg)
Cotton Candy Skies and French Fries by Theresa Del Vecchio Grade Level: Preschool - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image121.jpeg)	Locomotive by Brian Floca Grade Level: Preschool - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image122.jpeg)
***Armadillo Tattletale *** by Helen Ketteman Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image123.jpeg)	Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier Grade Level: K - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image124.jpeg)
***Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra *** by Andrea Pinkney Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image125.jpeg)	***Encounter *** by Jane Yolen Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image126.jpeg)
***Sarah, Plain, and Tall *** by Patricia Maclachlan Grade Level: G1 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image127.jpeg)	The Very Inappropriate Word by Jim Tobin Grade Level: G2 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image62.png)
Bigmama’s by Donald Crews Grade Level: Preschool - G3 Crab Moon by Ruth. Horowitz Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image128.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image129.jpeg)	Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse Grade Level: Preschool - G3 ***Dogteam *** by Gary Paulsen Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image130.jpeg)
Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth by Robert Burleigh Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image131.jpeg)	The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown Grade Level: Preschool - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image132.jpeg)
Why Butterflies Go on Silent Wings by Marguerite Davol Grade Level: G3 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image133.png)	Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting Grade Level: G5 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image134.jpeg)
Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt Grade Level: Preschool - G3 Our Librarian Won’t Tell Us Anything! by Toni Buzzeo Grade Level: K - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image135.png) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image137.jpeg)	***The Polar Express *** by Chris Van Allsburg Grade Level: Preschool - G3 Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver Grade Level: G1 - G3	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image136.jpeg) !(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image138.jpeg)
Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image139.jpeg)	Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss Grade Level: G1 - G4	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image140.png)
***Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More About Adverbs *** by Brian P. Cleary Grade Level: G1 - G5	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image141.png)	Grammar Tales by Scholastic Grade Level: G3 - G7	!(/assets/img/blogs/what-are-mentor-texts/media/image142.jpeg)