When you write a story, you use your imagination to see everything that happens. When someone reads your story, you want them to see everything, too! To help your readers, you need to include details about the things you imagine.

In Revolutionary War on Wednesday, Jack and Annie travel to the time of the Revolutionary War. When the tree house lands, the wind is blowing hard. Jack can see his breath. The sky is gray and heavy with clouds. Snowflakes blow into the tree house.

The wind, Jack's breath, the gray sky, the clouds, and the snowflakes are all details about the weather. They make the winter night come alive for the reader.

You can use details to make anything in your story come alive for your readers. Details help readers understand how something looks, how it feels, how it sounds—even how something smells or tastes!

Pick a place for a Magic Tree House adventure.

• Pretend the tree house has just landed in that place
• Imagine Jack and Annie looking out the window
• Write about what they see, hear, and feel
• Use as many details as possible

You might be surprised how many different details you can use to describe something.

Try this:

Pick something in your room

• Put it on a chair
• Look at it for a few minutes
• Take a sheet of paper
• Write the name of the thing at the top
• Fill the rest of the paper with details!

For example:

My Sneaker
My sneaker is red
My sneaker has white laces
My sneaker is very dirty
My sneaker is six months old
My sneaker is brown on the bottom
My sneaker has stars on the side
My sneaker has a hole in the toe
My sneaker was a birthday present from my dad

Think of someone in your family (It can be a pet!)
Take turns naming details that describe the family member you've chosen

For example:

Our dog Bailey
Our dog Bailey has short legs
Our dog Bailey has a shiny black nose
Our dog Bailey is 11 years old
Our dog Bailey is a little bit chubby
Our dog Bailey has long whiskers
Our dog Bailey has brown and red fur
Our dog Bailey has a wet, pink tongue
Our dog Bailey needs a bath!

How can you write details about something you've never seen before? Or a place you've never been to? Easy! You do research!

Be a Fact Finder:

Think of something you've heard about but never seen. You can choose something from this list, or pick something of your own.

An Egyptian pyramid
A woolly mammoth
The space shuttle
A Hawaiian volcano

Go to the library. Take a notebook. Ask your librarian to help you find details about the thing you've chosen.

Write a letter to your grandparents or to other relatives. Tell them all about your research project!