User:Elissaking/Magic Tree House

(from intro)

Magic Tree House is an American series of children's books written by the American author Mary Pope Osborne. The original American series was illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca '''until 2016, after which AG Ford took over. O'''ther illustrators have been used for foreign-language editions.

Series Background

The idea for the Magic Tree House series came when Penguin Random House asked Osborne to start writing a series of children's books '''. From the beginning Osborne knew she wanted to include time travel . The idea for the treehouse being the time-travel inducing object only came to her when she and her husband saw one on a walk through the forest in Pennsylvania .'''

Main Characters:

'''When Osborn started writing the series she wrote Jack as her self-insert character and added Annie in as a typical annoying younger sister. After writing her in, Osborn eventually decided to add Annie in as another main character. Osborne highlights Annie’s bravery as a characteristic to serve as a main difference between Annie and herself, as Osborne has noted that she often wished she were braver than she was '''

Jack Smith: Jack is the older brother who is known for his love of books and learning, an attribute Osborne says connects her to the character '''. Jack has a tendency to be cautious in his approach . According to the original illustrations by Sal Murdocca, Jack is pictured with brown hair, red glasses, and is taller than Annie .'''

Annie Smith: Annie is the younger sister and is known for her bravery, impulsive decisions, and her care for the people and animals around her '''. According to the original illustrations by Sal Murdocca, Annie is pictured with medium-length blond hair, often in double braids, and bangs .'''

Repetition:

The repetition in the books is one quality that makes the series easier for younger readers to understand '''. Each book includes Jack and Annie traveling to some time or place via their magic treehouse to solve a mystery . The objective of their mission is often clear and usually involves collecting an object or meeting a specific person of historical importance .'''

'''Repetition also occurs in the actual writing of the books. The sentences, “The wind started to blow. The tree house started to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still” occur in at least 32 of the ‘Magic Tree House’ books as of 2005 .'''

Repetition is known to make learning to read easier, as kids get to practice seeing and hearing the same sentences until they are comfortable with them .