Jessica Williams, Alyse Cortez. A feature of nonfiction books that has changed in recent years is the increased reliance on visuals, especially photography

Jessica Williams, Alyse Cortez

Nonfiction Books

There are more nonfiction books out there today than in the past Nonfiction is now getting as much, if not more, attention as picture books There is a new focus on the preschool and early primary audience for

nonfiction Captions on images and a simple index at the end of each book introduce even

the youngest children to the typical style and format of nonfiction writing

New WORLDS and new interests lie waiting for children between the covers of nonfiction books

Nonfiction books also offer children new perspectives on familiar topics

Nonfiction

A feature of nonfiction books that has changed in recent years is the increased reliance on visuals, especially photography

Technological improvements in making and reproducing pictures have made it possible to satisfy the demand for color, close-ups, and novel perspectives

Focus on the Visual

A related trend in nonfiction books today is enthusiasm for unconventional approaches, including experimental formats and combinations of fact and fiction

Unconventional Formats and Approaches

More nonfiction books have been published about highly specialized topics. There have always been specialized books, but today more and more books reflect very specific interests

Specialized Topics

In 1990 the National Council of Teachers of English established the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

In 2000 the Association of Library Services to Children established the Robert F. Silbert Informational Book Award. This award is meant to honor an author whose work of nonfiction has made a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature in a given year

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards have included a nonfiction category for many years

Recognition and Awards

Accuracy and Authenticity Author’s Qualifications- nonfiction books are written by people who are

authorities in their fields or they are written by writers who study a subject, interview specialists, and compile the data

Factual Accuracy- science books are more likely to be challenged by experts than are those about history or other topics in the humanities

Up-to-Dateness- books that focus on the past are less likely to be rapidly outdated, although new discoveries in archaeology or new theories in history and anthropology call for a reevaluation of these materials also. It is also difficult, but important, to provide children with current information about other countries where national governments are emerging or where future political developments are uncertain

Inclusion of all the significant facts- a book cannot be totally accurate if it omits significant facts

Human reproduction and sexuality have so often been distorted by omissions that books with accurate terminology and explicit information are particularly welcome

Criteria for Evaluating Nonfiction Books

Changing You! By Dr. Gail Saltz

Accuracy and Authenticity cont. Avoidance of Stereotypes- one very common sort of

stereotyping is by omission. If we never see women or minorities in science books, for instance, we are left with the incorrect impression that all scientists must be white males

Use of facts to support generalizations- To be distinguished from stereotype or simple opinion, a proper generalization needs facts for support

Distinction between fact and theory- Careful writers like these make careful distinctions between fact and theory; but even so, children need guidance in learning to recognize the difference

Avoidance of Anthropomorphism- this is assigning human feelings and behavior to animals, plants, or inanimate objects

Evaluating Nonfiction Books

Content Perspective Purpose- identifying the scope of the book lets one know

what they can reasonably expect Intended Audience- vocabulary, sentence length, size of

type, and the book’s organization are factors to be considered

Adequacy of Coverage- authors who fail to acknowledge more than one viewpoint or theory fail to help children learn to examine issues

Demonstration of the Scientific Method- because we are concerned about how well as what children learn, it is important to note what kind of thinking a book encourages, as well as the body of facts it presents

Interrelationships and implications- nonfiction books should be expected to put facts into some sort of perspective


Style Clarity and Directness- the use of precise language and

specific detail is one important factor Level of Difficulty- books for primary-grade children

need not be restricted to a narrow list of words. In some cases, authors provide pronunciation guides in parentheses for daunting words

Reader Involvement- authors use many different techniques to engage their readers’ attention and help them stay involved with a book’s subject matter

Vividness of Language- the writer of nonfiction books uses the same techniques as the writer of fiction to bring a book to life, although the words must be accurate as well as attractive


OrganizationStructure- every author must choose a

structure, or organizing principle, as a basis for presenting facts, such as, question-and-answer, chronological, or survey

Reference Aids- with the exception of certain simple and special types, factual books should offer help at both front and back for the reader who needs to locate information quicklyOther helpful additions to a book are glossaries,

bibliographies, suggestions for further reading, and non-fiction appendixes. Picture glossaries are on the increase with the growing number of nonfiction picturebooks


Illustrations and Format Clarifications and Extension of text- the more abstract the topic, the

more important it is that pictures help children “see” explanations Paul Facklam’s illustrations for Margery Facklam’s The Big Bug

Book show the actual size of really big bugs and then place them with familiar objects to help children visualize just how large they really are

Suitability of Media-both illustrations and photographs can be clear and accurate, but one medium might be more suitable than another for a given purpose. Photography has become more popular because they help establish credibility for real-life stories

Captions- children need to be able to look at an illustration and know what they are seeing, and that requires a wide use of captions and labels

Format- the total look of a book is its format, involving type size, leading, margins, placement of text and pictures, and arrangement of front and back matter- these include title and copyright pages in the front and indexes, bibliographies, and other aids at the back


Concept Books Concept books explore the characteristics of a class of objects

or of an abstract idea. Most of the nonfiction books intended for very young children

are of this type. Typically they cover such concepts as size, color, shape, spatial

relationships, self, and family For school-age children, concept books begin with what is

already familiar and move toward the unfamiliar, some by showing new ways to consider well-known materials, others by furnishing new and different examples or perspectives

Types of Nonfiction Books

Peter Spier’s PeopleThis book celebrates the possibilities for variation among the several billion human beings who live on Earth.

Nonfiction PicturebooksMore and more nonfiction books are lavishly

illustrated or published in picturebook format


Pale Male, written by Janet Schulman and illustrated by Mielo So, is a story of a community effort to allow red-tailed hawks to build their nests on top of Fifth Avenue buildings

Photographic Essays With the increased use of photography in children’s books

today, the photo essay is an increasingly popular form A sensitive and vital photo essay can contribute to

children’s appreciation of cultural and religious diversity


George Ancona

This book illuminates Latino life and traditions

Identification BooksIdentification books is a naming book, and this

may well be the first sort of book that a very young child sees.


by Gail

GibbonsIn this book Gail shows

simple drawings of

common tools in bright

colors, with appropriate

labels.

Life-Cycle BooksThere is always an audience for factual books

that describe how animals live, with an emphasis on the inherent story element


by Laurence Pringle

Experiment and Activity BooksExperiment books take the activities

themselves as contentMany experiment books for older children also

focus on one subject or one material


by Joe Rhatigan

Documents and Journals An important contribution to literature for children in recent years

has been the publication of books based on sketchbooks, journals, and original documents

The authors use primary sources, period photographs, and reproductions of lists and documentsMy Season with Penguins: An Antarctic Journal by Sophie Webb

focuses on her stays in these remote areas, and her first-person narratives are illustrated with her paintings, sketches, and hand-written notes


Survey Books The purpose of a survey book is to give an overall view

of a substantial topic and to furnish a representative sampling of facts, principles, or issues

Such a book emphasizes balance and breadth of coverage, rather than depth

Historical surveys today are more likely to adopt a particular perspective, an “angle” on history that makes wide-ranging content more manageable


Specialized Books Specialized books are designed to give specific information

about a relatively limited topic These books satisfy particular interests: they are more

likely to be used intensively than extensively, on a one-time bases rather than as a frequent reference

Many specialized books extend content areas that are frequently part of the elementary social studies curriculum


By James Giblin

Craft and How-To Books Craft and activity books give directions for making and

doing Directions are usually clearer if appropriately illustrated The Children’s Book of Yoga by Thia Luby provides clear

photographs demonstrating various yoga positions and includes pictures of animals, plants, and objects that children can imitate in their poses


by Maxine Anderson

This book provides directions for 19 inventions including walk on water shoes.