I'm a nonfiction children's author. I've written 40 books for a variety of publishers. I love my job.
But I have a confession: I didn't love nonfiction as a child. I grew up in the 80s. If you are anywhere near my age, you likely don't remember loving nonfiction books as a child. Most of us didn't back then.
Children's nonfiction books were boring. Really. They were full of facts, but they weren't books we wanted to read again and again.
The internet changed the publishing world and especially children's nonfiction. Because if a child could have the answer to a question at the click of a keyboard, why would he or she look in a book? Nonfiction books needed to change to serve children differently. And oh boy!
Nonfiction did change!
Kids love nonfiction today!
But children and teens rely on us (teachers, librarians, parents, caregivers) as gatekeepers to books. What we put on shelves. What we recommend. What we read aloud.
Nonfiction books keep readers curious. And curiosity leads to literacy as readers think, evaluate, and talk about this world.
Teacher Preference
As teachers, we typically want stories. (I include myself in this category. I was a teacher once upon a time and always in my heart.) Research published by Reading Psychology reflects this--56% of educators prefer narrative style writing. Stories!
Student Preference
The same research showcases first and fourth graders' preferences. For these ages, 42%--nearly half of students--prefer expository. Just the facts!
The Reality
Adults tend to share fiction with children—or narrative nonfiction. But nearly half of children enjoy just the facts of expository nonfiction more. When we’re concerned about reluctant readers of any age, we should consider the books they have access to and see the most--and what they prefer.
I remember being a teacher, sometimes we just take what we can get. But really, we need to do better. If your book collection needs a big nonfiction boost begin your wish list now. Pay attention to each book you buy or request. Provide children and teens with a diversity of texts to choose from.
Make nonfiction a priority.
Want high-quality nonfiction children's books? (First weed out the old books that don't appeal to today's children and teens.) Research
nonfiction kidlit award nominations, follow nonfiction kidlit authors. Ask your peers.
Ask me. I might have opinions about nonfiction! Request recently published nonfiction on your wish lists. Apply for grants. Tell your students you’d love a nonfiction book for holiday gift instead of another teacher mug! Invite a
nonfiction author to visit your school. Use your book fair funds for nonfiction.
Be intentional to purchase less fiction and more nonfiction until your collection is balanced!
Too often we consider nonfiction for student research, but it’s more than a resource. It’s life giving.
NCTE's Position Statement on Nonfiction
NCTE’s 2023 position statement on nonfiction says, “Nonfiction empowers young people in the face of current and emerging challenges locally and globally, such as racial, cultural, social, and economic injustice, censorship and disinformation, and the climate crisis. In the urgency of this moment, nonfiction for young people has never been more vibrant or vital.”
The article goes on to say that kids love nonfiction. Yet it’s not used enough in ELA and classroom libraries. They recommend more independent nonfiction reading AND using nonfiction beyond research in the classroom.
Nonfiction is important as a gateway for literacy and to keep elementary, middle school, and high school students reading and dreaming.
We need to understand and encourage what kids want to read! When we offer a variety of nonfiction in addition to fiction, every child has a better chance to grow as a reader—and as a person! We should provide not just true stories but also expository nonfiction—just the facts!
If we only encourage students to use nonfiction for research, and not for fun or the pure enjoyment of reading, dreaming, or fulfilling curiosity…If we only read aloud from fiction...if our collection of books doesn’t offer equal amounts of quality fiction and nonfiction…Then we miss the mark.
When we don't provide children with 50% nonfiction collections and recommendations, we miss the opportunity to bridge the gap—especially for reluctant readers.
Today kids love nonfiction books. Are you offering enough nonfiction reading opportunities to the children and teens in your life? Every classroom collection and every school library should offer equal amounts of nonfiction and fiction books.
I have shared the information here as part of my professional development workshops as well as keynote speeches for literacy conferences. I'd love to hear how you are making nonfiction a priority with the children and teens in your life.
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More Nonfiction Resources
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