How to Do Nonfiction for Emerging Readers (And How Not To...)

Ashley Waring is a Children's Librarian at the Reading Public Library (MA). She loves informational books, because learning something new is awesome!

Young children are curious about the world around them, and a well-written nonfiction book can provide information and excitement. The Sibert Award celebrates the best informational books for young readers, ages birth to 14. While Sibert-winning titles are by definition exceptional nonfiction books, they are not necessarily successful at supporting a child who is learning to read. A Geisel-winning nonfiction book will not only inform the child, but will support and encourage her beginning reading experiences. According to past Geisel committees, finding a nonfiction book that can do this is rare – only 3 nonfiction books have won Geisel honors since the award was first given in 2006.

Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre,
illustrated by Steve Jenkins
2008 Geisel Honor Winner

Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde,
illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne
2008 Geisel Honor Winner

Wolfsnail by Sarah C. Campbell,
photographs by Sarah C. Campbell
and Richard P. Campbell
2009 Geisel Honor Winner

Certainly, plenty of nonfiction books for children are available. All librarians who work with children know that image- and fact-packed titles from Eyewitness and National Geographic can be enjoyable for kids to pick up and browse. But there is often no narrative structure, and the pages are cluttered and busy. So what does make for a successful beginning reader nonfiction experience? Let’s look at the three Geisel Honor-winning books to find out.

Interior from Vulture View

The clear and engaging narrative of Vulture View follows vultures through a day. Sayre’s phrases encourage the reader to keep going and turn the page, by asking questions like “Going where?” at the end of page 3. She uses a very simple sentence structure, most words are one or two syllables, and the font is a large, black sans serif. Cut paper collage illustrations support the text and give clues to the reader. For the text, “They eat, then clean. Splash! Dry. Preen” on page 17, Jenkins portrays a large vulture preening its feathers with its beak, since on this page, “preen” is most likely the newest vocabulary word to the young reader.

Interior from Hello, Bumblebee Bat

Hello, Bumblebee Bat has less of a narrative structure, but facts are presented with a repeated call and response structure, making it more accessible and engaging. Every page begins with a question, for example, “Bumblebee Bat, how small are you?” The answer is presented in short, simple sentences without complicated vocabulary, while gentle and realistic illustrations support the reader. An example of the success of this nonfiction book is the explanation of echolocation on pages 9-10. The illustrations include other familiar animals that help to give a sense of scale.

Interior from Wolfsnail

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator provides a riveting read for the slightly older reader. The narrative follows a wolfsnail as it wakes up, hunts its prey, then returns home to rest in a suburban yard. The book is better for a more experienced reader due to its longer sentences and more complex vocabulary. But the large color photographs support the reader in deciphering meaning. On pages 12 and 13 the words “tentacles” and “extensions” are clearly illustrated in the close-up images of a leaf-eating snail and wolfsnail. The fascinating topic combined with the slow pace of the nail-biting snail chase makes this a real page-turner.

All three titles are about animals, a perennial favorite topic for children, and a fit for the Geisel criteria: “The subject matter must be intriguing enough to motivate the child to read.” By having strong narratives, supportive illustrations, straight-forward sentences, and uncluttered design, all of these books meet Geisel criteria while also being informative books for beginning readers.