5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books

Product Description

Once upon a time…children's nonfiction books were stodgy, concise, and not very kid friendly. Most of the books were text heavy, with just a few scattered images decorating the content and meaning, rather than enhancing it. However, nonfiction has changed dramatically over the last two decades, evolving into a new breed of visually dynamic, engaging texts that delight as well as teach. The timing of these groundbreaking changes couldn't be better, as English Language Arts standards now put an increased focus on nonfiction reading and writing.

In
5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books, Melissa Stewart and Dr. Marlene Correia present a new way to sort nonfiction into five major categories and show how doing so can help teachers and librarians build stronger readers and writers. Along the way, they:

Introduce the 5 kinds of nonfiction: Active, Browseable, Traditional, Expository Literature,and Narrative—and explore each category through discussions, classroom examples, and insights from leading children’s book authors
Offer tips for building strong, diverse classroom and library collections
Provide more than 20 activities to enhance literacy instruction
Include innovative strategies for sharing and celebrating nonfiction with students. 
With more than 150 exemplary nonfiction book recommendations and Stewart and Correia’s extensive knowledge of literacy instruction,
5 Kinds of Nonfiction will elevate your understanding of nonfiction in ways that speak specifically to the info-kids in your classrooms, but will inspire all readers and writers.

About the Author

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 science books for children. She has always been fascinated by the natural world and is passionate about sharing its beauty and wonder with readers of all ages.
After earning a bachelor's degree in biology from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a master's degree in science journalism from New York University, Melissa worked as a children's book editor for nine years before becoming a full-time writer in 2000. She has written everything from board books for preschoolers to magazine articles for adults.
Melissa believes that nothing brings nonfiction writing to life like firsthand research. While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands.
When Melissa isn't writing or exploring the natural world, she spends time speaking at schools, libraries, nature centers, and educator conferences. She serves on the Board of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Keene State College Children's Literature Festival.