Informational and
Biographical
Literature
ELE 616 Research in Children’s Literature
Fall 2009
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What is informational literature?
• Opinions differ about what is meant by
informational literature
– [Some use] the term expository-informational text to refer to
titles that are report-like and use expository text structures.
– More frequently, the term informational text is used
synonymously with nonfiction.
– Nonfiction is also the term recognized in the Dewey
Decimal and Library of Congress systems.
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nonfiction
• Prose literary works describing events that
actually occurred and characters or
phenomena that actually exist or existed in
the past. In a more general sense, any piece
of prose writing in which the content is not
imagined by the author. In libraries that
use Library of Congress Classification
(LCC) or Dewey Decimal Classification
(DDC), nonfiction is shelved by call
number. Compare with fiction.
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Informational Books
• Definition:
– Informational books deal exclusively with factual material
presented to instruct the reader. They are generally consider to
be functional or utilitarian books and not part of literature.
Children, however, do not always separate fiction and nonfiction
and there is an interest/need to have informative books which
also appeal to the aesthetic.
– We have become accustomed to informational books being dry
and dull; however, there is no reason why nonfiction books
cannot adhere to finer literary standards and hold our interests
as would a good novel.
• LSC 300 L Literature for Children Mary E. Brown, Ph.D. Informational and
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Writing Nonfiction for Children
• Non-fiction has long been seen as the poor relation in
children’s books, inferior to fiction in both quality and
sales. But in recent years, leading figures working in
children’s books have realized that children should
have access to the same high-quality information
writing that adult readers take for granted.
– The Real World is a Great Story Too: Author Nicola Davies and editor
Caroline Royds talk to Madelyn Travis about developments in non-fiction
for children.
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Eleven Tips for Writing Successful Nonfiction for Kids
1. Tap into your Ew!, Phew!, and Cool! - Think
like a kid.
2. Play with words
3. Be Conversational
4. Try Unusual Formats.
5. Link new information to something
kids already know.
6. Include activities.
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Eleven Tips for Writing Successful Nonfiction for Kids
7. Use storytelling techniques.
8. Narrow your topic.
9. Use reliable sources.
10. Know your market.
11. Do photo research.
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Fiona Bayrock is the author of
BUBBLE HOME AND FISH FARTS
(Charlesbridge) and several other
quirky science books for kids.
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American Library Association’s definition
• Information books are
defined as those written and
illustrated to present, organize and
interpret documentable factual material
for children. There are no limitations as to
the character of the book, although poetry
and traditional literature are not eligible.
Honor books may be named; they shall be
books that are truly distinguished.
– (Robert F.) Sibert Informational Book Award
Terms and criteria
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In Quest of Excellence: The Sibert Medal
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Beyond Authority, Passion
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An Abiding Respect for Children
Fitting and Eloquent Literary Style •
Strategic and Artful Graphics
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Commitment to Accuracy and
Clarity
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Thorough and Thoroughly
Explained Documentation
Inviting Extensions
Organized to Ease Access and
Enhance Meaning
Clear Delineation of Fact
Multilayered Content
Supportive Ancillary
Material
Format Following
Function
Apt and Appealing Book
Design
Stimulating Overall
Presentation
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2009 Winner of Sibert Medal
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– The Story of Negro League Baseball is the story of gifted athletes and
determined owners; of racial discrimination and international
sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and
off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of
black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the
story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who
overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one
thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball.
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One of the 2008
Sibert Honor books
• Nic Bishop Spiders
– For the first to third grade
set, spiders are fascinating
and suitably gruesome,
especially when looked at in
EXTREME close-up.
Amazing images show the
beauty and otherworldliness
of spiders.
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Another nonfiction award
• NCTE Orbis Pictus Nonfiction Award
– NCTE, through the Committee on the
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding
Nonfiction for Children, has established an annual award
for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of
nonfiction for children. The name Orbis Pictus,
commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius,
Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures (1657), considered to
be the first book actually planned for children.
Read more about how Orbis Pictus Award-winning books
are created and chosen in the NCTE book The Best in
Children’s Nonfiction Reading, Writing, and Teaching Orbis
Pictus Award Books (2001).
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Criteria for the Orbis Pictus Award
• Each nomination should meet the following literary
criteria:
– Accuracy—facts current and complete, balance of fact and theory,
varying point of view, stereotypes avoided, author’s qualifications
adequate, appropriate scope, authenticity of detail
– Organization—logical development, clear sequence,
interrelationships indicated, patterns provided (general-to-specific,
simple-to-complex, etc.)
– Design—attractive, readable, illustrations complement text,
placement of illustrative material appropriate and complementary,
appropriate media, format, type
– Style—writing is interesting, stimulating, reveals author's
enthusiasm for subject; curiosity and wonder encouraged,
appropriate terminology, rich language
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2009 winner of Orbis Pictis
• Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator
by Shelley Tanaka, illustrated by David Craig
(Abrams Books for Young Readers)
– Ever since Amelia Earhart and her plane disappeared on
July 2, 1937, people have wanted to know more about this
remarkable woman. Amelia Earhart follows the charismatic
aviator from her first sight of an airplane at the age of ten to
the last radio transmission she made before she vanished.
Illustrated with original artworks, contemporary
photographs, quotes, and details, this is a great introduction
to the famous pilot. The book includes a bibliography and an
index.
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A 2009 Honor Book for Orbis Pictus
• When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature’s
Balance in Yellowstone
By Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Illustrated by Dan Hartman
Photographs by Cassie Hartman and Dan Hartman
– Now, more than a decade after scientists realized the
wolves' essential role and returned them to Yellowstone,
the park's natural balance is gradually being restored. The
informative dual-level text and spectacular full-color
photographs show the wolves in the natural habitat that
was almost lost without them. Readers of all ages will be
inspired by the delicate natural system that is Yellowstone.
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Nonfiction about Native Americans?
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• Historical Native American Indian
Children’s and YA Non-Fiction
– Black Indians: A Hidden
Heritage by William Loren Katz
(Atheneum, 1986). A thorough but
clear look at a critical and
traditionally (by mainstream historians)
discounted segment of Native America.
Ages 10-up
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Biographical literature
• biography
– A carefully researched, relatively full narrative
account of the life of a specific person or closely
related group of people, written by another. The
biographer selects the most interesting and important
events with the intention of elucidating the character
and personality of the biographee and placing the
subject’s life in social, cultural, and historical context.
An authorized biography, written with the consent
and sometimes the cooperation of its subject, may be
less critical than an unauthorized biography.
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• Biographies and Memoirs
– The mere mention of the biography genre is
sometimes enough to cause the eyes to glaze over,
especially if you were assigned it once too often in
school. Then too, it used to be that biographies
written for kids seemed to make the life of even the
most exciting person dull. Yet biographies are the
favorite genre of many lifetime readers. Biographies
can and should provide a way to personalize history,
to discover the motivation behind some interesting
people and perhaps awaken a new interest or passion.
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• Approaches to biography (degree of authenticity):
– Authentic biography -- attempts to convey the factual
information of a person’s life; does not include any
unsupported facts, facts supported by reliable research;
rarely includes dialogue--unless taken from letters or diaries
or reliable personal recollections.
– Fictionalized biography -- dramatizes events; creates dialogue
and scenes to make the story more interesting; good
fictionalized biography will not create scenes that did not
happen.
– Biographical fiction -- pure fanciful invention with only
passing regard to the historical facts.
• LSC 300 L Literature for Children Mary E. Brown, Ph.D. Biography
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Biography vs. biographical fiction
• Sarah Miller (Author of Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller):
– A biography is strictly facts - no invention. Unfortunately,
many children’s biographies are a muddy mix of facts and
invented conversations. Some authors believe that kids won’t
read a book that doesn’t have the feel of a story, so they
make up scenes and dialogue to get the facts across in a more
“entertaining” way. That really bugs me.
– Historical fiction on the other hand is a story based on facts.
I believe good historical fiction requires just as much
research as non-fiction.
• Interview with Sarah Miller, October 1, 2007
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A 2008 Orbis Pictus
biographical honor book
• George Washington Carver
By Tonya Bolden in association with The Field Museum
Imprint: Abrams Books for Young Readers
– With imagination and intellect, George
Washington Carver (1864–1934) developed
hundreds of unexpected products from everyday
plants. This book reveals what an exceptionally
uncommon man Carver was: trailblazing scholar,
innovative scientist, pioneering conservationist,
and impassioned educator.
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A 2009 biographical Sibert honor book
• What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt
Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove
Her Father Teddy Crazy! written by Barbara
Kerley and illustrated by Edwin
Fotheringham (Scholastic Press, 2008)
– Unconventional in many ways and
troublesome in others, young Alice Lee
Roosevelt made a name for herself in the
White House while living there with her family
and president father.
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An author of biographies for children
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A Native American Biography
• The Life and Death of Crazy Horse
by Russell Freedman
– Grade: FOURTH | Age: 10 up
– The heroic story of the Oglala Warrior who
triumphed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
An ALA Notable Book and a Best Book for
Young Adults. Illustrated by Amos Bad Heart
Bull.
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Biography raising consciousness
• African American Biography
Are Nonfiction and Biography “Just
the Facts, Ma’am”?
From
Mickenberg,
Julia.
(2002). “Civil
Rights, History
and the Left:
Inventing the
Juvenile Black
Biography.”
Melus 27, 65-93
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