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Informational and Biographical Literature . . . and Mice!
1. ELE 616 Research in
Children’s Literature
Spring 2012
Informational and
Biographical
Literature
. . . and Mice!
2. 2
What is informational
literature?
• Opinions differ about what is meant by the
term
– [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.
3. 3
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. See also:
documentary and faction.
4. 4
What about faction?
• Confusing!
1. A group of people, especially within a
political organization, who express a shared
belief or opinion different from people who
are not part of the group.
2. A form of literature, film etc., that treats real
people or events as if they were fiction;
a mix of fact and fiction
• Faction in Wiktionary
5. 5
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 reference
books
6. 6
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.
7. 7
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.
8. 8
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
9. 9
In Quest of Excellence: The Sibert Medal
• Beyond Authority, Passion • Supportive Ancillary
• An Abiding Respect for Children Material
• Fitting and Eloquent Literary Style • Format Following
• Strategic and Artful Graphics Function
• Commitment to Accuracy and • Apt and Appealing Book
Clarity Design
• Thorough and Thoroughly • Stimulating Overall
Explained Documentation Presentation
• Inviting Extensions
• Organized to Ease Access and
Enhance Meaning
• Clear Delineation of Fact
• Multilayered Content
http://murraychildlit.org/InfoBooks.pdf
12. 12
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
• http://www.ncte.org/awards/orbispictus
17. 17
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.
18. 18
• 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.
19. 19
• 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
20. 20
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
21. 21
A 2012 Orbis Pictus
biographical honor book
• Amelia Lost: The Life and
Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
AUTHOR: Candace Fleming
– For those of you who were waiting for
a review about a non-fiction book, here
it is! The book Amelia Lost tells the story of
Amelia Earhart, a courageous woman pilot who
encouraged women to chase their dreams. The
story begins with Amelia's birth, and tells the
entire story of her life until her disappearance.
24. Are Nonfiction and Biography “Just
the Facts, Ma’am”?
From
Mickenberg, Jul
ia.
(2002). “Civil
Rights, History
and the Left:
Inventing the
Juvenile Black
Biography.”
Melus 27, 65-93
![2
What is informational
literature?
• Opinions differ about what is meant by the
term
– [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.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)