Informational Books

Books “written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable factual material.” (Vardell, pg. 356)

Orbis Pictus Award

Major AwardsRobert F. Sibert

Award

National Council of Teachers

Announced every Spring

Listed on the NCTE website

Outstanding NF for Children

Assoc. Lib. Svc. To Children (ALSC)

Announced every January

Listed on the ALA website

Significant contribution to children’s literature.

Formats1. Survey Books2. Photo Essays3. Concept Books4. Social Histories5. Informational

Storybooks6. Activity Books7. Trivia Books8. Series Books9. Reference Tools10.Magazines11.Biographies

www.myclassiclyrics.com

Survey Books•General overview of a topic•May not cover all informationBook SummaryTitle IX is the law that made it officially okay for girls to play organized sports (1972). Example of what can happen when enough people work together to incite political and social change.

http://www.titlenine.com/category/who+are+we/title+ix-+what+is+it-.do

Photo Essays•Photos on nearly every page•Photos visually represent, supplement or validate textBook SummarySam Marshall is an arachnologist from Hiram, Ohio doing research on the (largest) Goliath Birdeater Tarantulas in French Guiana. This sometimes-humorous story dispels a lot of common myths about spiders.

Note: Another great photo essay author is Seymour Simon.

Concept Books

•Basic info about a single topic•Extremely helpful for English Language LearnersBook Summary•Young readers•Beautifully illustrated interactive guessing book•Collage illustrations•Caldecott Honor book.

Note: Other great concept book authors are Lois Ehlert and Tana Hoban.

Social Histories

•Popular for middle grades•Impact on human history•Usually include primary source documents.•Gives perspective on how people coped with challenges

Book SummarySibert and Orbis Pictus award

Political leaders flee the area and leave basically no one in charge. A few select brave heroes stay in Philadelphia in an effort to help the sick. There is an absolute feeling of helplessness among the

remaining doctors and citizens while they try to find a cure for the disease.

Informational StorybooksPicture books that share information in a story context.

Book SummaryOrbis Pictus Award

Hypothetical journey of a monarch named “Danaus.” Information is carried in a lively fashion by utilizing a story line.

Clues that it’s an informational storybook: foreword, afterword, text notes, source notes or acknowledgements.

Activity Books

•Invite readers to do what they’re reading about.•Directly involves reader•Craft books, cookbooks, experiment books, etc.•Diagrams, drawings, examples•Minimal text•Emphasis on directions

Book SummaryInformative and funny, the author describes the meaning of specific dog “body language”.

Note: Other great activity book authors include: Lee Ames, Herbert Zim, and Vicki Cobb.

Trivia Books•Statistical Data•Diverse range of subjects•Short story narratives•Trivia•Almanacs of facts•Accounts of strange and bizarre•Often lure struggling readers

Series•Defined by publisher rather than author•Based on a perceived need rather than author interest•Usually contain most current information•Cover topics that may not otherwise be written about

Reference

Magazines

• Highly visual and current

• Affordable• Some are

content specific

• Interactive websites that supplement print version

Biographies

http://www.likeagoodbook.com/biographies.html

Check out the biography links on your library website!

A good biography should tell the story about a person’s life – not just what that person did in history. The reader wants to know about the person, not just about the events that took place during the time that person lived.

A well-rounded portrait of a person’s life that includes not only their accomplishments and successes, but also the flaws and obstacles they had to overcome.

Biography Formats

•Complete•Picture Book•Biography Series•Celebrity Biographies•Collective Biographies•Autobiographies

Complete Biographies

People worth reading about who made a significant contribution to society but often overlooked in history books

Book SummaryOrbis Pictus and Sibert Honor

Contralto singer whose career helped break the race barrier in America during the civil rights movement.

Picture Book Biographies• Illustrations add visual

interest• Art helps personalize

the subject

Book Summary2009 Sibert Honor

Alice was Teddy Roosevelt’s first child and she was, by far, the wildest! She had a zest for life that was uncontrollable.

Biography SeriesStandard appearance and content.

Celebrity Biographies

• High-interest among students• More for “pleasure” reading• May not be most in-depth.

Collective Biographies• Several short biographies in one

book.• Usually some common thread

Autobiographies & Memoirs• Written by the subject• Not a lot written for children

In A League of Their Own(more detailed lessons to follow)• Fairy Tales / Folk Tales (398.2)• Graphic Novels (741.5)• Poetry (811)

Information included on previous slides taken from:

Vardell, Sylvia M.. Children's literature in action: a librarian's guide. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. Print. Pages 233-264.

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