According to Jonathan
Hunt, Coordinator of Library Services in San Diego, California, and former
member of the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Los Angeles Times Book
Award committees, “gateway nonfiction” is a theoretical group of books that
can form a bridge between the browseable
books that captivate
elementary-aged kids and the more rigorous nonfiction texts students
encounter in middle school and high school.
Hunt believes that we need to clearly identify the characteristics of such books and
publish more of them, and he certainly isn’t alone. In this 2013 School Library Journal article, nonfiction author and thought leader Marc Aronson shares some ideas
about the books he thinks could constitute gateway nonfiction. Basically, he’s
describing what many people now call active nonfiction.
While I
think these books could bridge the gap for some readers, more and more, I’m
leaning toward high-interest titles that are a roughly equal blend of narrative
nonfiction and expository literature as the best way to help the majority of upper elementary readers
transition to more sophisticated long-form nonfiction titles.
Why do I
consider these blended books prime candidates for the designation “gateway
nonfiction”? Because they have traits that appeal to a broad cross-section of
students.
A growing
body of research shows that some children have a natural affinity for stories
and storytelling (fiction and narrative nonfiction), while others have a clear
preference for expository writing. And some students enjoy both writing styles
equally. As a result, books that combine expository and narrative text, often in alternating sections, have
something for everyone, AND they can help all children stretch and grow as
readers.
The expository sections of high-quality, high-interest blended
books will captivate fact-loving kids. The clear, straightforward explanations
will feel comfortable and familiar to them, giving these students the
confidence and motivation to tackle the narrative sections. And once these
info-kids learn to access and enjoy narrative text, they can discover how characters—both
real and imagined—exist in the world and successfully overcome challenges.
Similarly, young narrative lovers will be drawn to the story-rich
sections of blended books, inspiring them to do the work necessary to digest
and comprehend the expository passages. As a result, they’ll be better equipped
to wrangle the complex
expository texts they’ll encounter in middle school and beyond.
So as Marlene Correia and I discuss in 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, regardless of a student’s natural reading
preference, blended books that mix equal amounts of narrative and expository text can
help them develop the skills to successfully interact with a broad range of complex
texts.
Here are a dozen info-licious books that integrate narrative and expository writing styles. I’ve included two books from the Let’s Read and Find Out series (published by HarperCollins) here, but many other books in this series are also a blend of expository and narrative text.
Giant
Squid by Candace Fleming
(Roaring Brook, 2016)
The Great
Monkey Rescue: Saving the Golden Lion Tamarins by Sandra Markle (Millbrook Press, 2015)
How
to Be an Elephant by
Katherine Roy (David Macaulay
Studio, 2017)
Hurricane Watch by Melissa Stewart
(HarperCollins, 2015)
If You Take Away the
Otter by
Susannah Buhrmann-Deever (Candlewick, 2020)
Masters of
Disguise: Amazing Animal Tricksters by
Rebecca L. Johnson (Millbrook Press, 2016)
Neighborhood
Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites
of California’s Farallon Islands by
Katherine Roy (David Macaulay
Studio, 2012)
Pinocchio Rex and Other Tyrannosaurs by Melissa Stewart and Steve Brusatte (HarperCollins, 2017)
Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (and their Noses) Save the World by Nancy F. Castaldo (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)
Snowy Owl
Invasion: Tracking an Unusual Migration by
Sandra Markle (Millbrook Press, 2017)
When Lunch Fights Back:
Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses by Rebecca L. Johnson (Millbrook Press, 2014)
Zombie
Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead by
Rebecca L. Johnson (Millbrook Press, 2012)
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3 Responses
I love blended books – and the term “info-licious” is a perfect way to describe them. Your examples are spot on. Thanks for celebrating the books that celebrate science.
What a great selection of books to delve into. My To Read list has just grown a little bigger.
I love blended books – they really are “info-liscious”! Great examples, too.