Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

21st Century Nonfiction Conference: Breaking the Boundaries

From outrageous illustrations
to engaging voices, the confining walls of humdrum nonfiction are being chipped
away by one boundary-pushing book after another. In this session, Heather L Montgomery and Melissa Stewart examine where
children’s nonfiction can go in the future. You will practice
outside-of-the-box thinking, try an exercise to see where voice can take you,
and experiment with visual thinking tools.

Some Exciting Trends

Memoirs
Brown
Girl Dreaming by
Jacqueline Woodson

The Scraps Book by
Lois Ehlert

Graphic
El Deafo by Cece Bell

Look
Up! Birdwatching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate

 

Visual Storytelling
Redwoods by Jason Chin

The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton

Creative Art Styles
Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

Witches! by Rosalyn Schanzer

Viva Frida by
Yuyi Morales

Stunning Photos
Raindrops Roll by April Pulley
Sayre


Wolfsnail
by
Sarah C. Campbell


Spiders by Nic Bishop



Dynamic
Design
Move! by Steve
Jenkins & Robin Page



Unusual Format
The Extraordinary Mark Twain by Barbara Kerley


 

Clever Structure
Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley

Swirl
by Swirl
by Joyce Sidman

 

Innovative
Narrative Approach

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

The
Family Romanov
by Candace Fleming



Attention-grabbing
Hook
Bugged: How Insects Changed the World by Sarah Albee

Why’d
They Wear That?
by Sarah Albee

Zombie
Makers
by Rebecca L. Johnson

When
Lunch Fights Back
by Rebecca L. Johnson

 

Unique
Perspective
Handle with Care by Loree Griffin
Burns

A Leaf Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas

No
Monkeys, No Chocolate
by Melissa Stewart

Weeds
Find a Way by Cynthia Jenson-Elliot

Visual Thinking Tools

Concept Maps

Sticky Notes

Build a Structure Sculpture

More Approaches
—http://hotandthinkertools.wikispaces.com
–Compare subject to something very similar or different
–Write a sentence for each of a variety of photos with different moods/tones.

Playing with Voice

An Egg
is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston

Feathers: Not Just for Flying by
Melissa Stewart

How Rude! 10 Real Bugs Who Won’t Mind Their Manners by Heather Montgomery


How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg


 







 

 

 

 

 

 

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