Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Behind the Books: Writing STEM Picture Books, Part 5

For the last month, I’ve been discussing the
ins and outs of writing STEM picture books, including its key craft elements.
(Scroll down to read earlier posts in this discussion.) Today I’m going to talk
about writing style.

There are two nonfiction writing styles—narrative
or expository. Here are some examples:

Life stories generally have a narrative
writing style. These books tell a true story or convey an experience. They
feature characters, settings, and scenes. Ideally, they have rising tension, a
climax, and denouement.

Concept books generally have an expository
writing style. These books describe, explain, or inform in a clear,
accessible fashion. They include data, facts, ideas, and patterns that allow students to learn about the world and how it works.

Once you select a writing style, you can
think about text structure. That’s what I’ll focus on next week.

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