10 Ways Nurture and Nourish Nonfiction Writers
Now that most schools are in midst of their informational writing unit, it seems like a great time to share a School Library Journal article that came out over the summer. It’s jampacked with great ideas for increasing student awareness of and access to nonfiction. Enjoy!
15 Favorites: STEM Books of 2022
Each year at this time, I post a list of my favorite STEM books of the year. I try to limit it to ten, but there are usually a few extras. This year, something AMAZING happened. In November, I was invited to share my top picks on Science Friday. The show was recorded on Zoom with […]
5 Ways to Increase Nonfiction Circulation & Create Passionate Nonfiction Readers
On October 13, SLJ is hosting a webinar you won’t want to miss. Inspired by posts written by some uber-dedicated school librarians and published on this blog last spring and earlier this fall, 5 Ways to Increase Nonfiction Circulation & Create Passionate Nonfiction Readers will jump start your thinking about classroom, school library, and public […]
Narrative Nonfiction Is 100% Verifiable
During a recent discussion on social media, I realized that some educators seem to be confused about the meaning of the term “narrative nonfiction.” First and foremost, narrative nonfiction is meticulously researched and every single fact and idea is true. In other words, the information presented in the text is 100 percent verifiable. Period. The […]
Hedy Lamar’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu
I almost never review children’s books on this blog, but today, I’m going to make an exception because Hedy Lamar’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu is A-MAZ-ING. Seriously. You NEED to order it right now. I know it’s only February, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to […]
Behind the Books: A Perfect Pair
Is it just me or is 2018 shaping up to be an amazing year for nonfiction? I’ve read a boatload of great titles over the last few months, and my TBR pile is out of control. I have a lot of catching up to do. Two books that I’m excited about look at the same […]
Behind the Books: Looking Forward, Looking Back
Twenty years ago, my very first book was published. Life Without Light: A Journey to Earth’s Dark Ecosystems was a nonfiction YA title that explored the fledgling scientific study of little-know creatures that eke out an existence deep inside caves, around hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, on the walls of underground aquifers, and within rocky […]
5 Ways to Share More Nonfiction with Your Students
For the last six weeks, I’ve been talking about expository nonfiction. I’ve presented a heap o’ research indicating that nonfiction in general and expository nonfiction in particular is more popular among elementary students than most of us might think. Simply put, what the children’s literature community calls broccoli, many kids call chocolate cake. In the comments […]
In the Classroom: Elements of a Nonfiction Booktalk
Not long ago, I saw this list of recommended components for a booktalk: Title Author Genre Main character Plot bit And boy, did it frost my britches. Why? Because the person who created this list assumed the booktalker was talking about a fiction title. What about nonfiction? It’s important to booktalk these titles too because many kids […]
My Favorite Book of 2017
I don’t usually start thinking about the Sibert Smackdown this early in the year, but the moment I finished reading Grand Canyon by Jason Chin, I knew it would be on my list. I’m pretty confident that by the end of January, the cover of Grand Canyon will be jam packed with shiny stickers. I […]