A Nonfiction New Year Celebration by Steve Tetreault
Back in October 2023, I joined Bluesky, and it’s helped me connect to a whole new group of fabulous educators. One of them is middle school librarian Steve Tetreault, who wrote today’s post. Thanks for sharing your Nonfiction New Year Celebration, Steve. Nonfiction has been my Achille’s heel as an educator and librarian. It has loomed as […]
Narrative & Expository: Two Nonfiction Writing Styles
Over the holiday break, I spent some time thinking about what I’d share on this blog over the next few months and decided to take a look at my most popular post of all time. The answer surprised me, so I’m sharing it again for folks who might have missed it. Should I write about […]
Using Text Trios to Nurture STEM Curiosity
Recently, award-winning STEM author Jennifer Swanson let me know about an innovative idea that she’s working on—Text Trios. She’s pairing a book with a narrative writing style and a book with an expository writing style with episodes of her popular podcast Solve It for Kids. I was so excited about how these trios could appeal to […]
A Deep Dive into Nonfiction by Kim Haines
After reading school librarian Meredith Inkeles’s blog post about students writing book reviews for nonfiction books, fourth grade teacher Kim Haines was inspired to combine that lesson with a variety of other activities that I’ve share on this blog, on my website, and in 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books […]
Why I Write Expository Nonfiction by Deanna F. Cook
Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Deanna F. Cook. Thank you, Deanna. When I was a child, my favorite books were nonfiction, and I especially liked cookbooks and craft books and nature sticker books. I was […]
Why I Write Narrative Nonfiction by Lori Alexander
Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Lori Alexander. Thank you, Lori. Narrative nonfiction can bring young readers the best of two worlds: an engaging, fast-paced story that is 100% verifiable and true. These vibrant stories can […]
Why I Write Expository Nonfiction by Anita Sanchez
Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Anita Sanchez. Thank you, Anita. A food chain is simple: little fish are eaten by big fish, which are eaten by bigger fish, and so forth. An ecosystem is far […]
Why I Write Narrative Nonfiction by Laurie Wallmark
Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors disscuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Laurie Wallmark. Thank you, Laurie! I’ve loved math and science, ever since I was a little girl. I’d check books out from the library that were way above my level […]
Why I Write Expository Nonfiction by Sara Levine
Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Sara Levine. Thank you, Sara. Whether the topic is germs, poop, or the functional anatomy of bird beaks, my books for children usually fall into the category of expository nonfiction. […]
How I Write Biographies by Jen Bryant
Today I’m welcoming Jen Bryant to the blog. She’s written a fascinating essay that’s a bit of a departure from the topic of this year’s Monday series. As Jen points out, sometimes it’s important to break the rules. Before I was an author, I was a high school French and German teacher and cross-country coach. […]