Update June 24, 2024: My thinking about nonfiction classification has evolved since I wrote this post, but I’ve decided not to delete it because there’s value in looking back at my past ideas. For my current thinking, please see the book 5 Kinds of Nonfiction as well as information on my website.
Back in December, I introduced and described what I call
The Nonfiction Family Tree.
The Nonfiction Family Tree.
I received such a great
response that I discussed it again (and provided a list of sample books) in early January. Then I suggested an activity for introducing it to students
later in the month. Since then, many educators have tried the activity with
students and provided me with feedback. Thank you! And SLJ published this article, which brought together all my thinking on this topic. I love the groovy graphic Mark Tuchman created!
response that I discussed it again (and provided a list of sample books) in early January. Then I suggested an activity for introducing it to students
later in the month. Since then, many educators have tried the activity with
students and provided me with feedback. Thank you! And SLJ published this article, which brought together all my thinking on this topic. I love the groovy graphic Mark Tuchman created!
In biology, classification
helps us (1) make sense of the diversity of life and (2) understand how living
things are related to one another. Classifying nonfiction has similar benefits.
It helps readers understand the kind of information they’re likely to find in a
particular book, how that information will be presented, and how they can
access it. It can also help a reader identify the kind(s) of nonfiction he/she
enjoys reading the most.
helps us (1) make sense of the diversity of life and (2) understand how living
things are related to one another. Classifying nonfiction has similar benefits.
It helps readers understand the kind of information they’re likely to find in a
particular book, how that information will be presented, and how they can
access it. It can also help a reader identify the kind(s) of nonfiction he/she
enjoys reading the most.
While most children’s
nonfiction books fit snugly in one of the five categories, some are blended
titles that have characteristics of two adjacent categories.
nonfiction books fit snugly in one of the five categories, some are blended
titles that have characteristics of two adjacent categories.
For example, as I discussed here, many books (even fiction books)
include a combination of expository and narrative text. While one writing style
usually dominates, there are some books that contain roughly equal amounts of
each.
include a combination of expository and narrative text. While one writing style
usually dominates, there are some books that contain roughly equal amounts of
each.
Similarly, the line between
expository literature and traditional nonfiction can sometimes be blurry. There
are also books that have some browse-able traits and some traditional traits.
expository literature and traditional nonfiction can sometimes be blurry. There
are also books that have some browse-able traits and some traditional traits.
So while each of the five
categories has a distinct origin story,
which may be interesting to those of us who have watched the growth and evolution
of nonfiction over the last couple of decades, in practice, it may be more
useful to think of them as points on a continuum, with each category gradually blending
into the next like the colors in a rainbow.
categories has a distinct origin story,
which may be interesting to those of us who have watched the growth and evolution
of nonfiction over the last couple of decades, in practice, it may be more
useful to think of them as points on a continuum, with each category gradually blending
into the next like the colors in a rainbow.
It seems to me that this
sort of visual model more accurately represents the diversity of nonfiction
available today and how the various types are related to one another. What do
you think?
sort of visual model more accurately represents the diversity of nonfiction
available today and how the various types are related to one another. What do
you think?
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5 Responses
I think you continue to do the Kidlit community a great service. Love this!
Thanks, Joanne. I'm so glad that people are finding these posts useful.
The visual model is perfect and so useful for the classroom. Just yesterday, my Kindergarten class was sorting through our frog books before beginning a small research project related to our vernal pool study. There were several books which straddled genres in their minds, and I look forward to sharing this graphic with them. We can use it as our model.
That's great! I hadn't thought of using it with students as young as K. I hope they find it helpful.
I'm a fan of this blending. It's easier for me to think about, and easier to share with kids. Thank you!