Sound too good to be true? It’s not.

Nonfiction books for children are meticulously researched and expertly crafted to delight as well as inform. They engage young readers in a way that textbooks and other standard teaching materials can’t.

Teachers know it.

Librarians know it.

Even the people who write the standardized tests know it.

That’s why they include passages from award-winning trade nonfiction book on the tests. Students must read the passages and then answer related questions.

Since this material is on the test, the best way to prepare kids is to expose them to as much high-quality nonfiction as possible. Just as it’s better to research using primary resource materials than secondary ones, it’s better to teach with real nonfiction books.

But that’s not the only benefit of using great children’s nonfiction titles in the classroom. These books can also serve as excellent models for the kinds of expository writing kids need to use to answer open response questions on standardized tests–not to mention write book reports and construct critical essays throughout their education.

BUT there’s a problem. Teachers don’t have time to vet all the books published each year and decide which ones are most appropriate for them to use.

Luckily, most schools have people who know children’s literature backwards and forwards and can make recommendations to the teachers. School library media specialists can play an important role in helping our kids succeed on standardized tests. That’s just one of the many reasons we need them in our schools.

Who else do we need? Independent booksellers. They too are intimately familiar with books being published for children. And they know their community, so they can help teachers find the best books to share with their students. Independent booksellers are especially critical in communities where school libraries have been eliminated. And sadly, there are many such communities.

So there it is. Just as I promised. Preparing kids for the test—and for life—takes a village. Parents, teachers, school library media specialists, town librarians, and independent booksellers all have roles to play. Each can contribute his or her own expertise to the effort.