In February, two
professors of literacy sent
a letter signed by more than 500 educators to The New York Times asking
the paper to add three children’s nonfiction bestseller lists to parallel the current
lists, which focus on fiction.
The
letter was also published on more than 20 blogs that serve the children’s
literature community and amplified on social media as part of the
#KidsLoveNonfiction campaign.
A
few weeks later, The New York Times responded,
saying they weren’t interested in adding nonfiction lists at this
time. Many people were disappointed by this decision and expressed their
frustration on social media. I asked some of them to write essays explaining
their point of view and describing their own experiences with and relationship
to children’s nonfiction.
Today,
librarian Kimbra Power shares her story. Thank you, Kimbra.
While the majority of my elementary students enjoy
browsing the nonfiction section, there are some that would happily camp out
there, set up a tent, and devour everything on offer. They cannot get enough.
Often these students will begin with an easier book that serves
as a scaffold, and if that book is written well, it acts as a portal to greater
learning and more in-depth understanding. Before long, those children have me
pulling books in one section of the library, then another, because learning
begets learning.
I’m lucky I have four libraries to pull books from
because sometimes students’ curiosity can be hard to satiate! We do also have
terrific digital resources, but it is the books, in the hands, that the
children want, especially when it comes to nonfiction.
Teachers regularly request books on various subjects to
supplement their science and social studies units, but my favorite requests are
when teachers ask for books because their students have questions, and they NEED
answers. What an amazing job I have!
Here’s an example. Recently, a first-grade class got a
pet hamster. First there were requests for books about hamsters, which led to
books about rodents, then books about caring for hamsters.
Soon students in the class wanted their own pets, but how
could they convince their parents? The teacher asked for books about persuasive
writing and letter writing. Plus books about all kinds of pets.
This classroom hamster was allowed out of its cage, and
the children wanted to make an enclosure for it. They wondered: What would make
a good enclosure? What kind of toys do hamsters like? How about a maze? One
student went onto our databases to look for good mazes, and then asked me if I
had ever heard of a Rube Goldberg machine? Indeed, I had, AND, we had books on
Rube and his machine.
Students also asked for books on hamster mazes, hamster
mating and hamster just about everything. It was the BEST!
Over time, the inquiries about the hamster petered out.
Then one day, there was a heart-breaking request: books on how to deal with the
death of a pet.
I
am in awe of the quality of nonfiction books created today. There is a place in
our library for many kinds of nonfiction.
Our students pore intently over our browsable nonfiction, everything from almanacs
and weird but true books to National Geographic magazines.
Many
times throughout the year there are requests for active nonfiction—cookbooks,
origami books, coding books, and of course Minecraft books.
There
will always be a place for traditional and narrative nonfiction too, and I am
frequently asked to teach lessons on the difference between them.
Increasingly,
my favorite kind of nonfiction book is the expository literature. I love when
authors and illustrators zoom in on something and take the focus to a new
level. I will miss the work of Steve Jenkins; he holds a special place in our
library.
There
is a book in our nonfiction collection to deal with just about everything, and
if there isn’t, we’ll order it because one thing we know for sure . . .
#KidsLoveNonficiton.
Kimbra Power, “the
Barefoot Librarian,” has been a High School English and Drama teacher in
Australia and a 5th grade teacher in China. For the last 10 years
she’s worked in the Elementary Library of Shanghai American School as a teacher
librarian, and it is there that she feels most at home. Putting amazing books
in children’s hands brings her joy and satisfaction. Kimbra’s library is
buzzing with recommendations, color, and creativity as she runs events like
Books to Eat, Battle of the Books, and the Global Cardboard Challenge.
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One Response
What a wonderful piece on student learning!!