Last week Melody Allen, a retired
librarian who served on the 2007 Sibert Medal committee, began sharing the kid-friendly
guidelines she developed for evaluating nonfiction books based on the ALA’s
official criteria. Scroll down to read about the first criterion (Delight) and view
the handout Melody created for young Sibert judges. Today, she will discuss the
second “D”—Design.
 |
| Students in NewYork (left) and Illinois (right) taking part in #SibertSmackdown activities |
students decide that a book Delights them, they should take a closer look at
the Design, which has three components.
Organization
Graphics
Layout
informational book should be organized to aid the reader in understanding the subject.
This can mean breaking the text into chapters and subsections with guiding
headings. It can also mean choosing a
text structure that conveys the content in a clear and interesting way. Here
are some questions that can help students think about organization:
the book’s organization help you?
the book start with familiar or basic information and then add new
information?
there a dramatic opening that shows you the relevance of the topic?
you locate bits of information using a table of contents, headings, and an
index?
play an important role in children’s nonfiction, often conveying or reinforcing
content in critical ways. Here are some questions that can help students
evaluate the visual elements that accompany the text:
graphic images captioned and well placed near the text that they
illustrate?
the illustrator chooses to use black & white, color, collage, photographs,
or other styles, do these choices enhance the images and clarify the
information being described? For
example, sometimes black & white drawings are clearer than a photo with a
distracting background (a drawn leaf vs. a photo of trees).
illustrations avoid gender stereotypes and reflect a diverse society?
the inclusion of features such as maps and diagrams support visual learners?
graphics, layout plays a significant role in nonfiction books for children. It
is often complex and multi-faceted. Many informational books are rich in text
features or include several layers of text, offering children multiple points
of entry and ways of accessing the content. The following questions can help
students as they consider a book’s layout:
the layout confusing or distracting?
there is a “character” who guides the reader or makes commentary (often
humorous), is this a fun way to maintain involvement with the book?
Next
week, I’ll be discussing the third “D”—Documentation.
Melody Lloyd Allen is a retired
librarian who worked in public libraries and schools, and for 30 years, as the
state children’s services consultant in Rhode Island. She also taught at the
Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode
Island, the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons
College, and the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons
College. She served on the Caldecott Medal Committee twice and once on the
Sibert Medal Committee.
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