Before the
holiday break, I began to discuss some of the challenges of trying to
categorize nonfiction children’s books using the six structures espoused by
CCSS—description, sequence/order, compare & contrast, question &
answer, cause & effect, and problem & solution. I focused on the
sequence structure, which is richly represented in children’s literature.
This week I’m going
to look at the other five categories and provide examples.
Let’s start
with description. Many expository books have a description structure. According
to my way of thinking, this is where most “traditional” expository nonfiction
falls. But these books don’t feel old-fashioned because they feature engaging
text, often with a strong voice, as well as dynamic art and design.
Description Books
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins
Creep and Flutter by Jim Arnosky
Dolphins! by Melissa Stewart
An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston Hutts
Frogs by Nic Bishop
The
Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown
Lightship by Brian Floca
There are two
main kinds of compare & contrast books being published for children today.
Publishers use the term “list book” to describe picture books in which the main
idea is presented on the first spread and then each subsequent spread offers an
example. As kids work their way through the book, they are comparing the
various examples.
Other compare
& contrast titles have what I call “dueling spreads.” The right-hand and
left-hand pages offer ideas that are different but related in some key way.
Readers are expected to compare the information.
Compare & Contrast Books
List books
Born to
Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge
Deadliest Animals by
Melissa Stewart
Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by
Melissa Stewart
Move by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
My First Day by Steve Jenkins & Robin
Page
Just One Bite by Lola Schaefer
Dueling spreads
Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart
Mosquito Bite by Alexandra Siy
Neo Leo by Gene Barretta
Those Rebels, Tom & John by
Barbara Kerley
I can see why it would be
worthwhile for students to practice writing texts that exemplify cause and
effect, but examples are few and far between in children’s literature. My six A
Place for . . . books fall into this category because as I was writing them, I
heard teachers discussing how hard it was to teach this skill and I crafted my
structure with them in mind. I can only think of one other book that clearly
fits into this category. Can you think of others?
Cause & Effect Books
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
As a reaction to Common
Core, Sterling is now publishing a large series called Good Question! Each book
has a clear and intentional Q & A structure. There are also a handful of books
in which the questions and answers are seamlessly integrated into the text and
authentically enhance the presentation.
Question & Answer Books
Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sarah Levine
Hatch! by Roxie Munro
Hello Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde
How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Creature Features by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
I don’t think
there’s any reason at all to discuss the problem & solution structure using
nonfiction books. First of all, they are rare. But more importantly, every
fiction book ever written has this structure, so why not use them as mentor texts?
So here’s a
bigger question. Are there any nonfiction books for children that don’t fit
into any of these six categories? I can’t think of any. Can you?
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