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RE: non-fiction word count and age groups
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From: Robin Smith <smithr_at_ensworth.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:59:09 -0500
I am neither an author nor a librarian-just a second grade teacher.
The really wonderful thing about non-fiction passions for little children i s that it doesn't really matter what the author thought about age level-if a child really wants to know about jets or dogs or gardening or Greek gods or whatever the passion of the week is-he or she will figure it out! The gr eat thing about a classroom library is that I can grab all the books on a t opic and pop them in a basket. Then the new reader or experienced reader ca n each enjoy wallowing in the books.
Ten years ago, Jake could not read. A lick. He loved airplanes and I found every easy reader about airplanes I could. I added in some middle-grade non fiction about military planes because that is really what he wanted to see. He spent weeks poring over those pictures and caption and working with me on the easy readers. It wasn't long before he memorized the easy books and jumped into reading the harder ones. I learned a lot from Jake and every ye ar I have another "Jake" basket. This year it's books about natural disaste rs and heroes.
I have loved this interesting discussion.
Robin
From: Caroline McAlister
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 9:17 AM To: CCBC Network Subject:
non-fiction word count and age groups
It is my impression from my research that non-fiction picture books can be longer than fiction picture books. I am writing a biography of a singer, a nd I just typed out the text of Pam Munoz Ryan's When Marian Sang and it is about 2,500 words long. What age group would you say this book is for? H ow would you differentiate between picture book and middle grade non-fictio n? It seems to me that there are non-fiction picture books for much older age groups than the general picture book audience. Can some of the librari ans and other authors out there offer some advice about word count and age appropriateness of non-fiction picture books?
In Peace, Caroline McAlister Author of Holy Mole! and Brave Donatella and the Jasmine Thief! www.carolinemcalister.com
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:59:09 -0500
I am neither an author nor a librarian-just a second grade teacher.
The really wonderful thing about non-fiction passions for little children i s that it doesn't really matter what the author thought about age level-if a child really wants to know about jets or dogs or gardening or Greek gods or whatever the passion of the week is-he or she will figure it out! The gr eat thing about a classroom library is that I can grab all the books on a t opic and pop them in a basket. Then the new reader or experienced reader ca n each enjoy wallowing in the books.
Ten years ago, Jake could not read. A lick. He loved airplanes and I found every easy reader about airplanes I could. I added in some middle-grade non fiction about military planes because that is really what he wanted to see. He spent weeks poring over those pictures and caption and working with me on the easy readers. It wasn't long before he memorized the easy books and jumped into reading the harder ones. I learned a lot from Jake and every ye ar I have another "Jake" basket. This year it's books about natural disaste rs and heroes.
I have loved this interesting discussion.
Robin
From: Caroline McAlister
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 9:17 AM To: CCBC Network Subject:
non-fiction word count and age groups
It is my impression from my research that non-fiction picture books can be longer than fiction picture books. I am writing a biography of a singer, a nd I just typed out the text of Pam Munoz Ryan's When Marian Sang and it is about 2,500 words long. What age group would you say this book is for? H ow would you differentiate between picture book and middle grade non-fictio n? It seems to me that there are non-fiction picture books for much older age groups than the general picture book audience. Can some of the librari ans and other authors out there offer some advice about word count and age appropriateness of non-fiction picture books?
In Peace, Caroline McAlister Author of Holy Mole! and Brave Donatella and the Jasmine Thief! www.carolinemcalister.com
---Received on Fri 15 Oct 2010 09:59:09 AM CDT
