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Re: non-fiction word count and age groups
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From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:36:09 -0700 (PDT)
Yes, there are really long nonfiction picture books out there... if you can even call them picture books, if by picture books you're considering them for little kids with traditional illustrations. Just look at Tanya Lee Stone's books. I work in a book store and books like those can even be sold to adults and ARE. They use photographs and the works. So books like those can be used for much older kids. It runs the spectrum. Tanya really does her research - she's amazing.
I am the opposite word-count-wise. I try to keep my nonfiction picture books pretty short so that younger kids can understand them... but my author's notes can be longer and for older audiences. I just did a school visit yesterday and spoke to kindergarten all the way to 5th grade. They all get something very different out of my stories and that's what is so fun about about doing nonfiction. Besides, I have a short attention span so my books have to have short word-counts for people like me. Really, though, I think there's a poetry to it - short doesn't mean simple!
meghan
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From: Caroline McAlister To: CCBC Network Sent: Fri, October 15, 2010 10:17:03 AM 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, and 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? How would you differentiate between picture book and middle grade non-fiction? 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 librarians 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 10:36:09 -0700 (PDT)
Yes, there are really long nonfiction picture books out there... if you can even call them picture books, if by picture books you're considering them for little kids with traditional illustrations. Just look at Tanya Lee Stone's books. I work in a book store and books like those can even be sold to adults and ARE. They use photographs and the works. So books like those can be used for much older kids. It runs the spectrum. Tanya really does her research - she's amazing.
I am the opposite word-count-wise. I try to keep my nonfiction picture books pretty short so that younger kids can understand them... but my author's notes can be longer and for older audiences. I just did a school visit yesterday and spoke to kindergarten all the way to 5th grade. They all get something very different out of my stories and that's what is so fun about about doing nonfiction. Besides, I have a short attention span so my books have to have short word-counts for people like me. Really, though, I think there's a poetry to it - short doesn't mean simple!
meghan
________________________________
From: Caroline McAlister To: CCBC Network Sent: Fri, October 15, 2010 10:17:03 AM 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, and 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? How would you differentiate between picture book and middle grade non-fiction? 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 librarians 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 10:36:09 AM CDT
