CCBC-Net Archives
Re: Hold On
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: K.T. Horning <horning_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:57:51 -0500
Thanks, Marc, for mentioning the works of Steve Sheinkin. He's had a lot of success in a relatively short amount of time, and I would love to see his books be trend setters. So far, Sheinkin's books have eshewed the
"picture book look" we see in so much nonfiction aimed at middle school readers, which may be a turn-off for some kids. Perhaps one of the best influences Sheinkin can have is with book design, just as Russell Freedman's "Lincoln: A Photobiography" years ago had such an impact on the look and design of nonfiction.
Candace Fleming is another author who writes engaging nonfiction for teens. One of the things that impresses me about her books, beyond her research and writing, is how often the subject of the book dictates design elements, e.g. the scrapbook-like design of The Lincolns, or her book about Ben Franklin that echoed his Almanac. I applaud publishers who take such care in the production on nonfiction books, making them look as interesting as their subjects are.
I was recently visiting a 7th grade science classroom where the teacher was teaching her students how to read nonfiction by helping them undestand the meaning of various aspects of design. It was fascinating to witness -- and also a good reminder that these things are not intuitive for all younger readers, especially those who don't read a lot of nonfiction.
--KT
On 6/9/2014 8:11 AM, Marc Aronson wrote:
> A second trend is the narrative NF that we have seen from Steve
> Sheinkin and others. I think this is significant not just because it
> is popular (with kids and adults) but because it is an approach
> well-known in adult that is now taking its place in our territory. In
> other words the field is expanding -- just as, in YA fiction, we began
> to get novels in multiple voices, novels in verse, graphic novels as
> the field expanded. NF is growing.
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:57:51 -0500
Thanks, Marc, for mentioning the works of Steve Sheinkin. He's had a lot of success in a relatively short amount of time, and I would love to see his books be trend setters. So far, Sheinkin's books have eshewed the
"picture book look" we see in so much nonfiction aimed at middle school readers, which may be a turn-off for some kids. Perhaps one of the best influences Sheinkin can have is with book design, just as Russell Freedman's "Lincoln: A Photobiography" years ago had such an impact on the look and design of nonfiction.
Candace Fleming is another author who writes engaging nonfiction for teens. One of the things that impresses me about her books, beyond her research and writing, is how often the subject of the book dictates design elements, e.g. the scrapbook-like design of The Lincolns, or her book about Ben Franklin that echoed his Almanac. I applaud publishers who take such care in the production on nonfiction books, making them look as interesting as their subjects are.
I was recently visiting a 7th grade science classroom where the teacher was teaching her students how to read nonfiction by helping them undestand the meaning of various aspects of design. It was fascinating to witness -- and also a good reminder that these things are not intuitive for all younger readers, especially those who don't read a lot of nonfiction.
--KT
On 6/9/2014 8:11 AM, Marc Aronson wrote:
> A second trend is the narrative NF that we have seen from Steve
> Sheinkin and others. I think this is significant not just because it
> is popular (with kids and adults) but because it is an approach
> well-known in adult that is now taking its place in our territory. In
> other words the field is expanding -- just as, in YA fiction, we began
> to get novels in multiple voices, novels in verse, graphic novels as
> the field expanded. NF is growing.
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax) ==== CCBC-Net Use ==== You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: ccbc-archive_at_post.education.wisc.edu. To post to the list, send message to... ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu To receive messages in digest format, send a blank message to... digest-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu To unsubscribe, send a blank message to... leave-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu ==== CCBC-Net Archives ==== The CCBC-Net archives are available to all CCBC-Net listserv members. The archives are organized by month and year. A list of discussion topics (including month/year) is available at... http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/archives.asp To access the archives, go to... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net ...and enter the following when prompted... username: ccbc-net password: Look4PostsReceived on Mon 09 Jun 2014 11:01:11 AM CDT
