There has been so much attractive non-fiction published over the past ten-twenty years, it's easy to put kids and information books together. Just looking at the bright, attractive wealth of independent non-fiction titles, there's alot to promote.
[[True confession: I am seriously addicted to non-fiction. It has long been my favorite collection development area as well as the type of reading I am most passionate about.]]
We have had success highlighting non-fiction over the years that has tempted kids into trying -and liking - these dewey-ed books. Here are just a few ways:
NF Book Bundles - 3 or 4 non-fiction books on a subject that includes a bright label (Big Teeth; Strong People: Heroes; Science; Let's Build) let's us mix and match attractive NF from different subject categories together. These mini-bundles are fun to create and popular with kids.
Booktalks - when we booktalk to groups or at schools we always mix nonfiction and fiction titles together, often looking for a common subject theme. It's a great spot to include poetry and biographies as well!
Face-out Displays - Lots of it! As staffers work their way through non-fiction, I always encourage them to bypass the formulaic, series non-fiction and instead look for interesting subjects; eye-candy covers and titles that might pique the interest of kids. The more we replace a book in empty spaces, the better it is - it means kids are grabbing the good stuff!
Class or Day Care Collection Packs - putting non-fiction with fiction selections in packs that go out to daycares or classrooms is a great way to promote information books. I always look for short books with easily digested info-bits to tempt readers to pick up a non-fiction.
Stealth/Passive Initiatives - we make sure non-fiction gets a space in these. Whether it's pick-a-stick, gnomes on both fiction AND non-fiction collections, or NF included in Mystery Read bags, we make sure we don't stay fiction-centric in our support of great books.
Reader's Advisory - when kids are looking for books, we also check with them on subjects they are interested in and head over to non-fiction as well as fiction. Kids who love fantasy books often gravitate to medieval history books; steampunkers see how inventions are linked to their genre love; etc. And when fiction and graphic novels can't satisfy a reluctant reader, delving into a non-fiction subject area of interest often does the trick to spark some reading enthusiasm.
What has worked for you to highlight your non-fiction? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
I always include at least one nonfiction book in storytimes and outreach storytimes. When we moved to neighborhoods I integrated the easy nonfiction with the picture books. I put nonfiction in book bundles and mix it into displays. I also have a lot of "sneaky" nonfiction that I put into juvenile fiction. Not perfect cataloging perhaps, but kids find the Magic Tree House fact books, I survived true stories, DK Adventures (which blend fiction and nonfiction) much easier that way. I pretty much buy any nonfiction blends I see, they're perfect for reluctant readers or kids who only want to read nonfiction and their parents are pressuring them to read "real" books.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a list of the nonfiction book bundles you have? We have book bundles for preschoolers and we often put nonfiction into those but I like this idea for the schoo lage kids.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have lists. We literally just walk through the shelves and look for interesting. kid-friendly NF - Big Teeth (dinosaurs and tigers!); heroes (biographies), arts, sports...just whatever 3-4 books catch our fancy. They move pretty quickly and we are making up new bundles a couple of times a day to fill it in!
DeleteSo you don't have the tags pre-made with the theme, you just write the theme in on the paper. I get it now. Thanks :)
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