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Informational Books
Definition: Informational books deal exclusively with factual material presented to instruct the reader. They are generally consider to be functional or utilitarian books and not part of literature. Children, however, do not always separate fiction and nonfiction and there is an interest/need to have informative books which also appeal to the aesthetic. [I once picked up Hardware Today magazine and was captivated by an article on a small hardware storešs attempt to arrange shelves and supply a wide variety of items in a limited space. The author of the article was a poet who earned a living writing for trade magazines. The article was creative and accurate--intended to aid other small hardware store owners in selecting stock.] We have become accustomed to informational books being dry and dull; however, there is no reason why nonfiction books cannot adhere to finer literary standards and hold our interests as would a good novel.
Types of informational books:
- Lands and people
- cultures and customs
- history and governments
- religion
- Science and nature
- life sciences
- environment
- physical and earth sciences
- mathematics
- Fine and applied arts
- art appreciation and art history
- drawing and painting
- dance
- theater
- photography
- writing
- sports
- crafts and hobbies
- Human development and behavior
- life cycle: birth, growth, sexuality, death
- interpersonal relationships
- emotions
- disabilities
- psychological and sociological problems
Evaluating informational books
- Purpose
- clear and manageable
- subject treated thoroughly and objectively
- title accurately represents contents and flavor of presentation
- appropriate for age of intended reader
- distinguishes between fact (what we know) and theory (what we suggest)
- presents a balanced view of the information
- information is up-to-date
- Accuracy and objectivity
- author has appropriate specialized training in the subject
- no [glaring] errors in information
- there is no undue bias or over simplification
- Format and organization
- layout of the book is easy to follow
- there is a clear and logical organization, for example, moving from simple to complex ideas or developing in chronological order
- there are organizational aides such as headings and subheadings
- especially for older children there are supplementary aids such as a table of contents, glossary, index, bibliography
- illustrations are carefully place in the text, such as next to the material they illustrate; captions are appropriate
- photographs provide a sense of reality and authenticity
- art work should convey a mood appropriate to the topic
- Style
- the writing is clear
- the style of writing (choice of words and sentence structure) is engaging and appropriate to the subject and intended reader
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