Melissa Stewart Demystifies Nonfiction and Makes It Fun! by Kathy Halsey

There's no question that Melissa Stewart makes nonfiction bewitching and accessible. With over 180+ books under her belt, she knows this category's ins and outs along with the difference between narrative nonfiction, expository nonfiction and more. (Take a look at her nonfiction tree here.)

Last week, I caught up with Melissa at my local indie bookstore, Cover To Cover Books for Young Readers. after her three day author visit to New Albany schools. Melissa tailored her talk to the crowd of seashell lovers, educators, and librarians. 

 Today I'll share my review of Seashells More Than a Home, some key points from her talk and a few fun facts. 

Book Review 

This expository dual-text picture book follows the structure set up by author Melissa and illustrator Sarah S. Brannen in their first book together, the award-winning Feathers: not Just for Flying. Written for ages 6-9, grades 1-4, Seashells is an engaging, accessible introduction to 13 seashells that "sink like a submarine," and "send a warning like the signal from a lighthouse." 
Melissa's use of similes and metaphors makes the main text a joy to dive into, while the second layer gives well-chosen facts still steeped in lyrical language. 
Sarah Brannen's brilliant watercolor illustrations invite readers to pick up their own science sketch book and take to the outdoors to examine, draw, and take note of the natural world. Even the end papers add information with maps that show the habitats for each sheet/mollusk. Young scientists, parents, and educators will enjoy dipping back into this picture book time and again. 

Third grader in Columbus, Ohio, New Albany Schools  share facts from Melissa Stewarts's visit.

Key Points and Fun Facts

1. Melissa and illustrator Sarah Brannen created an elaborate back story for the illustrations of the children examining the seashells for the book. More work goes on in the creation of captivating nonfiction than you'd think.
2. During Melissa's Cover to Cover author visit, we chatted about how informational fiction and true expository fiction are  confused by lay people as well as many educators. Check out Melissa Stewart's award-winning blog, Celebrate Science, to learn more here.
3. Melissa and Sarah are in the same critique group in Massachusetts that has been meeting for over 20 years. They were paired together for Feathers: Not Just for Flying by happenstance. (Typically authors an illustrators do not know each other.)
4. Again, in a break with customary publishing practices, Steve Jenkins and Melissa worked closely together on CAN AN AARDVARK BARK? Melissa had to go back and revise the text when Steve changed the type of porcupine depicted for artistic reasons.
5. Even authors with 180+ books get rejections from publishers. Melissa says that sometimes industry professionals don't know how to edit expository work. They want it to have a plot. Expository nonfiction needs a structure or a pattern to create a through line, not a plot. Melissa says children can pick out a pattern/structure more easily than adults.

Cover to Cover owner Melia Wolf welcomes Melissa Stewart

What's Up Next?

Melissa has several school visits in her home state of Massachusetts before she wraps up the school year. She and Steve Jenkins are at work on another collaboration and she's writing a professional development book for educators. Finally, Melissa has revamped her web site which is a treasure trove for educators, librarians, and writers. Take a look soon.

http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2019/04/exploring-adaptations-and-design-with-seashells-more-than-a-home/

WHAT IS IT ~ FICTION OR NONFICTION?

There are three things the Groggers can agree upon. 1) We love children. 2) We love books. 3) We love children's books. So it is no surprise that we wanted to share this post with you.

As you are aware by now, many of us are fascinated by nonfiction picture books. From science driven ones (Dianna Aston) to biographical focused ones (Barb Rosenstock, Audrey Vernick, Emily Arnold McCully, et. al.) to historical fiction (Kelly Starling Lyons, Judith St. George, Don Tate, Eve Bunting, et. al.).
The text and illustration are so captivating that we cannot stop turning the pages.

The days of the “boring textbook format” in nonfiction is fading away like rotary phones and landlines. And we are ecstatic about this. So we are constantly keeping up with the buzz on the changes in publishing and its effect on nonfiction. In doing so, we came across this article and thought we should share.

This information was first published on an education blog which stated, "There are 7 categories of nonfiction" in kidlit. (You can find the information here. http://nonfictionandthecommoncore.blogspot.com/)
 

 
 
1.) Data: In more friendly terms, you might call this category Fasts Facts. It includes Eyewitness Books, The Guinness Book of World Records, and my own book Animal Grossapedia. These are the concise, fact-filled books that groups of boys love to read together and discuss.

2.) Expository: You might call this category Facts Plus because the facts are interwoven into a content-area explanation. This is could be considered “traditional” nonfiction in some ways, but there’s nothing old-fashioned about today’s expository titles. Their engaging text and rich, dynamic art and design are sure to delight as well as inform young readers.

3.) Narrative: This is a category we’ve heard a lot (I mean A LOT) about in the last few years. It’s the current darling of awards committees. Narrative titles present facts in the form of a true story with a narrative arc. As you learn about the next few categories, I think you’ll see that some of the books that have been lumped into the narrative category should really be thought about on their own terms, based on the author’s approach to the information. Creative nonfiction, historical fiction, and faction will fall under this category.
 


4.) Disciplinary Thinking: These books reveal how scientists and historians go about their work, how they evaluate evidence and form theories. The structure could be narrative, but it usually isn’t. This category might also be called something like Experts at Work. Scientists in the Field books are the perfect example, but there are plenty of other examples. Skull by Mark Aronson is one that immediately comes to mind.


5.) Inquiry: This category could also be called Ask and Answer. In these books, the author raises a question or a group of related questions and then seeks the answer. Sally Walker’s Written in Bone and What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby are great examples.


6.) Interpretation: For these books, authors research a topic widely, find their own meaning in the information, and present the content from that point of view. Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman is the first title that leaps to mind, but I’d also put books like Those Rebels, Tom and John by Barbara Kerley in this category. I think we’ll see more of these books in the future because this type of presentation directly supports Common Core.

7.) Action: This is category offers a separate spot for titles that invite young readers to take action. The most obvious examples include Citizen Scientists by Loree Griffin Burns and the Science Play series by Vicki Cobb. I’m not sure this system is the be all and end all, but it’s a very interesting way for writers, teachers, librarians, and other book lovers to think about nonfiction. It stretches the way we think about current books and future possibilities, and I think that’s extremely valuable.

Do you know what you are writing? Do you know in which category your manuscript belong? Take the Challenge. Find some of these books, read them, and come back here and post the title, author, and category. Trust us, you will not be disappointed in your findings. Better yet, you will have a new love and discovery for all things nonfiction.

Check out some of these titles. And if you have any suggestions, please tell us what we should read. Leave a comment.