Writing Nonfiction for Children

Nonfiction children's writing covers a very broad category. I was not aware just how broad nonfiction children's writing can be though, until I read Anastasia Suen's book, Picture Writing: A New Approach to Writing for Kids and Teens.So, here is a list of information I have gleaned from Suen about writing nonfiction for children:

Board books: Most board books are written in a question and answer style. One example of a nonfiction baby board book is Baby in a Buggy by Monica Wellington. In this book, on one page there is a question, such as "What does baby see?" The next page contains the answer, "Sun."

Concept picture book: Concept picture books often cover topics such as colors, numbers, letters, shapes, sizes, and opposites.

Information book: An information book usually explains "the world in a way that young children can understand," according to Suen. An example of an information book is A Safe Home for Manatees, by Priscilla Belz Jenkins.

Biography Picture Book: Biography picture books either focus on a famous event in a person's life or they follow a person's birth to death. This type of book is usually meant for older children and it uses more complicated vocabulary.

Easy Readers/Emergent Readers: These types of nonfiction children's books "introduce children to the real world," according to Suen. There are very few words, only 32 pages in the book, and they are usually information books.

Early Readers: Early reader nonfiction books are meant for first or second graders, and they have longer sentences than easy readers.

Transitional Readers: Transitional readers are usually biographies for younger children, and they use colorful illustrations to help readers understand all the words in the book. These books are structured like picture books, and they either focus on a single event in a person's life or they follow a person's life from birth to death.

Young Photo Essays: These books are similar to picture books, but they have more complex language, they are short and to the point, and they contain technical vocabulary.

Young Photo-Essay Biographies: About half of a young photo-essay biography is text, and the other half is art. These books are meant for older readers, and oftentimes the writer has to track down his or her own photos for the book and get permission to use those photos.

Collective Biography: A collective biography is a nonfiction children's book that tells the life stories of more than more person in one book. There is always a common theme, which can be a time period, work, or a life situation.

Middle Grade Photo Essay: A middle grade photo essay is only 25 percent art, and 75 percent text. There are 60-100 typed pages, and sometimes charts and graphs, maps, and diagrams are used instead of photos.

Young Adult Biographies: These nonfiction children's books show both the positive and negative aspects of the person, which makes it more relatable. Most young adult biographies show the customs of a specific time, and show a person's place in the world. Usually, these biographies follow a person from birth to death, and the book is generally 25 percent art, 75 percent text.

For more information about writing, read my articles Types of Writing Part 1and Types of Writing Part 2.

Reference:

Suen, Anastasia. Picture Writing: A New Approach to Writing for Kids and Teens. Writer's Digest Books: Cincinnati, Ohio: 2003.