NonFiction Matters
Think about what you read to and with your child. Chances are, the bulk of those texts are fiction
stories. Now think about what you, as an adult, read each day. The vast majority of adults’ daily
reading material is nonfiction. We read reports, information on websites, emails, newspapers,
instruction manuals, recipes, and magazines. To best prepare our children for the reading they will do
as they progress through school (think about the reading required in high school and college –
predominantly nonfiction!) and later as adults, we need to expose them to the range of nonfiction texts.
Not only is nonfiction text critical to students’ success, it is preferred by many children,
fostering their natural curiosity with new information and answers to their questions. Nonfiction text
can create a reading spark for some children, building on the range of their interests. The benefits of
nonfiction also include increased vocabulary and background knowledge.
Nonfiction text takes many forms. Not only are their fabulous nonfiction books available for children
(see the website below for some recommendations), but also magazines, newspapers, and websites
geared toward a range of reading levels and ages.
Expanding our “bedtime story” repertoire beyond fiction stories and into the range of nonfiction
texts will serve our children well for the work they do now at Fiske School, later in their academic
careers, and beyond.
If you are looking for some high-quality nonfiction books, the list of Orbis Pictus Award books is a
great place to start (http://www.ncte.org/awards/orbispictus). Of course, a trip to the library armed
with your child’s curiosities and questions will also turn up a wealth of texts to foster a love of learning
and books!