MW 3321 Chapter 9 Non-Fiction

What is Non Fiction?

Nonfiction Literature encompasses informational books and also biographies. They spark wonder as well as joy in learning. They can answer specific questions, for finding information.

I am more of a fiction reader,

but I sometimes pick up books that are nonfiction. When I do occasionally find a nonfiction book I like, I am excited about reading it but I rarely read it cover to cover. After Mrs. Pickett stated in class that you are not suppose to read some of these books cover to cover, it makes a lot of sense. I would pick out the parts of the book that would interest me and read it and leave the rest for another day.

I do think it is important to include nonfiction in the classroom. These types of books can be fun to read and also get to gain a little bit of knowledge about people and places in the process.

MW 3321 Author/Book

This week I thought I would look at what book was the winner for the 2009 Caldecott Medal.

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
2009 Medal Winner

The 2009 Caldecott Medal winner is

The House in the Night

illustrated by Beth Krommes

written by Susan Marie Swanson

http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_s/swanson.html

(Houghton Mifflin Company)

Richly detailed black-and-white scratch board illustrations expand this timeless bedtime verse, offering reassurance to young children that there is always light in the darkness. Krommes' elegant line, illuminated with touches of golden watercolor, evoke the warmth and comfort of home and family, as well as the joys of exploring the wider world.

M & W 3321 Chapter 8 with books I like

Chapter 8
The Fiction Family
All fiction is imaginative. It can be a novel, short story, drama or a narrative poem. There are several types of fictions used with children books. These types of books can be contemporary, realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction.
The elements of fiction are how we personally feel about the books that we read. The elements include characterization, plot, theme, setting, style, and point of view. There are some guidelines for choosing literature in our book page 189.
Categorizing Fiction
Contemporary Realistic Fiction is the most popular with children because they are concerned about interacting appropriately with friends and family. Middle school children enjoy reading about others their own age. They enjoy reading about characters like themselves who encounter humorous situations and predicaments. They also enjoy reading about mysteries, I will have to say that I am a part of that category. I agree with the book that it is fun to read these books because of the suspense and opportunity to become a part of solving the puzzle. I always catch myself trying to predict what is going to happen before I find out. Other types of stories are sports, romance, school stories and coming of age books.
Historical fiction books are organized by historical era. The earliest times are usually set in Europe or Asia. I did not realize this bit of information. Early American is about life of the European settlers and the native people between the 16th to the 18th centuries. Westward Expansion is before and after the Civil War, the Civil War Era and the Industrialization and Immigration are about the time of the 19th century. The 20th century includes the War and the Great Depression, Civil Rights and Social Unrest.
Fantasy fiction books in this section are toys and animals, Time Travel, the supernatural, folklore, and crazy characters and unusual worlds. My favorite in this section is Mary Poppins, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Science Fiction books are in a series of books; my favorite is “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer at the moment but I am in the process of reading “The Legend of the Seeker” by Terry Goodkind. I think now that I have read this section; I definitely enjoy reading books that fit into this category
Censorship is brought about because we believe we need to protect our children. I think this is valid. Books that are censored can be good thing or a bad thing. Bottom line, I think it depends on each individual person to research/read a book before they lay down their own judgment and do not rely on other people or media to make up your mind.
As a teacher I do agree that it is important when making decisions of selecting fiction books for the use in our classrooms. On Page 202 there are some questions you can ask yourself when selecting these books.

MW 3321 Author/Book

Duck, Duck, Goose
Tad Hills

http://www.tadhills.com/

Library Binding,

40 pages
Random House Children's Books

ISBN13: 9780375840685
Edition: Illustrated
Age: 3 - 7 years
Grade: Preschool - 2
Description: Duck & Goose, Goose & Duck. Feathered friends forever . . . or are they? That's what we discover in this charming and hilarious follow-up to the bestselling "Duck & Goose." You see, there's a challenge to their friendship: a little whippersnapper of a duck named Thistle. Thistle's good at "everything "(or so she thinks), from math to holding her breath to standing on her head. Duck thinks she's fantastic. But Goose does "not"! And so Goose is faced with a problem close to the hearts of children everywhere: what happens when your best friend makes a "new "friend?

Meet Wild Boars
Meg Rosoff

Paperback, 40 pages

ISBN13: 9780312379636
Edition: Illustrated
Age: 3 - 8 years
Grade: Preschool - 3

Description: Meet Wild Boars! Or maybe you better not. After all, they are dirty and smelly, bad-tempered and rude. They might try to fool you, but don't worry, you won't believe them. There's no such thing as a nice wild boar. Hmmm. This insufferable gang of boars will mess up your house and set a very bad example indeed. If you are foolish enough to fall in love with them, they will break your heart (and most of your furniture). So don't say we didn't warn you!

3321 M&W Chapter Seven

Chapter 7
Picture Books
Picture books are a combination of literature and fine arts. With a few exceptions picture books have 32 pages and even though they are rarely numbered they generally are the same length. (I thought that was an interesting factoid)
The process of producing a picture book begins with the text. After the text is approved then it is sent to the artist to interpret the text. The author does not know what the artist has done until the book is complete. I think if I were the author I might have a hard time letting someone else tamper with my book without my approval, even if it a picture book.
Picture books are not categorized into any genre. But many are classified as fiction. Picture books started when early humans would leave their picture stories on the cave wall. Randolph is considered the father of the picture books. He was a British born Caldecott, which is where we got the prestigious Caldecott Medal from. He is known for two of his two early picture books called, Sing a Song for Sixpence and Hey Diddle Diddle.
Picture books are literary texts and illustrations that are designed to be effective and attractive. Because it takes awhile to produce a book they are usually more expensive than many other kinds of books. The basic terms that are used to describe the visual or pictorial elements in picture books are line, color, shape, texture, and design or composition.
Because picture books are only 32 pages, pictures books must be composed carefully to say a lot in a limited amount of space. The books need to contain characters, plot, setting, well-written prose (good writing with appealing words and sentences), figurative language (using similes and metaphors), good opening lines, communication between characters, using understatement (knowing when to not say too much), voice (a writers signature style).
There are many forms of picture books: alphabet books, concept books, pope-up books, interactive books, wordless picture books, and predictable patterned language books.
I like how in each chapter this book gives us guidelines for choosing literature. It has so much information; I have decided I need to keep this book for my collection for future use. I will have to say it again; I think it is important to do a little bit of research when choosing the books that you put in your classroom.

3321 M&W Picture Books Author Profile

The Bad-tempered Ladybird
» Eric Carle

http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html
Puffin Paperback :

30 Sep 1982

3 - 7 years

Synopsis
The story of how a bad-tempered ladybird turns into a nicer, happier bug. Pages clearly illustrate the differences in small and large and time is shown visually as the sun moves through its path

Marley's Treasure

By Gable Yerrid

http://marleystreasure.com/meet_author.html

Illustrator Jennifer Fitzgerald

Marley's Treasure explores the idea that true treasures of life are not things but relationships. Marley finds a bunch of "the most beautiful golden bananas," Marley is a little monkey, so these bananas are truly the ultimate in treasure for him. His need to guard the treasure causes him to distance himself from his friends leading him to a very sorry pass. The requisite wise old friend, in this case Pete the pelican, helps Marley see his golden bananas in a new light. As he gives his bananas away, Marley rediscovers the true treasures of life are friendship and happiness.
The sweet softly hued illustrations, especially of friendly little Marley, elevate this picture book above similar books devoted to this theme. Children will enjoy this morality tale set in a tropical paradise.

3321 M&W Chapter Six

Traditional stories mirror the values and morals from which they arise. I think it is very important to learn about other cultures. With the invention of the Internet, effect is, we now have globalization. We are becoming more aware of other societies, cultures and values. Through traditional stories we can learn our differences and similarities, and we can also learn to respect other peoples view.
I like the idea of integrating your classrooms library with a variety of cultures. As a class, we can learn a lot about the people and then we can learn about ourselves also.
What has changed in my current ways of thinking? I know I need to put a variety of Genre books in my classroom. But now I also want to take it a step further and make sure I am finding books that can be educational about other peoples cultures and beliefs. In return the student may reflect and decide if they agree with the book or disagree. Which either way, in general, there is no wrong answer.