Nonfiction Literature for Children

Exploring silent, small-group and adult mediated reading with nonfiction picturebooks: children's responses and educational potential in elementary school.

“…Especially in recent decades, this genre strives to present accurate and didactic content in a visually appealing and accessible manner (Cappiello & Hadjioannou, 2022). In today's educational landscape, there is a growing recognition of the crucial role played by children's nonfiction in fostering critical thinking, curiosity, and the comprehension of expository texts (Kiefer & Wilson, 2010). The early integration of nonfiction into the curriculum provides students with a broader spectrum of texts, fostering the exploration of research and learning strategies that complement those honed through fictional reading (Möller, 2015).…”

“…This change significantly alters "the way knowledge is constituted, understood and communicated" (Von Merveldt, 2018: 231). Consequently, these books contribute to nurturing children's critical thinking, as Sanders (2018) emphasizes, and facilitate access to reading and information seeking (Colman, 2007;Kiefer & Wilson, 2010;Hervouët & Vidal-Naquet, 2015). This transformative process is underscored by an epistemic shift in the relationship between text and image, highlighted by both Von Merveldt (2018) and Tabernero et al (2022).…”

“…Attention was also paid to verifying the presence of reliable sources and visual accessibility elements adapted to the reader's needs and age (Young, Moss & Cornwell, 2007). This approach evolved to include paratexts and compositional elements such as illustrations, graphs and diagrams (Colman, 2007;Kiefer & Wilson, 2010), use of color, word-picture relationships and emotional connections being established (Daly, 2021), along with the manipulative aspects of nonfiction picturebooks as objects (Romero et al, 2022).…”

Methods for Selecting Paired Picturebooks for Critical Conversations

“…Kiefer (2010) argues that quality children's literature offers young readers “a better understanding of themselves and those around them” (p. 10). Engaging with the two books and discussing them with their peers gives young readers richer and more nuanced transactions than if they had to experience the books independently.…”