Three Graphic Nonfiction Series That Excite and Educate

Abstract

Children's literature plays an essential role in the literacy development of children. This department column focuses on the teaching and use of children's literature and provides educators with information about a wide range of books across multiple genres that are representative of the diverse world in which we live. A strong emphasis is placed on the importance of having diverse library collections that take into account numerous factors, such as race, class, disability, and religion. This column also offers innovative approaches for bringing children and books together, as well as content analyses and rich descriptions of titles that share common features (e.g., endpapers, the blending of poetry and nonfiction).

Reading and (Re)writing Science Comics: A Study of Informational Texts

“…Each comic is well researched but also uses both nonfiction qualities (e.g., diagrams) and narrative qualities (e.g., talking animals) to present information, therein challenging ideas around a fact‐based text. (For more information on Science Comics, see Kersten‐Parrish & Dallacqua, , and Table . )…”

“…In the case of reading and using Science Comics, “students are no longer asked to accept the singular story presented in textbooks. Instead, they are challenged to question how science is done and what counts as a complete representation of the process of scientific inquiry” (Kersten‐Parrish & Dallacqua, , p. 629). We want students to question the information they receive: the form, the source, and the accuracy.…”