I’ve heard several arguments for why children should be reading more nonfiction, most of them concerning improving school performance and raising academic test scores. While these are admirable goals, it makes reading nonfiction sound akin to eating vegetables. My biggest reason for why kids should read nonfiction is: there are some engaging, interesting nonfiction books out there – grab them and read them!
Biographies are real-life adventure books. If your kids are interested in sports, science, animals, art , world domination, whatever, there’s a biography of someone who achieved greatness in that field that can inspire your kids to pursue their dreams. I love reading about little-known heroes who follow their hearts and change the way society thinks, like Tillie the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a Bicycle Changed History written by Sue Stauffacher, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy (Knopf, 2011).
Narrative nonfiction is a term for informational texts that have the flow of a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. There are narrative nonfiction books on virtually every topic. My latest favorite is Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010). It’s the story of Pink, the runt of a litter of pigs, who was raised by a dachshund foster mom. The photographs of the puppies and piglet playing together are so cute, they are squeal-worthy!
“Browsable” fact books like Guinness World Records books or DK Eyewitness books are especially good for reluctant readers, because they don’t have to be read from start to finish. Kids can flip through the pages to find the information they want. 882 ½ Amazing Answers to Your Questions about the Titanic written by Hugh Brewster and Laurie Coulter, illustrated by Ken Marschall was revised and reissued to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the Titanic tragedy. It has incredible photos and diagrams for readers to pore over, and the simple question-and-answer format makes reading information very easy.
Both fiction and nonfiction are important for our kids, like eating both fruits and vegetables will keep us healthy. Nonfiction doesn’t have to be the vegetables, though. Great nonfiction can have all the excitement of an adventure story, all the surprises of a mystery, and all the humor of a comic book. The best part is: if it’s nonfiction, it all really happened!
Years ago when I was attending elementary school in Cincinnati, Ohio, I had no clue that I would someday grow up to be a writer. I was too busy playing with my older sister Cindy, my younger sister Margaret and our friends in the neighborhood. On blue sky days, I loved to ride my bike and when rain kept me indoors, I played halting songs on our old black upright piano. And I loved school, especially reading, art, music, social studies (MAPS!), and recess. The books I read were those of realistic or historical fiction, adventure, foreign countries, and biographies. I also enjoyed reading poems and listening to the sound of words.
THE WHEEL ON THE SCHOOL, and THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND were among my favorite books and by the time I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was fascinated by faraway places. I became an armchair traveler and would write letters to the exotic tourist offices advertised in the back of National Geographic magazines, requesting the travel brochures of their various countries. Thick envelopes would arrive in our mailbox, filled with maps of places like Sweden and France, and pictures of famous cities like London, addressed to me! (This was long before computers, the Internet, and wonderful Google.)
My first real trip occurred when I was in 6th grade. I traveled by train from Ohio all the way to San Francisco with my sisters, through the northern part of the U.S. and back to Cincinnati via a southern route. I still have the small notebook I carried to take notes along the way, and some of the photos that I took. And I’ve been a reader, traveler, and writer ever since. On my sixth grade report card, my teacher Mrs. Resor wrote: “I think that Louise will always enjoy research – Bon Voyage!” How did she know? Teachers are always so smart!
I’ve had over 25 books published and many have taken me on unique adventures and travels: To the beaches of Dunkirk, to the canals of Holland, to a hotel and chateau in France (where H. A. and Margret Rey worked on their very first story about a curious little monkey and the man with the yellow hat),to Raoul Wallenberg’s home city of Stockholm in Sweden and to Budapest where he helped to rescue the lives of thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II. For more than 20 years, I’ve taken a lot of small steps along my writing road, and connected with amazing students, teachers, artists and writers along the way. I’ve met interesting people who have been important in helping me to research my books. And always my encouragers have been my husband and our three kids AND the talented editors and artists and designers who work as a team to create my published books. I’m the luckiest person in the world because I get to work with words, pictures, kids, and schools. I get to follow my heart and my curiosity, learn new things and make new friends.
Now to. . . Biographies!
Yes, I loved reading these when I was in school and I’m still reading biographies and autobiographies. I read about people who inspire me: artists, photographers, inventors, pilots, and ordinary or famous people. (My dad took me flying in small planes when I was in school so this is why three of my books are about aviation.) People like Bessie Coleman (FLY HIGH) and John Harrison (SEA CLOCKS) are my heroes. The Reys are my heroes.
In January, 2012, something very special happened: HIS NAME WAS RAOUL WALLENBERG was finally published. This is not the first biography that I’ve worked on, but it was certainly the most difficult. When I write about people who lived a long time ago, I try to immerse myself in the places and events of their lives. I try to become part of their amazing experiences and life story through my own words.
A famous writer from Turkey, Orhan Pamuk, says this: “(The writer). . . must have the artistry to tell his own stories as if they were other people’s, and to tell other people’s stories as if they were his own, for this is what literature is. . .”
I spent years circling the idea of writing about Raoul and then gathering information, meeting people in Raoul’s family, and following in RW’s footsteps, looking for the best and most important details of his remarkable life. The last few chapters of the book were the most challenging to write. So much mystery surrounds what happened to Raoul, and I wanted to only include authentic facts and information. After the text was finished and there were long delays in production, my editor and I decided to use photographs rather than illustrations to complete the book. This took even more time. . . . but in the end, how wonderful that this book was published in the year of 2012: one hundred years after the birth of Raoul Wallenberg! His birthday is August 4. In 2009 in Chicago, our grandson Brooks was born on August 4! How exciting for our family! A double reason to celebrate this day.
I was drawn to Raoul Wallenberg because of his moral compass and his great heart, but also because he was a traveler, a reader, and an artist. I like to think that some of his courage and creativity came from his years of living in America as a college student.
As I have written in one of my books, “America is the stories of all of us told together …”. Raoul was made an honorary citizen of our country by our Congress. He, and his life story, are part of us now in the 21st century, part of our shared history as Americans. He inspires all of us to honor tolerance and human rights, to help others, and to make a difference in the world.
What’s your story? Who? Where? When? Let your readers know something interesting about your childhood years. Include the good and the bad, the funny and the serious.
I had a wonderful childhood! I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and because of this I’m an avid baseball fan. My father used to take his three daughters to watch the Reds play at old Crosley Field, and later Riverfront Stadium. At one game (I was grown up by then) I saw Hank Aaron tie Babe Ruth’s famous home run record!
I loved books and reading as a child because my grandmother Nana (who lived with us) worked part time as a librarian. She was from Nashville, Tennessee and my sisters and I always had to reply “Yes, M’am, or No M’am.”
Our family was lucky in that we went to northern Michigan in the summertime to escape the Ohio heat. I grew up with a love of boats, and water, and searching for stones on the Lake Michigan beach in Leland. The 45th parallel! My other grandmother, whom we called Bami, always went to Michigan with us. She was afraid to swim! But she made beautiful clothes for all my dolls, even a tiny life preserver.
My childhood holds the seeds for many of the books I’ve written as an adult. I love the outdoors, and all four seasons. Snow appears in some of my books. Sleds, skates, friends, terrific teachers, and family. These all come from my elementary school experiences.
What were you afraid of?
We had a furnace room in our basement and I rarely ventured in there. When I was in first grade, I thought a witch lived in our furnace room!
Did you have a best friend? Who was it and why were you best friends?
My best friend was Hathaway. I loved the sound of her name. We played outside together; ice skated together, and went to the same school from first through tenth grades.
Now she lives in California, and we still are wonderful friends! I also had three other great friends: Polly, Lisa, and Beth. And of course, my two sisters.
Did you play an instrument? Which one(s)?
I took piano lessons from third through 6th grade . . . and I could never learn how to read music. My hands were too small to reach an octave. I was not very good but I loved to try to play by ear. I adored my piano teacher, and we shared the same name: Louise.
Did you have a nickname and if so what is it? Is there a story behind your nickname?
Leezie is the nickname that I had growing up because there were two other Louises in my family: my mother and the grandmother who lived with us. So I was given a nickname. Later after I graduated from college, Leezie was hard for people to say and spell. . .so I am called Louise. I think that Leezie is easy to say: Lee – zee! Now that my mother is no longer living, I am happy that people call me Louise. It’s as if she is with me, walking down all those hallways in the schools that I visit .
What advice do you have for aspiring young readers and writers?
Find books that you love, and then reread them as a writer. . . .look to see how they are put together: words, chapters, pictures, etc. Be curious about the world. Be an explorer and use your eyes and your ears. Take photographs of interesting people and places. Mess around with paints. Try to put pictures in your words. Read your words aloud for the sound of writing. Carry a notebook. Have courage, and believe in yourself. Stand up tall and say these words: “I am a reader. I am a writer.” And then go find good books to read, and find friends who like to read and write, too. Become readers and writers together.
Do you have a special place where you write your books?
My desk in my house in Cincinnati. My husband Pete and I also live in an apartment near Washington, DC so sometimes I write parts of my books at a desk in the Library of Congress.
This book for older readers presents the true account of how Raoul Wallenberg from Sweden, educated in the US and working in Hungary when World War II broke out, repeatedly risked his own life to save thousands of Jews. Free verse is combined with clear strong narration, quite the combination of emotion and information for describing Wallenberg’s deeds. The appendix is full of information, including a multimedia bibliography.
Louise Borden has authored many award-winning picture books including, THE JOURNEY THAT SAVED CURIOUS GEORGE: THE TRUE WARTIME ESCAPE OF MARGRET & H.A.REY. Each turn of the page is filled with surprising information and historical photos, a gem for any child or parent who has enjoyed the Curious George books. Both books by Louise Borden give the reader a sense of the people who responded to the harsh demands of life and war. Both books provide a rich experience to be shared with parents, teachers, and children.
Sometimes Sarah dressed as an Indian Princess so people would pay attention to what she had to say. Sarah was articulate, fluent in English and well-educated. She used her skills and talents to fight for the welfare and rights of her people. Praise from the publisher includes the following: “Few native women are recognized for their roles in our country’s history. Among them, Sarah is unique. Sarah Winnemucca faced a white world where the fate of the native people was in the hands of the new rulers of the land. This book has many levels of information and is an important document, as both an autobiography and a history of events seen through eyes of a native woman.” The story of Sarah Winnemuca offers a new perspective rich with questions as well as information.
A vision of peace, a vision of hope, those were the dreams of Black Elk. He worked to have all people see through new eyes and see that we are all connected. No one group of people carry the privilege of domination or control. No one is above or separate from the world. Awareness of the interconnectedness of life will offer hope and harmony. S.D. Nelson has created a stunning book of illustrations, images, photographs and words. They invite the reader to open the book, turn the pages, explore the words.
“A vision comes as a thunderstorm in summer. Its gift is like rain upon a thirsty little tree.” S.D. Nelson
“If you look with your heart, you will see the thirsty little tree before you. In your hands is the power to help it grow.” Black Elk
Biographies are more than just books kids “have to” read for a school assignment. Good biographies show us how people’s lives in other times and places can be so different than ours, and yet still give us the sense that we all share common experiences. They can inspire us to live lives larger than we thought we could.
For the youngest readers: The Day-Glo Brothers: the true story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s bright ideas and brand-new colors by Chris Barton, illustrated byTony Persiani (Charlesbridge, 2009). Bob and Joe Switzer were in their father’s drugstore when they discovered that certain chemicals glow under ultraviolet light. With lots of experimenting and some accidental luck, the brothers invented colors that would glow even in sunlight, those neon colors called Day-Glo. It’s a “brilliant” story about perseverance, for, as Joe used to say, “If just one experiment out of a thousand succeeds, then you’re ahead of the game.”
For the transitional readers: Vision of Beauty: the story of Sarah Breedlove Walker by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated byNneka Bennett (Candlewick Press, 2000). Sarah was born in 1867 into the harshest poverty, orphaned at the age of seven, married at fourteen and a widowed mother before she was twenty. At a time when colored women had almost no rights or power, Sarah worked to become Madam C.J. Walker, owner of one of the biggest companies in America. She made products to make African-American women feel beautiful, and hired these women to give them a path toward self-sufficiency. “My object in life is not simply to make money for myself, but to use part of what I make in trying to help others,” she said. Sarah Breedlove Walker was a vision of beauty, inside and out.
For the older readers: My Thirteenth Winter: a memoir by Samantha Abeel (Scholastic, 2003). As a teacher, I learned so much from this first-person account of a girl who is both gifted and learning disabled. Samantha writes openly about dyscalculia, a math-related learning disability, and how her strengths in reading and writing helped her hide her areas of weakness. Her struggle to appear “normal” took a toll on her, but good teachers and a supportive family helped her. Samantha’s memoir is insightful. It may help students who struggle feel a bit less “other”, and it may help all readers to see those who learn differently with a bit more compassion.
Biographies are more than just books kids “have to” read for a school assignment. Good biographies show us how people’s lives in other times and places can be so different than ours, and yet still give us the sense that we all share common experiences. They can inspire us to live lives larger than we thought we could.
For the youngest readers:
Me… Janeby Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown & Co., 2011) This is a fantastic biography for animal lovers. Jane grew up watching the spiders, the birds, and the squirrels with her stuffed chimpanzee, Jubilee. She observed, she drew, she climbed trees: “it was a magical world full of joy and wonder, and Jane felt very much a part of it.” Jane grows up to be Dr. Jane Goodall, and the photo at the end where Jane’s dream comes true is inspiring.
For the transitional readers:
Starry Messenger: a book depicting the life of a famous scientist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, physicist Galileo Galileicreated and illustrated by Peter Sis (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1996) The amazing illustrations earned this book a Caldecott Honor, but what nabs readers every time is when I hold up the book and say, “Galileo was locked away for life because he wanted to tell the truth.” Sis includes quotes from Galileo himself, and after reading Starry Messenger, I want to grab a telescope to see the “huge prominences, deep valleys, and chasms” Galileo saw on the moon hundreds of years ago.
For the older readers:
Isaac Newton by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Boris Kulikov (Viking, 2006) I adore Kathleen Krull’s biographies, and this title in the Giants of Science series is so fascinating that kids will read it for fun as well as use it for school assignments. “Here was a man with an imagination so large that, just ‘by thinking on it,’ he invented a new branch of math – calculus – and figured out the scientific explanation of gravity. Yet Newton was so small-minded that he tried to destroy other scientists who dared question his findings.” It’s a captivating book about an intriguing man.
Cynthia Levinson’s powerful We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March may well be one of the most fascinating books about the Civil Rights Movement because she sets her focus on the most unsuspecting yet influential group of individuals – kids. Levinson’s work is founded on solid research and poignant interviews with the actual children, now grown adults, who risked their lives to march for freedom.
In May 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement struggled to derive peaceful, yet powerful and effective methods to repeal the segregation laws of the day. Dr. King’s directives were, “To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify hate in the world” (32). As a result, because they passionately believed in the movement, children of Birmingham, Alabama banded together to form a group eventually known as the Peace Ponies. Savage dogs, lonely jail cells, and full-forced fire hose sprays didn’t cause their fortitude to falter.
“We, as children, got involved in what would appear to be adult issues,” says former Peace Pony James Stewart. “One of the primary reasons it worked was that we were children. And God’s hand was upon us” (156).
Author Cynthia Levinson is offering a wealth a educationally-sound supportive material on her website. Access it and make this riveting true-to-life tale come alive for the young readers of today.
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
Narrative nonfiction is a term for informational texts that have the flow of a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. There are narrative nonfiction books on virtually every topic. My latest favorite is Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010). It’s the story of Pink, the runt of a litter of pigs, who was raised by a dachshund foster mom. The photographs of the puppies and piglet playing together are so cute, they are squeal-worthy!
Kids can flip through the pages to find the information they want. 882 ½ Amazing Answers to Your Questions about the Titanic written by Hugh Brewster and Laurie Coulter, illustrated by Ken Marschall was revised and reissued to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the Titanic tragedy. It has incredible photos and diagrams for readers to pore over, and the simple question-and-answer format makes reading information very easy.
