1. Educational Importance of Nonfiction
Cyndi Giorgis
University of Texas at El Paso

4. Perceptions . . .
Nonfiction is for skimming or dipping in and out of, not for reading from beginning to end.
Nonfiction books are not “real” books.
Nonfiction only provides information.
Nonfiction is too hard for kids to read and understand.
Nonfiction is not literature.
Nonfiction is devoid of an author’s voice.
Nonfiction is not aesthetically pleasing.
Nonfiction is hard to find.
Nonfiction reading does not help students learn how to write.

5. Newbery Medal Winners

6. Nonfiction Book Awards

7. Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award was established in 1989 for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children.

8. Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
Each nomination should meet the following literary criteria:
Accuracy—facts current and complete, balance of fact and theory, varying point of view, stereotypes avoided, author's qualifications adequate, appropriate scope, authenticity of detail
Organization—logical development, clear sequence, interrelationships indicated, patterns provided (general-to-specific, simple-to-complex, etc.)
Design—attractive, readable, illustrations complement text, placement of illustrative material appropriate and complementary, appropriate media, format, type
Style—writing is interesting, stimulating, reveals author's enthusiasm for subject; curiosity and wonder encouraged, appropriate terminology, rich language In addition, each nomination should be useful in classroom teaching grades K-8, should encourage thinking and more reading, model exemplary expository writing and research skills, share interesting and timely subject matter, and appeal to a wide range of ages.

9. The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois.

10. The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
“The term information books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable, factual material for children. There are no limitations as to the character of the book, although traditional literature (e.g., folktales) is not eligible. Poetry is not eligible except as a format or vehicle to convey information.”

11. The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Criteria
In identifying the most distinguished informational book for children from the preceding year, committee members consider important elements and qualities:
Excellent, engaging, and distinctive use of language.
Excellent, engaging, and distinctive visual presentation.
Appropriate organization and documentation.
Clear, accurate, and stimulating presentation of facts, concepts, and ideas. 
Appropriate style of presentation for subject and for intended audience.
Supportive features (index, table of contents, maps, timelines, etc).
Respectful and of interest to children.

12. 2016 2016 Honor Books Honor Books
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh.
Honor Books
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans written and illustrated by Don Brown
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club written by Phillip Hoose 
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, as told to Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley, illustrated by PJ Loughran. 
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes.
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans by Don Brown
Honor Books
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh
Growing Up Pedro by Matt Tavares
Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad
Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

13. 2015 2015 Honor Books Honor Books
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming
Honor Books
A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis illustrated by Gilbert Ford
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by Stephanie Roth Sisson
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, written by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Honor Books
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial Russia, by Candace Fleming
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands, by Katherine Roy
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, by Duncan Tonatiuh

14. 2014 2014 Honor Books: Honor books
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Honor Books:
Locomotive by Brian Floca
The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore
Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles, America's First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone
Parrots over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, illustrated by Susan L. Roth
Honor books
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate
Locomotive by Brian Floca
The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

15. Nonfiction
Information books
Informational books
Expository text
Literary nonfiction
Narrative nonfiction
Creative nonfiction

16. Narrative nonfiction

17. “. . . what we authors really have to offer is not the individual books we write but our approach to content and to kids. . . A teacher can pose questions. An author has to go the extra step of figuring out how to phrase them in a fashion that engages his readers. What the author does is suggest not just answers, but how to think about the questions, and if it’s been a good question to ask in the first place.”
Book editor and author, Marc Aronson