Tuesday, February 11, 2025

BOARD BOOKS THAT AREN'T BORING

By Laura Gehl

 

Board books are amazing for lots of reasons: the pages can’t be torn out, the pages can be chewed on, and board books cost waaaaaay less for families to purchase than picture books!

I have four kids, all spaced two years apart, so I spent many years reading board books out loud. But during the years when I was reading tons of board books to whichever of my kids were babies or toddlers at the time, I often had an older kid (or two or three) snuggling with us and listening in. As my first three children learned to read, they sometimes read the board books to their younger siblings too. 

These experiences—both reading the same board books over and over as a parent, and reading board books to a baby with older kids listening as well—made me want to write board books that are interesting for all ages.

Let me be clear: I believe board books should be very simple, with language and illustrations appealing to babies and toddlers. They are not just smaller, chunkier picture books, and many picture books don’t work well as board books. So my #1 goal when writing a board book is to appeal to those very youngest readers. But I also believe it is possible to make choices that achieve the #1 goal while intriguing older readers as well.

The board books I loved as a parent—such as Peggy Rathman’s GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA or Sandra Boynton’s BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT—appeal to all ages mostly because of humor. But as an author and scientist interested in writing nonfiction board books, I decided to try other ways of adding interest for adults and older kids.

In the Curious Critters series (ODD BIRDS, ODD BEASTS, and—coming soon—ODD BUGS), the way I tried to add interest for older readers was through the critters I chose to include. From the point of view of my target audience, I could have chosen almost any creatures to include in the books. Would it make a difference to babies or toddlers if I included a robin or a hoatzin? Probably not. Either way, Gareth Lucas—the incredible illustrator of this series—could make the bird visually compelling. And either way, I could write a simple, rhyming verse about the bird that would appeal to those youngest readers. But for an older sibling or a parent, a hoatzin—who smells like poop due to its lengthy digestion process—could be more exciting than a robin. By choosing critters that I, as an adult, found fascinating, I hoped I would captivate all ages of readers. 




In another set of board books, WHO DUG THIS HOLE? and WHO LAID THESE EGGS?, I chose familiar creatures—such as a robin, a skunk, and a chicken—rather than unusual ones. But for these books, I added interest for older readers in two other ways. WHO DUG THIS HOLE? and WHO LAID THESE EGGS? are essentially guessing games, with big flaps on each page. After the reader guesses “Who dug this hole in the snow?,” for example, a flap is lifted to reveal the answer (“A polar bear!”). Making the book a guessing game is one way to draw in readers of all ages. But for these two lift-the-flap books, I added an additional layer for older readers by including extra information about each animal under the flap. For example, under the polar bear flap, the text reads, “Polar bears dig dens in snowdrifts for a place to stay warm and give birth to their cubs.” If a parent were reading the book to a baby, they could just say “A polar bear!” and turn the page, skipping the fun fact. But that extra science fact under the flap would be interesting to the parent, and to any older siblings who might be joining the read-aloud.


Writing board books can be very tricky, because you only have 50-100 words, or less, to make the book compelling. But that extra challenge is exactly what makes them so fun to write!

 

Try this:

Go to your local library or bookstore. Read twenty nonfiction board books. Which ones capture your interest, as an adult? Why? Did you notice puns, wordplay, humor, games, or fun facts? Now start brainstorming your own ideas for nonfiction board books. See if you can come up with ideas that will captivate everyone, from babies to grandparents!


 

About the author:

Laura Gehl is the author of many board books, including the BABY SCIENTIST series, the BRILLIANT BABY series, and YOU’RE THE SPRINKLES ON MY ICE CREAM, an Amazon Editors’ Best Book of 2024. Her board book ODD BEASTS, illustrated by Gareth Lucas, was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, while ODD BIRDS was a Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year selection and a Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year selection. A former science teacher with a PhD in neuroscience, Laura loves bringing science into her board books, picture books, and middle grade nonfiction. Visit her online at lauragehl.com.

Monday, February 10, 2025

THE POWER OF PACING: FOUR BASIC TOOLS


As the writer, YOU are the driver. The conductor of the symphony. The director of the movie.
It’s your job to “create the read,” engaging readers to the last word. That’s what pacing is all
about. Some of what I share here is drawn from a recent presentation on pacing I did at a
regional conference.

When we define pacing, a narrative technique, as momentum, movement, and flow, it sounds
like it’s the speed of the read. But I think it’s more about the feel of the read. While word count impacts pacing, it’s more about how you use words on the page. An 800-word manuscript can be a slog, or gripping.

Pacing is controlling the tension, the “pull” through the book. In my newest release, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: KATE WARNE AND THE RACE TO SAVE ABRAHAM LINCOLN, it was key, part of the narrative—and a challenge. I had to create a sense of urgency in a race against time without sacrificing clarity or drama, enough tension to get the reader to suspend reality—to defy the fact that they already know that Abraham Lincoln becomes president.

As I see it, pacing techniques fall into two areas: tools and content. Here, I’ll share four basic
tools with examples from books I’ve written to show how pacing techniques can affect the
read. The content piece, which gets more complicated, can wait for another time.

4 BASIC PACING TOOLS

Punctuation = traffic signals. They dictate the read. Here are my fab five.

. STOP sign
, pause
— there’s more
… uh-oh
? unknown

Example: In these sentences the only real difference is punctuation. But they feel different.


Word Sounds: Letter sounds can affect pacing.

Example: Smooth sounds move quickly. Hard, sharp sounds force a slowdown, used here for a stronger hit with conflict. Can you feel the difference sounds make?

 


Sentence Length.

    Short sentences = slow

    Long sentences = fast 

At first this might seem counterintuitive, but more short sentences mean more periods—more STOP signs.

Example: Look at how sentence length changes the pace—slowing then speeding up again.
 

Text Placement on the Page affects the read. (And I think therefore may also affect the illustration.) Paragraphs flow, but dropping lines down the page slows.

Here's another way to write the text above. This option also has longer sentences. How does this feel different? 
 

Put It All Together

Example: Consider how punctuation, word sounds, sentence length, and text on the page affect pacing and the feel of the read…

 


And if you look at the book, you’ll see how text teams with illustration on this spread.

While these examples demonstrate a few tools used to pace text on the page, pacing is also about shaping and manipulating story content. One way we do that is with page turns and chapter ends that “pull.” Confusion, diversions, and too much information slow a narrative, so how we work with story content is a huge part of pacing. I’ll leave that for another time. 😊 As always, the elements and techniques of writing are all intertwined.

In the meantime, have fun playing with these basic tools of pacing!

TRY IT!

Play with a few spreads or paragraphs of a WIP. Be the driver, conductor, or director and use the tools to push the reader to read the words as YOU want them to be read. Speed up and slow down to create tension.

1.  Change up the punctuation. Delete some or add more. Test the differences created by a comma, m-dash, ellipsis, or line drop.

2.  Play with sentence length. Shorten, lengthen, break sentences into pieces. No rules! Where do you want speed? Where do you want to force a slow down for drama, impact, effect?

3.  Examine word choices. Are the sounds slowing or flowing? How can changing a few words impact the read by making conflict hit harder or action race?

4.  Move text on the page. Break up large paragraphs. Play with line breaks and drops down the page.

Does your manuscript look different? (more inviting?)

Does it read differently? (more impactful?)

Does it FEEL different? (more engaging?)


About the Author
 
Beth Anderson is the author of more than ten picture books, including LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT, THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE, and REVOLUTIONARY PRUDENCE WRIGHT. Her books have received awards and recognition from Bank Street College, ILA, Colonial Dames of America, JLG, Chicago Public Library, Museum of the American Revolution, NCSS-CBC, and NSTA.

A former ELL educator and Reading Specialist, Beth’s experience in the classroom continues to inspire and inform her writing as she shares true stories that widen our world and invite kids to laugh, ponder, and question. Born and raised in Illinois, Beth now lives in Colorado.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

THE WRITING ADVICE NEXT TO MY STACK OF SWEATERS

By Cedar Pruitt

Somewhere between my maroon corduroy pants and gray and white striped sweater is propped an ancient greeting card. My clean laundry sits folded and stacked on the shelf next to this ragged, treasured piece of paper that I read every morning while getting dressed. It was never sent or received. I’m pretty sure I bought it, but I don’t remember when or where. 

I’ve had it for a long time. 

It’s entirely possible I’ve had it for 30 years, since I was just 18, as the yellowed thumbtack holes bring to mind a wall-bound bulletin board in a college dorm.

In this age of framed motivational slogans and glossy affirmation cards, one shabby card has opened my days and closed my nights for decades. And I think it guides me in writing nonfiction for children, too.

“Don’t let your hearts grow numb. Stay alert. It is your soul which matters.”

-Albert Schweitzer

And it’s not just the quote. There’s also an image. Which is good. Were it just those words on a page, I think I might get distracted by the possibilities of the word ‘soul.’ But a benefit of being raised Buddhist is that I’ve always had a loose and trusting relationship with that word, and when I look at the picture – a black and white image of little girl fiercely hugging a cat, the wind gently blowing her hair, fully alive and loving as she buries her face in that fur –I know exactly what the quote means.



We’re all connected, and it’s our connection that makes us human. It’s painful to stay alert, it takes vulnerability and precious energy, but it’s what matters most.

I think this card describes the journey of writing nonfiction, and the perils of willful ignorance. When we don’t try to understand the world around us, we can become numb to it, and closed off to what makes us uniquely and truly ourselves. Nonfiction is a way to dig into this vastly mysterious experience we’re all having together, on this thing we call a planet. 

Children are naturally inquisitive – it is human nature, after all – and writing nonfiction that delights, surprises and engages them has the capacity to guide and shape their experience of the world and, therefore, of themselves. Could there be a more thrilling, humbling opportunity? One of the joys of being a nonfiction author is getting a front-row seat to see the sheer effort that writers, illustrators, agents, editors, art directors, publishers, booksellers, teachers, librarians and more all pour into bringing this dream to life. 

It’s as if they all know that kids deserve creative, fun, fresh and interesting work that inspires them to lean into their curiosity, embrace their humanity, and, above all, to stay alert. 

Does everyone have a greeting card stuck somewhere that makes them want to help children keep growing, learning and wanting to understand the world?  I don’t know. All I know is: Don’t let your hearts grow numb.

 

About the Author: 

Cedar Pruitt is an author based in Massachusetts. Her lyrical nonfiction picture book, FIRE FLIGHT: A Wildfire Escape, illustrated by Chiara Fedele (Capstone Editions, 2024), explores climate change and ecological connection through an owl’s real-life flight out of a California wildfire and into the co-pilot seat of a firefighting helicopter.

Her second lyrical nonfiction picture book, WHAT MARCEL FOUND: The Incredible Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings, illustrated by David Litchfield, is about brave kids in occupied France whose forest search for treasure during WWII led to an astounding discovery that forever changed our view of humanity (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, 2026).

Learn more about Cedar, her books and author visits at CedarPruitt.com.

 

Saturday, February 8, 2025

A TURDLY CURE FOR WRITER’S BLOCK



Two a.m. The blank screen taunted me. 

The minutes flew by, and with them my hopes of a passing grade. 

I was taking an esoteric graduate-level class. It had only two students. And it looked like we were both about to botch our first homework assignment—by never starting it.

You’ve been there. You too have stared into that abyss, wishing words would come. Competent words. Clever words. Words that should flow naturally. 

That night nothing was flowing. We’d been told to write a computer code to solve a physics problem, maybe involving a spinning top and some charged particles. But never mind the details. Like any writing project, the process involved staring at a porcelain-white page that wouldn’t fill itself.

Fortunately, everything came out alright. Rebecca Oppenheimer, are you reading this? Thank you, a thousand times!

Rebecca was the other student in that physics class. She showed me the trick I’m about to share with you: a mighty cure for writer’s block. I don’t promise this approach will unclog the pipes for everyone. But I have never again suffered from writer’s block since I learned it.

Rebecca took my empty file—that loathsome empty file—and gave it a name. Not a nice name. She elbowed me mercilessly out of the way, reached over and saved that file onto my computer’s hard drive with the filename “Turd1”.

Sure, you can giggle. But don’t. This is serious advice from one creator to another. We are talking artist to artist, writer to writer here. Turd1.

Seeing that goofy, nonthreatening name on my blank file untied the knot in my intestines. The tension in my sphincters dissipated. The creases in my forehead faded. You get the picture. Ahh!

Now get this picture. Whatever it is you’re supposed to be writing right now, whatever white bowl of a page you’re supposed to be filling, save that file on your computer as “Turd1”. Erase whatever other title you had for it. Now it’s just Turd1.doc.

Your only desire henceforth is to live up to that name, to pass a single, small lump of feculence. You can do that! Write the worst you can, not your best.

Sit down. Let go. Then do some more. Top that with a second turd! Turd3, Turd4…Feel better? You can clean up afterwards.

I do not remember what classical mechanical dance the spinning top and the charged particles did together. But I do remember that a few turds in, we had solved the problem, or at least excreted something good enough to discuss in class the next day. And I don’t mean to brag, but since then it’s been one stool after another out of me—non-fiction turds, fiction turds—all oozing out with turdly ease.

I hope you don’t find this tip to be turdally useless.






Dr. Marc J. Kuchner
is a drummer, dad-joker, and NASA astrophysicist. He wrote 
Marketing for Scientists: How to Shine in Tough Times (Island Press) and Cosmic Collisions: Asteroid vs. Comet (Candlewick/MIT Kids). You’ll find him most days in Rhode Island, on planet Earth, in the solar system, in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, and at www.marckuchner.com. By the way,  Cosmic Collisions: Supergiant vs. Neutron Star comes out in April. You’ll probably want to pre-order a few copies to help fertilize your houseplants.

Friday, February 7, 2025

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FOR YOUR NONFICTION: A FOCUS ON EXPOSITORY LITERATURE

by Laura Perdew        

In 2017, author Melissa Stewart created a classification system for children’s nonfiction: The Five Kinds of Nonfiction. Classifying books in this way allows teachers and librarians to help students understand and access nonfiction text. It is also a valuable tool for authors.

*NOTE: The information in this chart is adapted from Melissa Stewart’s nonfiction classification system.

 

You can also read Stewart’s 2021 NF Fest Post, “What Is Literary Nonfiction?” and her School Library Journal article from 2018, “Understanding – And Teaching – the Five Kinds of Nonfiction,” for more information.




What is Expository Literature?

Today I want to focus on just one of these categories of nonfiction, expository literature (you can learn more about the other kinds of nonfiction by clicking on the links above). I will admit that, before witnessing the evolution of children’s literature over the past ten or so years, I believed that the word “expository” translated into boring. Yet expository literature in today’s nonfiction kidlit is anything but!

Expository literature…

·       presents information in a creative way.

·       focuses on one aspect of a topic.

·       often reflects the author’s passion for that topic.

·       offers a unique voice & POV.

·       incorporates engaging language and literary devices to enrich the writing.

·       utilizes a carefully chosen text structure and innovative format.

·       may include layered text, sidebars, callouts, back matter, and more.

 

Here are a few picture book examples of expository literature that illustrate the innovative structures being used in children’s nonfiction today:

·       13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY by Sue Heavenrich

·       HOW TO BUILD AN INSECT by Roberta Gibson

·       ROUND by Jennifer Ward

·       BUGS DON’T HUG by Heather Montgomery

·       WHAT IS THIS TAIL SAYING? by Carolyn Combs

·       LEAFY LANDMARKS by Michelle Schaub

·       OVER AND UNDER THE POND by Kate Messner

·       ASTRONAUT/AQUANAUT by Jennifer Swanson

·       MOTH: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas

·       WE ARE GRATEFUL: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell

 

Finding the Right Structure

For authors, the category of expository literature provides us with many text structures to choose from and play with! The trick is finding the text structure that best fits our manuscript’s topic and the big idea (the deeper meaning, heart, reader take-away…the manuscript’s connection to something bigger). And some manuscripts can utilize more than one text structure at a time!

Below is a chart that describes many expository literature text structure options. I also included the narrative structure here in the last box because the narrative structure can be combined with some of the expository literature structures.


Here’s the challenge for you: take your latest idea and consider which expository text structures might serve it best. Don’t limit yourself to just one. Pick three to five to experiment with and to try on for fit.

Next, spend some time free writing or brainstorming how you might craft your manuscript with each of these structures. Can you utilize more than one text structure at a time? Which one feels like the best fit? I also challenge you to write several different versions of the same manuscript using a different text structure, or combinations of text structures, for each.

As you play with different text structures, the goal is to help you see how to best engineer your manuscript. For more information, and mentor text examples of both expository literature and narrative mentor texts, click here.




 




About the Author

Laura is a writing coach, presenter, former middle school teacher, and the author of THE FORT (Page Street Kids, 2020), as well as dozens of nonfiction STEM books. Her most recent titles include KEYSTONE SPECIES: Meet the Animals Key to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity for readers ages 9-12, and YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD: A Kid's Guide to Everyday Choices That Help the Planet! for readers ages 8-12. She lives in Boulder with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends as much time as possible outdoors, hiking, and watching the wildlife in her yard.


Thursday, February 6, 2025

PUTTING QUESTIONS TO WORK

By Helen Taylor

Asking questions is fundamental to researching and writing books—especially nonfiction books. Our queries lead us to new sources, reveal juicy details, and so on. But here, I want to focus on a different set of questions—the ones that make it into finished books.

Every sentence has to work hard to earn its place on the page, and questions are no exception. Whether they just pop into your head while writing, or are added with intention, questions can serve a number of different roles in a nonfiction manuscript. For this post, I started by brainstorming a list of the roles I thought I’d see, but it wasn’t until I started reading with my antenna tuned into this idea that I realized just how many “jobs” questions can do. Here are some of my favorites:

Forecaster: The opening spread of VOLCANOES, written by Nell Cross Beckerman and
illustrated by Kalen Chok, states, “Plates shift. Land tilts. Gas seeps,” then asks, “What is
coming?” This question encourages the reader to make a prediction and builds tension for the
(spoiler alert!) volcanic eruption to come.


Dancer: Questions can help writers dance around an unknown while staying accurate. In NARWHAL: UNICORN OF THE ARCTIC, written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Deena So’Oteh, two narwhals cross tusks in one scene. The text reads “Are you playing? Fighting? Showing off for a female?” In the backmatter, we learn that scientists still aren’t sure about the purpose(s) narwhals’ tusks serve, but that “showing off” is the leading theory. 



Stunt Double: These questions stand in for a theory or thought process. In my own book,
CHASING GUANO: THE DISCOVERY OF A PENGUIN SUPERCOLONY, I use a series of
simple questions, “How big is this colony? How long has it been there? Is it shrinking too?” to
summarize the scientists’ growing interest in investigating the remote Danger Islands.



Tour Guide: Questions can also keep readers engaged, essentially saying, But wait... there’s
more! In THE GREAT LAKES: OUR FRESHWATER TREASURE, written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Jamey Christoph, there’s a spread in which readers imagine they’re a drop of water traveling through the lakes. Upon reaching Lake Erie, the question, “Is your trip over?” and its answer, “No!” keep us moving and tee up a big moment to come.

In ALMOST UNDERWEAR: HOW A PIECE OF CLOTH TRAVELED FROM KITTY HAWK TO THE MOON AND MARS, Jonathan Roth navigates big transitions with the page-turner questions, “Or was it?” (transitioning from Kitty Hawk to the Moon) and, “Now where?” (from the Moon to Mars).



Casting Director: The text of HOW TO EAT IN SPACE, written by me and illustrated by Stevie Lewis, addresses the reader as if they were an astronaut newly arrived at the space station. Early on, I introduce the menu this way: “Feel like oatmeal? A smoothie? Scrambled eggs? Help yourself. You have hundreds of items to choose from.” This approach gives a flavor (ha!) of the menu’s range, while also helping cast the reader in their role as astronaut.



Interviewer: GOOD EATING: THE SHORT LIFE OF KRILL, written by Matt Lilley and illustrated by Dan Tavis, reads like a casual conversation. The text directly addresses its
subject—krill—with a mix of statements and questions, beginning with, “Hey egg. What are you doing? Are you sinking?” Later questions, such as, “How are you doing all this growing without eating?” explore other stages of krill’s life cycle.



Gardener: In THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE: BIAS, TRUTH, AND A
MIGHTY MOOSE!, written by Beth Anderson and illustrated by Jeremy Holmes, questions plant seeds in the reader’s mind when Anderson answers one question, “How did Buffon come up with his theory of an inferior America?” with three more: “Did he use faulty facts? Did he pick and choose evidence to fit his own beliefs? Did his love for Europe get in the way?” What a kid- friendly way to introduce the concept of bias!



This is in no way an official or complete list, but I hope it sparks some new thoughts about what you’re reading and writing. What other jobs do you see questions doing in nonfiction books? What title would you give to a question that conveys stakes, casts doubt, or reframes an issue? Do you have a “job opening” in your own story that a well-qualified question could fill? Are the questions in your WIP in the right role(s) or are they perhaps ready for a promotion?





Helen Taylor

Helen Taylor writes books that inspire kids to wonder about their world in new ways. Her
nonfiction books HOW TO EAT IN SPACE and CHASING GUANO are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections. Her first fictional picture book, SLOTH & MOTH, is due out in spring 2026. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, baking, and searching for banana slugs in the redwoods near her home in Santa Cruz, California.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

GETTING TO THE HEART OF YOUR PHOTOS

by Patricia Newman

Photographs are a huge part of my middle-grade nonfiction STEM books for children. My books feature environmental science in the field, and I’ve been lucky enough to have a ready source of images from scientists excellent at documenting their work. Usually, my challenge is one of quantity! With that in mind and considering that other blogs in the NF Fest catalog focus on permissions and working with photographers, I’d like to address how I choose the best photos from the hundreds available to me.

For any nonfiction book, images must add clarity to the text just as the illustrations in picture books do. Photos are great for a step-by-step approach, to give readers a sense of place, and to drop them into the adventure. But if you’re only using your photos for clarity, you’re missing out on a fabulous opportunity to add heart to your project.

The right photographs can elicit emotions and ratchet up suspense. In each of my environmental books, my goal is to help readers understand that we are not separate from nature. We have a role to play. By establishing connections to nature, I can help readers care enough to act. And photos help me do that.

After collecting the photos, I create a digital folder for each chapter in my book project. These folders are ultimately shared with the editorial and design teams. I add images that best match the events and details described in each chapter. Then, I drop in images that make me react in physical ways. I’m lucky enough to have a design team at Millbrook Press who allow me to have input on the images we use. Often, we swap out photos during the design process. Here are a few examples of what we came up with:

On the last pages of Plastic, Ahoy!, I quote Miriam Goldstein the lead scientist on one of the first expeditions to study plastic in the North Pacific. She says, “People want to know that there are wildernesses out there somewhere. If even the open sea is no longer a wilderness, what is?”  This thought-provoking statement paired with Annie Crawley’s photo of a single water bottle floating in the vast sea still takes my breath away.


Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea focuses on an amazing conservation project in Peru that uses giant manta rays as a flagship species to inspire the community to protect the ocean. In a dramatic twist, the largest manta ray anyone had ever seen was inadvertently caught in a fisher’s net. The media called the manta a “monster” and vilified the fisher who brought it ashore. The suspended manta gives readers an idea of the size of these creatures, and its sad end shocks us into paying attention and urges us to find out more.


Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean is a book about our connection to the sea. Throughout, Annie Crawley and I use text, photos, and video QR codes to share the beauty of our ocean, but also to explain and explore the devastating effects climate change has on the sea. One of our favorite spreads includes two photos (see below, right side). In the first, two children play on a trash-strewn beach. It dawns on us that the kids probably have never seen a pristine beach. The second photo shows a submerged baby doll that Annie calls the “creepy baby” photo. The doll’s incongruous cheerful expression is at odds with her new underwater home eliciting conflicting emotions in the reader, too.

In my books about animals, photos illustrate a variety of cool behaviors to engage and surprise readers and (I admit) appeal to their sense of awww. In Zoo Scientists to the Rescue, Annie Crawley and I included a photo of an orangutan inspecting a piece of fruit. His human-like dexterity, his curiosity, and his sense of awareness draw us in.

In Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation, the photo of two bulls fighting gets readers’ hearts pumping from the power and fierceness with which male elephants protect their territory.


And in Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem who can resist a raft of fuzzy-faced otters posing for the camera?



 

Reading photos is a learned skill that our young audience must practice, but perhaps it would benefit nonfiction authors to learn to get to the heart of their photos, too! Check out this LitLinks lesson that provides a framework for describing, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating photos.

I wish you much success in choosing the perfect photos to add heart to your project.

 

Patricia Newman

Sibert Honor author Patricia Newman uses social and environmental injustice to empower readers to seek connections to the real world and act on behalf of their communities. Patricia's nonfiction titles have received multiple starred reviews, ALA Notable Awards, two Orbis Pictus Awards (NCTE), two Green Earth Book Awards, and several Eureka! Awards (CRA). All her nonfiction titles are Junior Library Guild Selections, and most appear on the Bank Street College's Best Books of the Year lists. To learn more, visit her website at patriciamnewman.com or connect with her on BlueSky (@patricianewman.bsky.social), X (@PatriciaNewman), Instagram (@patricianewmanbooks), and Pinterest (@newmanbooks).