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. |
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