ADAs nonfiction writers for young readers, we were dismayed — though not surprised — by his statement that “the books students choose to read are almost always fiction.” We frequently encounter adults who mistakenly believe that when kids hear “nonfiction,” they think, as Mathews wrote: “Nonfiction? Then you ask more questions.” — fourth-grader“Nonfiction is better than fiction because it has real, helpful facts about life.” — fourth-grader“I like that nonfiction books really make you think about things for a while and then sometimes your thinking changes.” — fifth-graderAnd, really, why should this be any surprise? In the adult publishing world, nonfiction sales are strong because when readers have the power to select their own books, they often choose nonfiction. As Heather Simpson plainly stated in an article in Room to Read, “Children want their nonfiction books, adults may be their barrier.”ADWhat’s going on here? In addition, they may recall being required to read those dreaded textbooks, which, sadly, might have been their only contact with nonfiction.

Source: Washington Post January 26, 2021 10:03 UTC