The "How and Why" of Non-Fiction Books

When you were a young child, do you remember bombarding your parents with the “how or why” questions of life? Were you curious to know where the water went as it flowed down the drain? Did you want to know how the light switch worked or how popcorn came from those little kernels of corn? I always had that sense of “wonder” when I was a child, yet there were so few good non-fiction books that could answer my questions. Thankfully, that did not hinder my inquisitive nature.

Many years ago my mom purchased this large one-volume encyclopedia for our family called “A Children’s Guide to Knowledge” and I remember reading it from cover to cover. Although it seems primitive in quality compared to the non-fiction books available today, it was the kind of book that would spark my interest in the “who, was, where” questions through out my life. (Note: Although I don’t have the original book that my mom gave me, a few years ago I found another copy of it at a garage sale.)

It was as if I was on a new and different journey each time I picked up that book. When I read about the Seven Wonders of the World, I would be a world traveler. I did get to travel to Europe years ago and will go again someday, bringing my children with me so we can discover some of those “wonders” together. I learned about all the varieties of chickens, cats and dogs and knew I had to be a farmer. I don’t live on a farm, but we own two dogs, one cat and 25 chickens who give us fresh eggs every day. I learned about gardening and flowers and planned to be a master gardener someday. I still love plants and flowers, but the only gardening I have time for now is the weeding, fertilizing and nurturing the minds of my children. Thankfully my passion for books today was fueled when my “how and why” questions were answered by reading books like that encyclopedia. It was merely a spring board for the exciting journeys yet to come.

Most children love a good story, a rousing adventure and a happy ending. I still love to read stories and picture books to my children. Yet I have noticed that many young children, including my own, tend to gravitate towards non-fiction books, just as I did. This made me wonder “why” and how come” and led me to several interesting conclusions.

Children are reality-based in their thinking and are naturally curious about their world. Once they begin to reason in more abstract ways (around the age of 3 or 4), they want to understand more about how things work. Unfortunately, some parents feel intimidated about answering those questions and often they go unanswered because parents do not know which criteria to use when selecting non-fiction for their children.

Fortunately, children’s book publishers have been producing better non-fiction books in response to all these “how and why” questions. One publisher, Usborne Books, has been on the cutting edge of developing excellent quality non-fiction books for over twenty years. Another similar publisher is DK Books. These are the kinds of books which appeal to children of all ages because they have been especially designed to encourage children to want to read.

Several components make a non-fiction book exceptional. Bite-size pieces of text which relate to the pictures on the page will help your child assimilate the information so he will remember the facts. Similarly, having a high picture to text ratio will engage the child’s mind, keeping him focused on what’s being read. Having the information presented in a two-page spread will often help the inquisitive child stay on task. Sometimes children will become overwhelmed and bored with reading if a book is cluttered with too many facts on a page or has extensive text and not enough pictures.

Non-fiction books are also critical to young readers because they provide the perfect segue into independent reading. Young children will often enjoy “reading” a book by just pouring over the pictures. Then as they begin to read on their own, they will go back to that same book with renewed excitement because they can actually read it! Be prepared--there may be times when your child will tell you more obscure facts about a topic than you’ll ever want to know. But that will be a defining moment for your child as you see the lights go on and stay on, and nothing will be able to hold him back!

It’s also encouraging to see that more schools are choosing “content-rich” non-fiction books for the reluctant reader because educators have found that students will read more when the books are filled with information that they’re interested in. The learning process for you and your family is an ongoing continuum, and you will find that best part about reading non-fiction books with your child is that you may discover together the answers to some of the questions you had when YOU were young.

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