Tuesday, March 3, 2020

ReFoReMo Day 2: Author Marcie Flinchum Atkins Digs Up Storytelling Techniques

By Marcie Flinchum Atkins

If you are interested in writing about true topics, there is more than one way to do so. One of those ways is to try informational fiction.

For the purposes of this article, I’m going to use Melissa Stewart’s definition of information fiction from this post : “books that share a significant amount of true, documentable information, but also have some made up parts.” This includes books that have an inanimate object or animal narrator or have animals talking.

Here is a sampling of informational fiction books separated into a few categories.

Dialogue and Humorous Tone
These books employ dialogue between characters to tell the story.


The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach

  • Dialogue between caterpillars
  • Tone is humorous and the characters are very silly
  • Readers learn about the life cycle of the butterfly








Are We Pears Yet? by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Carin Berger


  • Dialogue between pear seeds (then trees) as they move through their life cycle
  • Tone is humorous
  • Set against the backdrop of a play, which adds another layer
  • Readers learn about the life cycle of a pear tree




First Person POV and Lighter Tone
These books utilize first person POV but are also lighter in tone. In many cases, the characters have big personalities.

Glacier on the Move by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Alice Brereton

  • First person POV from a glacier’s perspective
  • Factual information is also presented in snippets in the margins from a talking ice worm
  • Readers learn about glaciers





Moon: Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

  • First person POV from the perspective of the moon
  • Tone is humorous
  • Readers learn facts about the moon







I also recommend taking a look at Stacy McAnulty’s other books in the series: Sun: One in a Billion and Earth! My First 5.54 Billion Years.


Sylvia’s Bookshop: The Story of Paris’s Beloved Bookstore and Its Founder by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Katy Wu

  • First person POV from the perspective of the bookshop
  • Lighter in tone
  • Rhyming






My Happy Year by E. Bluebird by Paul Meisel

  • First person POV told from the Bluebird’s perspective
  • Diary format that follows the Bluebird’s life cycle

I also recommend reading Paul Meisel’s other book written in the same style: My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis.





Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laurie Keller


  • First person POV told from Pluto’s perspective
  • A few other planets chime in with dialogue as well
  • Humorous tone






More Serious Tone
These books are also told from the first person narrative, but they are not laugh out loud funny. They have a much more serious tone.

Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival by Lindsay Moore

  • First person POV told from the polar bear’s perspective
  • Lyrical language
  • Serious in tone






Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jamey Christoph

  • First person plural POV (the “we” POV) from the buildings’ perspectives
  • Serious historical fiction about the history of buildings in the LGBTQ+ movement





My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall’s Story by John Coy, illustrated by Gaylord Schanilec

  • First person POV from the waterfall’s perspective
  • Poetic/lyrical writing







What unique structures have you noticed authors using to convey information to readers?


Marcie is giving away a copy of her picture book, Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature, to one lucky winner! To be eligible for prizes throughout the challenge, you must be registered by March 2, comment on each post, consistently read mentor texts, and enter the Rafflecopter drawing at the conclusion of ReFoReMo.   








Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian by day and a children’s book writer in the wee hours of the morning. She holds an M.A. and an M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook Press, 2019) is her most recent book. Marcie also serves as the nonfiction event coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI region. She muses about mentor texts and making time to write at www.marcieatkins.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram as @MarcieFAtkins.

180 comments:

  1. Marcie, thanks for this list of informational fiction picture books. These are some of my favorite titles. They have so much kid appeal.

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  2. Marcie, thank you for a great compilation post on informational fiction. I think one of my favorites has to be Melissa Stewart's own No Monkeys, No Chocolate. The talking bookworms made the book so fun!

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  3. Information fiction is an amazing way to "lighten up" tight non-fiction which often has unattractive page turns. The end result is an irresistible book where you are having so much fun, you don’t realize how much you are learning! (shows just what kind of teacher you are…) The play with POV is also crucial here and keeps, I think, the fiction and non-fiction elements in perfect sync. Thank you Marcie for compiling this list for us. All the books were a joy but Sea Bear (which I didn’t know) took my breath away. Lindsay Moore is a revelation. Thank you.

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  4. I saw 2:55 AM and thought "Oops! I did s o m e t h i n g again..." (It's 10:00 AM over here...) Goodmorning (tomorrow) from sunny Greece!

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  5. Wow, what a thought provoking post! So much creativity in the way information is presented in these selections. Thank you!

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  6. Thanks, Marcie! I listened to almost every selection this evening. Great way to learn more about informational fiction.

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  7. Such a splendid list, Marcie! I adore PBs that teach while entertaining in such clever ways.

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  8. These are wonderful selections. They increased my love for nonfiction and I was introduced to new techniques! Love... Love... Love these! Thank you!

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  9. Thank you, Marcie, for categorizing the great examples if information fiction. It is very helpful.

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  10. Very helpful to have these examples of informational fiction!

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  11. Marcie, since I'm working an IF science right now, I will be using all the books you mentioned for mentor texts. I like the books by G. Brian Karas like ATLANTIC, vey lyrical. Ty for this list.

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    1. I know! I love Atlantic. It's an older title, so I couldn't include it, but it's definitely one of the first of this genre that I can think of.

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  12. Thank you, Marcie, for giving us some truly creative ways to incorporate facts and humor into nonfiction. Terrific post!

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  13. I like the idea of humorous dialogue to teach true facts. Kids are such sponges and love to laugh.

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  14. Thanks, Marcie. There are so many different ways to share information!

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  15. I'm going to read the caterpillar book to my kinders today-I can't wait. No, really-I think they will really like it. I love informational fiction! Thanks for the post.

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    1. Yes! I bought this book for my school too! I know my primary teachers will love it!

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  16. Thanks for the list of informational fiction. I’m going to try this format.

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  17. These styles of informational fiction seem to be on the rise, and for good reason I think. I like how I'm able to reach the reader in a new way using these and similar formats!

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  18. The Very Impatient Caterpillar was a refreshing and fun take on this way of presenting information. Thanks for introducing it to me!

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  19. These titles have been added to the doc entitled NON FICTION and INFORMATIONAL FICTION. Please feel free to add to this list. https://www.facebook.com/notes/reforemo/non-fiction-and-informational-fiction-mentor-texts/2005150833062594/

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  20. Slowly but surely, I am learning multiple ways to read and review children’s books. Specifically, I am making a list of items to note when I am reading at the library. POV is at the top of the list. Thank you, very helpful!

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  22. Thanks, Marcie for this awesome list of informational fiction books and what to look for while using them as mentor texts. I especially love seeing how other authors use humor to inform. Genius!

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  23. I found the POV interesting in these informational books. Thanks for your insights.

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  24. Thanks for an excellent post, Marcie, and for providing a wonderful list of mentor texts!

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  25. Thanks for sharing so many great examples of info fiction!

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  26. MARCIE: What a TIMELY post for me! The different perspectives on how to use informational fiction are TRULY INSPIRING!!! In fact, I didn't even know the term " informational fiction" until now; and yet, it describes the formatting that would be the PERFECT avenue for a few of my book ideas! THANK YOU SO MUCH for these WONDERFUL examples! I CAN'T WAIT to DIG IN and learn more!!!

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    1. Checkout Melissa Stewart's blog: https://celebratescience.blogspot.com/search?q=informational+fiction She has lots of great information about informational fiction.

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    2. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Marcie! I will check it out RIGHT AWAY!!! I had a BLAST going through your book list yesterday! THANK YOU for the WONDERFUL examples!!!

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  27. Thank you, Marcie! I really enjoyed the clever and unique narrators in these books. I especially enjoyed Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution. Sylvia's Bookshop was also from a building's perspective - and I find these intriguing in a "if walls could talk" kind of way. In these books - they do!

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  28. A fantastic list. i tend to gravitate towards informational fiction rather than NF, so this is very helpful to me.

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  29. I love when nonfiction can be fun! Informational fiction is such a great way to introduce kids to topics and increase their love of learning. Thank you for this wonderful post!

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  30. Thank you, Marcie! I love learning the term "informational fiction" because I do like to incorporate historical/science facts in my fiction, including in the story I'm currently writing. I especially enjoyed reading The Very Impatient Caterpillar, which did make me laugh out loud!

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  31. Thank you for the wonderful examples of informational nonfiction, Marcie. It's such a fun category.

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  32. Thank you for this great list, Marcie! I'm a big fan of informational fiction. I'm looking forward to picking up the titles I haven't read.

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  33. Thank you for the examples. I've been working on some informational fiction and will look to these to see how the info is incorporated without sounding textbook. Perfect timing!

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  34. Thank you for your group of non-fiction titles and I enjoyed reading the different subject matter of these books.

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    1. Hi Sheri, I wouldn't classify these as nonfiction but rather informational fiction. In some cases, they are located in the nonfiction section of the library so that's what makes it confusing. But with animals and inanimate objects talking, they are considered fiction.

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  35. I love this information. Alice Kuipers' book "Life on the Refrigerator Door" all done in notes on the fridge back and forth between mother and daughter was mesmerizing.

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  36. Thank you for the excellent introduction to informational fiction. What a great way to get facts across in a fun way for the reader.

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  37. Great post, Marcie! Thank you for providing us with such terrific examples of informational fiction. I love my copies of Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival and Moon: Earth’s Best Friend (in fact I have the series)

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  38. I love this way of teaching stem information, by sandwiching it between fun characters.

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  39. This is a great list of books that will be really helpful for my current WIP. I'm still waiting for some on inter-library loan.

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  40. Marcie - thank you for the to the point post! I enjoyed all of the books I could find. For some reason my library does not have Sylvia's Bookshop but I will hunt that down. Second grade students LOVED The Very Impatient Caterpillar.

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  41. Thanks, Marcie, these are such great texts for me right now -- I am polishing an ms told from the POV of a plant!

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  42. I am reading My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall’s Story by John Coy, illustrated by Gaylord Schanilec a 2nd and 3rd time enjoying the beautiful text and illustrations.

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  43. Thank you for talking about information fiction and going over examples. It was informative!

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  44. Wonderful titles on this list! I wish they had been available before I retired from teaching. WAIT, REST, PAUSE was my favorite nonfiction kidlit book last year. Keep them coming! I can't wait to read your next book.

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  45. Great list and definitions! I love that your first category is exactly what I need for a new picture book I'm working on. Thank you!

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  46. I love this category (in fact, my upcoming series "My Super Science Heroes" employs this very technique by presenting facts about key historical figures but framing them with a super hero context). Informational fiction is a great way to engage and educate readers!

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  47. These titles are terrific reads! Thank you, Marcie, for covering the definition of information fiction.

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  48. Like the various POV examples.

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  49. Thanks, Marcie! I appreciate the way you divided the books into categories and how each book is presented to readers. It was very helpful.

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  50. I love The very impatient caterpillar!

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  51. I love your examples! Melissa Stewart is one of our favorite authors too. :-)

    I've noticed a few books that pretend the reader is the main character or at least tagging along with an explorer! Snow Leopard: Ghost of the Mountain, by Justin Anderson, uses that sort of structure.

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  52. I adore informational fiction, and this is a great list! Thank you!

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  53. Thank you, Marcie, for expanding on Melissa Stewart's definition of information fiction. I note many excellent titles.

    Suzy Leopold

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  54. Love this combo! Thx for the great list to peruse. I want to do more of this!

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  55. Wonderful selection of texts. I LOVED Pluto Gets the Call!

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  56. Marcie, what a fabulous list! I loved the way you started with Melissa Stewart's definition, then broke down the examples so clearly. Thanks!

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  57. Thank you, a very informative post. I've been working on an informational fiction book so this was particularly helpful.

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  58. Such wonderful mentor texts. Great post Marcie. Thank you

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  59. Thanks, Marcie, for this wonderful list of informatitonal fiction, and breaking your examples down further. I may have to try first person POV as I loved those examples, but I was especially drawn to the humor in your first examples. The Very Impatient Caterpillar had me laughing out loud, even with repeat readings, and the ending was spot-on perfect!

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  60. Great examples of informational fiction, thanks. I really think writing non-fiction within fiction or a story is the way to get kids interested in the topic and the way to get the information to stick in one's head. All those images! I certainly learned a lot about the topics from reading these books and wish I could afford to buy all of them.

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  61. Thanks, Marcie, for this varied and interesting list of books on informational fiction. The selections with the humorous voice really add to the enjoyment of reading NF. I can see how children would be drawn to these. The ones more serious in tone are beautifully crafted. [In case I come up as 'unknown' again, this is LouAnn Silva.]

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  62. Such great examples of ways to write common subject matter with a fresh perspective. Thanks!

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  63. This was such a timely post for me, Marcie, as I have been looking for good mentor texts for my informational fiction picture book. I too have written several stories for future picture books from a 1st person POV. I look forward to reading and reviewing these books so I may grow as a writer. Thank you, Cindy, for adding these titles to a list in our Facebook group. I didn’t know this list existed as I am new to this group.

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  64. Thank you for sharing this great list. I love Sea Bear. Just read the very impatient catipillar and can't wait to dig into the rest.

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  65. I'm working on a nonfiction idea and debating the structure and non-fic versus informative fiction. It's great to have mentor texts to look at and compare!

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  66. Thanks for this wonderful list and for the category breakdown. Have been wanting to learn more about informational fiction, so looking forward to diving in!

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  67. Thanks for sharing your list. I love writing informational fiction. My Happy Year by E. Bluebird might be a good mentor text for me.

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  68. Great list of mentor texts. I can't wait to dive in.

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  69. I love the examples of informational fiction. This is a great approach!

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  70. Thank you; this is a great list of books!

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  71. Thank you for this post. I was not aware of all these brilliant informational fiction books written from the 1st person POV.

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  72. Marcie, thank you for this excellent post. I love informational fiction and have read most of the books you shared. I can't wait to read more!

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  73. Did not get to the readings today so will double up tomorrow. Thanks for these. I'm a big fan of humor as a teaching tool.

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  74. This post is so helpful and I'm going to read all of these mentor texts that you posted as it is a nonfiction style that I want to try.

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  75. Just got back from vacation and am getting ready to dive into some of these. Thanks!

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  76. I wasn't able to get "Sylvia's Bookstore," however I did pick up another of his books, "Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea," a book about Marie Tharp. It was excellent! Not only the writing, but the mere fact that she is an unsung heroine. "Sea Bear" was also very evocative;I enjoyed the mother bear's POV which gave such heart to the environmental challenges without being brazen or over the top. My absolute fave is "Impatient Caterpillar" as it was lighthearted, informative and funny. Definitely a mentor text for me! PS Another informational text I read (not on this list) was "Yucky Worms" by Vivian French--informative, funny and multi-layered.

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    1. Oh yes! I'd forgotten that Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea is 1st person.

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  77. What a terrific post and wonderful mentor texts. Thank you!

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  78. Thanks for giving the idea of inanimate objects providing the POV

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  79. I enjoyed My Happy Year! Thanks for sharing these. They gave me ideas about how to use this technique to revise a story that has been languishing in my file cabinet.

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  80. Thank you for a great list!

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  81. I love the unique perspectives in these titles. Flower Talk by Sara Levine may also fall into this category...

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    1. Yes, I think so. If I remember correctly, the flowers are talking.

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  82. Thank you for such wonderful information on this fascinating format which kids will be sure to enjoy. It's easier to teach them when they have smiles on their faces! I appreciated the organization of your material and ideas also. It will prove quite helpful with a piece I have been working on.

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  83. Great list of mentor texts--thank you!

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  84. I have to be honest these were not my favorite. I think I like fluffy bunnies and rainbows. Although I understand the topic need to be represented in picture books.

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  85. Chrisynthia CasperMarch 3, 2020 at 8:57 PM

    I have to be honest these were not my favorite. I think I like fluffy bunnies and rainbows. Although I understand the topic need to be represented in picture books.

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  86. As a NF writer, I enjoy the informational fiction format. I need to find some of the books on the list that my library didn't have.

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  87. I love informational fiction. Thanks for a few new-to-me recommendations here!

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  88. Marcie, this is a great list of mentor texts, with so much range. I'm working on a humorous one right now, and some of these are perfect! Thank you.

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  89. Thanks Marcie for such a great post! I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to figure a structure for my latest ms. And there it is.... informational fiction! Perfect! 😊 And I just love Are We Pears Yet?

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  90. Such lovely and thoughtful selections. Thanks so much for sharing, Marcie!

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  91. So many ways to share nonfiction! My students love the humor in "The Very Impatient Caterpillar" and I love that they learn about being patient and about the life cycle of butterflies. My Happy Year was new to me but I like how Paul Meisel used a simple diary format to share fact about bluebirds.

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  92. Thanks for sharing what specifics you look for when analyzing texts. This helps to create a checklist of things to note when reading new texts, especially nonfiction.
    -Ashley Congdon

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  93. Informational fiction and finding a unique structure is so helpful in defining how I write. Stonewall: A building, an uprising, a revolution, from two stables built in the 1840s POV, reflected changes within a community over time. In addition, Rob Sanders' use of photographs, interview, short history, and resources, allows the reader to view and feel the buildings' lives. Thank you, Marcie.

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  94. I love Moon Earths Best Friend! Such a happy book and I enjoy the first person pov confident and sassy Moon! Another infirmational book I like, different in style, is An Egg is Quiet by Diana Aston

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  95. I've heard this called "Ficinformational" writing. I know my K's love it and so do I. Thanks for the look into the structure.

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  96. This is a great book list with so much variety in subject matter and tone. It strikes me how different these books are from the dry, fact-centric nonfiction texts available when I was a child. If I'd had these texts, i would have found science and history much more interesting. Thanks Marcie.

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  97. Such a fun list, and thank you for breaking down the different categories. It's interesting how so many of these feature first person POV- something to experiment with!

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  98. I love the humour in 'The Very Impatient Caterpillar', and the way Moon's story in 'Moon: Earth's Best Friend' is told in ways that will specifically resonate with children, such as 'playing eclipse'. A great post - thank you!

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  99. oh my gosh, I love this post and list of books. Thanks so much, Marcie.

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  100. This is right up my alley for one of my stories. I like that line between truth and fiction. It adds a layer of critical thinking to the book discussion.

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  101. Thank you, Marcie, for this great list of informational fiction. I've been hesitant to jump into nonfiction but do love this structure.

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  102. Great books Marcie! And your part of Laura Renauld's Debut Review challenge and I'm looking forward to reading YOUR BOOK!!!

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  103. Thank you! I have recently learned about the difference between nonfiction and informational fiction. I enjoyed reading the range of informational fiction books and discovering which type I might be drawn toward writing.

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  104. My 2 previous attempts to comment didn't load, so hopefully this does the trick. ;) Love these fictional information texts. So engaging and fun to read.

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  105. I am definitely going to have to look these books up. They sound great. Thanks for the post.

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  106. These texts and your post helped me so much with a MS that has been giving me difficulty lately. Thank you!

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  107. Thanks for recommending other books in addition to the mentor texts. Will be adding those to my list this month. Thanks so much for the great post.

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  108. A lot of these stories has A LOT going on- humor, multi-faceted characters, factual information, story arcs, plot, etc. Great mentor texts for this kind of story telling!

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  109. It is great to have a proper "category" for informational fiction! Thanks!

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  110. So much to learn from in this post! Thank you! Love digging into these and learning. My new fav is the Very Impatient Caterpillar.

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  111. I love the humorous examples you selected for this post. I'll definitely be taking a closer look at those. Thanks, Marcie!

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  112. These are fantastic and exactly what I needed. I'm surprised I only knew half of them. Thanks!

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  113. Thank you, Marcie! I love the idea of writing informational books from an inanimate object's POV. Now to check out those books you mentioned...

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  114. Thank you for exposing me to some new books!

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  115. This technique offers many nonfiction writers another 'way into' their stories--for that, I am grateful. Thanks for the great post, Marcie!

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  116. This is a great post! I'm inspired by several of these examples, to experiment on the structures on my WP. I only wish I had these choices when I was younger!

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  117. Timely post for me as my latest draft ms is informational fiction. Thank you.

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  118. Wonderful term: Informational fiction. Enjoyed reading this post for the mentor texts highlighted and the information and tips given.

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  119. This post has given me an idea for POV for an informational text I struggled with to find a voice. Thank you.

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  120. These are such great examples. I love that this blog comes on the heels of my participation in NFFest which was awesome. This kidlit community is the best!

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  121. I particularly loved Sea Bear & Stonewall, and I enjoyed reading several others on the list, too. Thanks for sharing them and for the reminder to play with POV when trying to convey facts in a unique and enjoyable way.

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  122. Fantastic post, Marcie! I've studied a few of these in a comedy class with Cate Berry. Love them! Now you have me even more excited to take Rob Sanders' class!

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  123. Thanks, Marcie. As always, I learn a lot from you!

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  124. Thank you, Marcie, for these informational fiction books. They've got me thinking how I could write a book in this way. Particularly liked 'My Happy Year by E. Bluebird'!

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  125. This is a fabulous list of mentor texts, and I'm particularly interested in the lyricism of the last one" MY MIGHTY JOURNEY. Thanks for your insights and guidance- getting ReFoReMo off to a strong start!

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  126. I love so many of these titles! Great list!

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  128. Thank you for sharing examples of informational fiction books! I can't wait to read them!

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  129. I love the idea of using dialogue to impart facts and information! Have been searching for a structure for an idea that has been haunting me for 2 years now, and have just found it! :D

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  130. 'The very impatient caterpillar' is one of my favorite books. It seems like a conversation we have with our little ones, lol! Thank you for the awesome list. Look forward to reading more.

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  131. This is great - so many authors are bringing inanimate objects to life with perfection.

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  132. Super informative and applicable to a ms I am working on! Thank you so much, Marcie!

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  133. Thank you for this outstandingly "informative" post! I'm familiar with some of these books but not all. I can't wait to check them all out.

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  134. Thank you for this helpful post!

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  135. Thank you! Wonderful examples and the breakdown of categories is very helpful. So interesting to see how different authors approach informational fiction (and to learn the term for this genre as well).

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  136. Read Moon:Earth's Best Friend! What a clever way to teach about these two friends!

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  137. OMG Marcie, thank you so much! This is perfect for a story I wanted to work on this weekend. Time to hit the library!

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  138. Thanks for explaining informational fiction! And I really appreciate the stories written in first POV. This can be tricky to do, and my current WIP is in first POV, so I had a lot of great mentor texts from this selection to study!

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  139. I have a manuscript I"m stuck on that calls for informational fiction. I may use these as mentor texts to get another chance at revising it.

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  140. These are such great texts, Marcie. Thanks for highlighting them here.

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  141. Catching up on a Saturday morning with some great reads. The POV books were very good reads!

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  142. This is a dangerous post for me, so many wonderful titles that are new to me and I want to buy them all. Thank you for the wonderfully curated list and thoughtful commentary on how to use these books as mentor texts.

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  143. I love informational fiction and truly enjoyed Marcie's post!

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  144. What a terrific selection of books. Thank you so much!

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  145. Lots of new books I haven't read yet! Thank you for sharing these Informational Fiction titles.

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  146. There are a couple on this list that are going to be a great help with a current WIP. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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  148. What a great post, Marcie! Thank you for these great mentor texts. I really enjoyed them!

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  149. Thank you Marcie for this list and your notes. Nonfiction hs always seemed overwhelming. I like this approach which incorporates fiction to tell the story.

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  150. Great post! I've read about half of these and getting the rest from the library.
    (I tried commenting from the airport the other day, but I don't think the couple times I tried every went through.)

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  151. Thank you for sharing these books that highlight different techniques for telling a story!

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  152. Thank you. I love science and i love fiction so this is truly a great list.

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  153. Really liked the juxtaposition between the books today. All factual, but the difference between the humorous presentations and the more somber is stark. It's very jarring to go from "Pluto" to "Sea Bear"... Well picked -- definitely made me think!!

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  154. I love science related picture books and the idea of blending non-fiction with a bit of fiction and humor is perfect. Some other books I have enjoyed that take on non-fiction topics include Miranda Paul's Nine Months, and Jason Chin's The Grand Canyon. These are difficult topics to share with students that they did wonderfully. Thank you for the list, it was a great way to explore the differences between presentations.

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  155. Thank you for pointing out the different techniques that each book uses.

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  156. Thank you. These are some great examples.

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  157. I've been doing my own deep dive into informational fiction so this is very helpful. Thank you.

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  158. Informational fiction is probably my favorite to read and write. Unfortunately, 5 of your recommended books were not at my library, so I will search online. But I absolutely LOVED Pluto Gets a Call. Sooo good!

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  159. Such fun information on these pages. Thanks so much for sharing, Marcie!

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  160. Thank you so much for the suggested reading, Marcie!

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  161. Using humour to teach true facts is such a great combination!

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  162. I’m naturally drawn to humorous stories. Thank you Marcie, for the reminder that stories with a serious tone can still have underlying humor!

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  163. What gifts these books are to readers! In an age when children are so used to being 'entertained', these books, especially the ones written with a humorous tone, are great examples of how much fun it can be to learn from reading a well-written PB! Fabulous mentor texts to which I will continue to refer. Thank you, Marcie.

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