Whilst trying to think
up a different way to welcome you back to I.N.K., I thought you might like to
hear a secret inside writing tip from a famous editor. She once told me that when
writing nonfiction books, you should begin by saying something of specific
interest to your readers that cries out for immediate attention. OK……....all of your cars have been stolen.
Noooooo!! That’s not right AT ALL! We actually DO have news you can use this
season—a new series of blogs that are of specific interest to you.
Our I.N.K. bloggers couldn’t help but notice that our two most popular topics are lists of cool books, and anything to do with the Common Core State Standards. Alert the media, ladies and gentlemen, because with that in mind, here’s the drill so far:
Our I.N.K. bloggers couldn’t help but notice that our two most popular topics are lists of cool books, and anything to do with the Common Core State Standards. Alert the media, ladies and gentlemen, because with that in mind, here’s the drill so far:
1) Every month except
this one, a single blogger will discuss a specific and (of course) 100% spellbinding
new topic that showcases the very best nonfiction books in a particular category. And at the end of each month, a list of these books will be compiled and posted in a permanent Recommended
Book List on its own page.
BUT! In hopes of
starting September off with a bang, each of our bloggers will write about this season's first recommended-books topic: Life-Changing
Nonfiction: Past and Present. This month you’ll discover all kinds of surprising tales about nonfiction books that
actually changed our authors’ lives when they were kids. Then each author will
spotlight newer books related to the ones they loved before. And beginning on
September 30, all of these books will be posted in our Recommended Book List.
2) In October, we've decided
to devote each of our posts to the Common
Core State Standards. Since we’re all so incredibly different
from each other, everyone will present a different take on this subject. Look out for just about anything, from highly
specific lesson plans to scholarly contemplations of a particular CCSS standard
to discussions addressing educators’ concerns about implementing and testing these
nonfiction standards in schools. So please be sure to chime in.
Uh-oh. Now I’ve just
about filled my allotted space and I still have to talk about nonfiction I used to read
as a kid that changed my life. Right now I can conjure up a whole armload of
fiction that I loved back in the day, but nonfiction? I must be reeeeallly ancient because the only nonfiction we ever read in the olden days was a bunch
of atrocious book report bios that were dry as dust and full of lies and
platitudes about famous people.
Unless you include the
World Book Encyclopedia, that is. I cannot tell a lie - I actually used to sit around and memorize it, even as a young
kid. And I particularly
loved the pictures; a certain complicated painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
come to mind, as do some hideous cars of the future, cutaway views of sailing ships, photos
of tropical fish and tarantulas, flags from around the world, and the later transparent
plastic overlays that showed what’s inside the human body.
Of course I can’t help
but put this vast collection to regular use in the nonfiction books I write and
illustrate, and the very first one of them is right here:
How We Crossed the West:
The Adventures of Lewis and Clark.
I used a zillion sources
as research for this book, just like the World Book Encyclopedia did. Besides
the words I wrote, the encyclopedia also taught me to make sure every picture I painted was as
accurate as humanly possible—the famous faces, the soldiers’ uniforms, the
different ways the Indians dressed and the dwellings where they lived, the ever-changing
scenery, the explorers' wintertime fort, everyone’s different weapons and boats,
and all of the wildlife along the way had to be just right.
OK…..that’s my
small contribution to the list. Now I’m done, and we all hereby place our hands upon our hearts, salute the flag, and cordially invite you to stay
tuned.
6 comments:
I can't recall reading much nonfiction as a child either, but I sure loved my Grandmother's encyclopedias. They were in her bedroom, and when we were kids, we would spend hours reading them. I still adore reference books of all kinds and encyclopedias, even on the Web. With the hard copy books, there was such magic to just opening the page and starting to read.
I look forward to reading your Lewis and Clark book, as well as checking out the upcoming CCSS posts in October. We had a set of Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedias when I was growing up. To this day, when my mom doesn't know the answer to something, she jokes, "Look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls."
My grandparents got National Geographic and I used to love to look through those magazines while enjoying the other magic thing in their home (and not mine)--ginger ale.
This is greatly needed. The average American child spends less than 4 minutes a day reading nonfiction. (Ed. Leadership, Dec., 2012).
Roz, I read the encyclopedia, too...we had the World Book set. And we looked up words in the dictionary on a regular basis. I still can't bring myself to part with the old dictionary my father gave me, though I never use it.
I read the encyclopedia too. My family had two versions, my parents had one set (World Books) and my grandparents had the other (Encyclopedia Britannica - I think that was the name). I loved to cross reference a subject by reading both. I also devoured biographies, from scientists to historical figures to actors - especially comedians.
Thanks Roz for opening INK's new season so beautifully.
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