Writing a True Story About Something That Never Happened

The sinking of the Titanic was a heart-breaking disaster that the public couldn't -- still can't -- get enough of. This week, The New York Times has published a number of stories about Titanic coverage one hundred years ago. In 1912, The Times printed special sections of news articles and first-person stories, fueled by competition with The Evening World, and managing editor Carr Van Anda is credited with inventing disaster coverage because of the special section of articles and features the Times put out.

This past Tuesday's Times told of the competition between the Times and The Evening World to get the story of a reporter aboard the rescue ship, Carpathia. The leading papers hired tugboats that raced out to meet Carpathia as she steamed into New York; as the World's tugboat edged alongside, the reporter tossed a bundle into editor Charles E. Chapin's arms. SCOOP!

I learned a bit about the nature of the journalism surrounding the Titanic a few months ago when I began working on a new Humanimal Doodle for the Titanic-themed issue of Odyssey. I began by searching for a Titanic story with an animal in it. There were some pets aboard -- pampered pedigree dogs and cats, of course -- and rats, no doubt. And then there was Rigel.

Rigel (who shared a name with the dog star, which shone that fated night) went overboard along with the lifeboats, and stayed close to one, doing his doggy-paddle. People in the boat called encouragement to him, until, hours after the Titanic went down, they grew too cold to call out to anyone -- including Carpathia sailors searching the dark waters. But Rigel lifted his sodden furry head and barked back, and was credited for saving a boatload of people.

It's a wonderful story that is found among Titanic histories, on the American Kennel Club's Newfoundland breed site, and among collected stories about heroic dogs. But it isn't true. Entirely fictional, according to the experts. So, rather than digging up more of the Rigel story, I was left with the choice of ditching it completely. Instead, I decided to research how Rigel's story had endured for 100 years.

Titanic historian Tim Maltin filled me in on the public hunger for Titanic stories, and the do-or-die attitude of many so-called journalists of the day. Tim started with the scene in the Titanic film that shows the ship's kennel being broken open. "This is based on the fact that there was a cage for passengers' pet dogs on the deck," -- a cage that must have been broken open during the sinking. "A week later, First Class Passenger Johanna Stunke , traveling on the Bremen from New York to Europe, looked over the rail as they were passing through Titanic's wreck site and saw the body of a woman in a nightgown, dead and frozen, with her arms clasped around a shaggy dog." He adds, "And that is not a shaggy dog story!"

But Rigel's definitely was. "In 1912 the press was more sentimental (and less cynical) than it is today. Many myths abounded in the newspapers at the time, again inaccurate but based on fact." One animal that was definitely on board was a toy musical pig whose owner, Miss Edith Russell, grabbed it from her cabin last-minute so she could entertain children in her lifeboat. Later, it was reported that a pig had been rescued, although so many people had died.

What fact was Rigel's story based on? He was a Newfoundland dog, a swimming rescue breed often kept aboard ships in the late 19th century. Newfies have webbed feet, thick, oily coats, the ability to stay thawed in freezing water, and a reputation for courage. What's more, Newfoundland was the nearest land. But maybe most of all the story touched the hearts of those yearning for stories of bravery and sacrifice.

New York Times article about competition for stories.

A Literary Bucket List

Recently we had a houseguest, a great guy—funny, smart, and kind—who had just turned 50. I, myself, am pushing 52. My husband, a few years older.

We are in what I consider the sweet spot: old enough to have gained a touch of wisdom and perspective, but still young enough to pretty much do what we want (with a bit of Advil.)

The world is still basically our oyster.

And yet, my time on this planet does not seem as infinite to me as it did in my 20s. “One day I’ll try that” is more and more becoming “Do it NOW.”

One night at dinner, we got to discussing Bucket Lists. I’ve always liked the idea of one, not so much for the “before you die” part as the “identifying what you REALLY want to do” part. Our houseguest, in fact, has already started writing stuff down.

I haven’t put mine down on paper, yet, though I have a few items in my head. One is a dream I’ve had ever since I was a kid—to go to Holland in the middle of winter and skate and skate and skate down miles of canals. That’s do-able, for sure. Another is to go to Las Vegas at night with all the neon lights lit up in crazy colors. That’s so do-able I’m kinda surprised I haven’t done it yet. Another was, as an adult, to sing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus in a full choir (something I hadn’t done since high school choir class). That one I actually did, a few years back—in one of those holiday community sing-alongs—and discovered that while I used to be an alto, I am now a tenor.

Coincidentally enough, at the same time we had our lovely houseguest, I noticed in the newspaper that coming to Portland, OR, where I live, was Mark Twain himself!!

OK, not quite, but the next best thing: Hal Holbrook’s show, “Mark Twain Tonight!”

If you’re not familiar with the show: the wonderful actor Hal Holbrook (who among other roles played the shadowy figure “Deep Throat” in the movie, “All the President’s Men") has been portraying Mark Twain for years in an old-timey stage show where he imparts, with impeccable timing, Twain’s wisdom and signature wit. (Check out this wonderful clip.)

The first thing I thought when I read the newspaper announcement was, “I’ve always wanted to see that.” The second thought was, “Do it NOW.”

I have a particular connection to Mark Twain as I spent over a year in his fine company while working on The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy.)

And so, I bought a ticket. The show was wonderful, and Mr. Holbrook brought such warmth, humor, and scholarship to the role that it did feel like I was seeing Mark Twain himself.

Seeing “Mark Twain Tonight!” made me realize that in addition to my regular Bucket List, I must have the yen to create a literary one.

And why not?

So now, it’s got me thinking: What other literary experiences do I want? And when I can I start doing them?

The correct answer is: NOW.

Jan Interviews Marlene Targ Brill

For the last thirty years, when spring comes to Missouri, I drive to Warrensburg to attend the Children’s Literature Festival. There over twenty-five authors and thousands of school children, teachers, and parents converge on the campus of Central Missouri State University for a three day marathon of book talks, exhibits of illustrations, and book signings. Many of the authors I’ve met there have become treasured friends. There is time to share our stories, both personal and professional, over good meals and wine. I always look forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. This year I met Marlene Targ Brill, who has had an extraordinary career. She has written over sixty-five books for adults and young readers, most of them non-fiction. Her books have received awards and glowing reviews. She has taken on many subjects from much misunderstood illnesses such as autism and multiple sclerosis to biographies of heroines and heroes, both ordinary folks and famous ones. After talking with her at lunch one day between our sessions with kids, I asked if she would do an interview with me for I.N.K. So here it is with my grateful thanks to Marlene.


How did you begin writing books for children?

I’ve always liked to write and found writing came easily to me, but I didn’t actually think of writing books until I was a teacher of children with special needs. It was the dark ages of special education, and I had to make most materials for my students. I wrote stories for the class, and we created others together. I decided that I enjoyed the process and would love to reach a larger audience. I left education and began life as a freelance writer, writing anything anyone thought I could create. I would say yes to any overture and go home and read how to write it. Some things worked, and some things—well, you can guess the rest of that thought. Hence, my journey to become an author began.

What would you say are the most important elements in terms of writing non-fiction for young readers?

If I understand your question correctly, I believe the most important elements of writing nonfiction for young readers are the same elements that make good writing of fiction: grabber opening, strong character(s), and a compelling story/journey broken down and written in an understandable, informative, and interesting way. I would add accurate research to find wonderful and exciting tidbits that make the story/topic come alive. That goes for both types of writing.

What is the difference between writing historical fiction and non-fiction. Is one more difficult than the other?


I find historical fiction and nonfiction equally difficult/fun in terms of research. While there are different definitions of historical fiction, for my books historical fiction always involves a real young person and a real event that happened in their life. The main difference between writing the two genres involves how the story unfolds. That is, with historical fiction, I have more leeway to add dialogue to move the story along or create a setting that amplifies the point I’m making for the character. With nonfiction, I stick to what I can verify only.

What is your research process?

I was once asked to speak about research, and I was surprised to discover that I indeed have a research process. Who knew? I usually begin with the general, the gestalt, about a topic/character and move toward the specific. What I mean by that is I might start online, say with Wikipedia, or with some encyclopedic overview to get a feel for the topic or time or person and to learn what might be available elsewhere to locate other primary sources. Then I begin investigating the specific details of setting, someone’s life, or historical events. I try to look at a topic from different perspectives. Most important, whenever possible, I dig through primary resources, the fun detective part, as I’ve read many I.N.K. authors do. I travel to places where someone lived, view their homes, schools, places of employment, and interview friends, colleagues, and family members. In lieu of family, I try to track down anyone who knew someone who can give me clues, sometimes at local historical societies or specialty libraries. You get the idea.
How do you choose your subjects?

Essentially, anything that strikes my fancy is fair game for a manuscript. I’ve gotten ideas from vacations, my family, driving along the highway and seeing a double rainbow. I’m easy. But the topics that grab and hold my interest most are those that satisfy one or more of my goals for writing: to make nonfiction fun and enjoyable (Tooth Tales from around the World, the only nf history of the tooth fairy); to write more women and girls into history (Women for Peace, Winning Women in Baseball & Softball, also Ice Hockey, Soccer, Basketball), to build understanding of others who might be different, so people get along better (Autism, Tourette Syndrome); and to empower young readers (Broncho Charlie and the Pony Express, Margaret Knight: Girl Inventor).

Were you able to interview the Obamas? Any interviews that meant a great deal to you?

I wrote the first edition of my Barack Obama book before he was even elected to Congress, so while I didn’t interview family, I was able to find teachers from all his schools, friends, and colleagues who were kind enough to let me interview them. I particularly enjoyed my discussions with Barack’s elementary school teachers at Punahou. They were so proud of him and only had kind things to say. By the time I wrote the update (Barack Obama: President for a New Era) and the biography of Michelle Obama (Michelle Obama: From Chicago’s South Side to the White House), their inner circle was tightly controlled, so I had to be more creative. But being that we were all from Chicago, I was able to track down teachers and work colleagues and political associates using means someone from out-of-state might not have known. For example, one lead came from my doctor. After I told him I was working on MIchelle’s biography, he said he had another patient who worked with her and gave me his number. So much for HIPA—but I was grateful and this contact led to a wonderful interview with a man who was Michelle’s boss on a project with Northwestern University.
Tell us about your most recent book.


My most recent book, Annie Shapiro and the Clothing Worker Strike, is my most personal. Not only is Annie’s story a Chicago story, but Annie was my sister-in-law’s aunt, so research about what people might have thought or said came from family. Hannah Shapiro, Annie to her colleagues, was the 17-year-old Russian immigrant who walked out of a Hart, Schaffner & Marx sweatshop in 1910 because the shop boss lowered pay to keep more for himself. Fifteen coworkers followed. Ultimately, the girls encouraged 40,000 workers from Chicago and Milwaukee to strike, effectively closing down the men’s clothing industry. Annie’s walking out led to organizing that resulted in work changes, new laws, and formation of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union 15 years later. Talk about empowerment to make changes when life is unfair. How cool is that?

What are you working on now?

I have several projects going at once, including ghostwriting vegetarian food recipe and restaurant review columns for the Chicago Tribune. My update of Tourette Syndrome comes out any minute. I’m all over the place and, of course, writing and sending out nonfiction and historical manuscripts.

To learn more about Marlene’s amazing books, please go on her website: www.marlenetargbrill.com

Good Luck/Bad Luck and Books

Next Friday I'll be talking with a very nice group of Pennsylvania librarians. It's Friday the 13th, so I thought I'd chat about the good luck/bad luck aspect of my work. Let's face it, whenever we think things are going along swimmingly, something bad (annoying) crops up. Our editor leaves the publisher; someone forgets to send your book to a particular and possibly important contact that you had suggested; a publisher moves and doesn't bother to tell you (yes, this happened to me, though I thought it more funny than alarming). *
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I'm happy to say I've had more good than bad luck, so this isn't to complain, but rather celebrate these moments. Here's one I'm fond of. I had finished doing the manuscript for The Boys' War and was having trouble figuring out what to do next. I made several proposals and had them all rejected, so I was feeling a little bummed out. Wasn't sure what to do or how to generate a new idea. So I started reading over the firsthand accounts of soldiers (16 yrs. old and younger) who were already in TBW, hoping that something would inspire me (or at least make me feel as if there might be hope that another idea was 'out there' somewhere). *
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Anyway, I was looking over Lt. John Dooley's memoirs when I came across his section on the Battle of Gettysburg, and specifically a mention of a clump of trees. He was to lead a group of soldiers across the long meadow toward the Union lines during Pickett's Charge. He was told to keep moving toward a prominent clump of trees.*
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That's very nice, I thought. And then went on reading. A day or so later, I was reading John Galway's account of Gettysburg where he was an advance picket, stationed about 100 yards in front of the Union lines in the meadow. Okay, I thought. That's a pretty dangerous place to be, especially with the pre-charge artillery barrage that lasted over an hour and then the actual charge. Then he mentioned he was stationed just in front of a clump of trees.*
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Holy cow, as Phil Rizzuto would say. Is it the same clump of trees? I then whipped out a large map of the battlefield and began plotting exactly where each boy's company had been stationed before and during the battle. For two or three days I plotted their every more, marking their various locations on the map. Which was how I discovered that these two boys had come within 100 or so feet from each other during Pickett's Charge. At one point, Dooley mentions approaching an advanced pickett location and ordering his men to wheel to the right to get around it; Galway mentions seeing the charging Confedates about to overwhelm his position (in which most of his companions had already been killed) when suddenly, and for no reason he could fathem, they turned to his left (their right) to get past his position and how he lay there shooting at them at will.*
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This, of course, was too good to be true, so I checked it over and over again and it always came out as true. So I really dug into their march toward Gettysburg and their near meeting. My idea was to show kids that luck (both good and bad), happenstance, seemingly small decisions by a variety of people, and just plain weird stuff landed these two kids within rifle shot of each other. I contructed the entire book on this notion that a major event in history (the Battle of Gettysburg in this instance) doesn't necessarily happen because important folk decide it will. In the end, I hoped readers would come away appreciating just how close the Battle of Gettysburg was and how a few changed factors might have produced a completely different outcome.*
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Historians now refer to this concept as Historical Continguency (or simply Continguency). It's a way to factor in the many big and small random events that sometimes add up to a major, history changing event. It's also a way to let readers -- kids -- see that an individual might very well sway history by what they do, even if they don't know they are swaying history. *
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I chuckle whenever I think about that clump of trees. I never understood exactly when Dooley mentioned the trees behind him, but I always appreciated that he did and that I was lucky enough to pick up on it and fashioned a book around Dooley's and Galway's march to destiny. Anyone else have a lucky encounter that resulted in a positive (book) outcome? I'd love to hear about them.*
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Oh, and Happy Friday the 13th!

Standing Up for the Library

When I was researching Bull's-Eye, my biography of Annie Oakley, I took a trip to Greenville, Ohio, Annie's hometown. It's a sleepy place, about an hour from Dayton, and the main street doesn't look all that different than it did when Annie died there in 1926. Arguably the most imposing building in town was the Greenville Public Library, constructed of Bedford stone and buff-pressed brick with financial help from Andrew Carnegie back in 1903.

Greenville’s library is everything a building that houses a community’s past and nourishes its present and future should be: sturdy, inviting, and a bit regal. I spent many hours there poring over files about Annie and checking my e-mail; this was in 2000, and my motel didn’t have Internet access. More than any other spot I visited in Greenville, the library made me feel connected to Annie and the town.

I’ve been thinking about the Greenville Public Library a lot lately, because the library in my own town, Englewood, New Jersey, has been facing budget cuts that threaten to do serious damage to this vital institution. Our city manager’s original budget called for a 23 percent reduction in the library’s funding, which amounted to over $516,000. Thanks to a large presence of library supporters at every budget meeting, the city council revised the reduction to just over $268,000, or 12 percent. On Wednesday, after a rally on the steps of City Hall, the council gave back $75,000, all but finalizing the cuts at $193,000. Plus the mayor has pledged to donate his $5,000 annual salary to the library this year. (An annual salary of $5,000? Finally, a job that pays less than writing books!)

I attended some of the budget meetings, as well as Wednesday’s rally, which might have been my first mass political gathering since New York’s No Nukes demonstration in 1982. Well, "mass" is a relative term. No Nukes had more than a million people. We had significantly fewer. But as I listened to various people speak about the importance of the library to our community, I flashed back to my days in Greenville. Because in my diverse city, with very wealthy New York City commuters and families of more modest means, the library is once again the place where I feel most connected to my neighbors. In our city of 27,147, the library saw more than 200,000 patron visits last year and offered more than 240 public events. Every month the library schedule lists a rich variety of programs for adults and kids: movies, talks, workshops, technology tutorials, story hours, playgroups. In recent months, I went to a journal-writing workshop given by my former Scholastic colleague, Alexandra Hanson-Harding, and gave my own talk on Wheels of Change.

After my sector of the city lost power in the Nor’easter of March 2010, I headed to the library with my laptop and my research folders to work on a chapter of the aforementioned Wheels. The building was packed, but the librarians were patient and welcoming, plugging power strips into every outlet so the maximum number of people could get online. The same thing happened after the freak Halloween weekend snowstorm of 2011. If anyone needed proof that the library was the heart of our community, that was it.

There’s no denying that our town, like those all across the United States, is struggling in this harsh economic climate, and that the very form and function of the library is evolving as digital devices proliferate. But as author Barbara Kingsolver once wrote (in her book, Animal Dreams), “Libraries are the one American institution you shouldn't rip off.” Our library needs funding not just to remain open, but to remain vibrant. After all, there is no better measure of a community's vitality than its library.

In Your Own Words: What Do You Think?

Like most authors, I remember negative reviews. When the first two books of my Imagine Living Here Series were published back in the early nineties, the reviews were mostly quite positive. But one critic said that the books were “Not good for reports.” It got me thinking; what did that mean? This Place is Cold is about Alaska and This Place is Dry is about the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The adjective that describes each place allowed me to write the books from a point of view: Why is it cold or dry? How does the climate affect the flora and fauna? How does it affect the lifestyle of people? How does it impact the culture –the art, clothing, festivals, etc? In other words, the information about these places was organized around the thesis that the climate had an overriding impact on every aspect of life in these parts of the world. Now let’s imagine the students who have an assignment to do a research papers about Alaska. They go to online and look up the place and get the facts. They list these facts and (ta da!) they’ve produced their reports. It’s possible that many students cut and paste the facts into a report without passing any of it through their own brains. My guess is that my books weren’t deemed worthy for reports because perhaps the unique organization and my “voice” made it difficult to plagiarize as opposed to the “vanilla” writing in reference works.

The Common Core Standards for writing are more concerned with the process of researching and writing than the product. They want students from kindergarten on to: “research to build and present knowledge.” They want students to study how nonfiction authors write and they expect that by third grade, students will “Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).” In other words, students will have to do close reading of a number of sources to prepare to write something in their own words. So the bar for such reports is far higher now than back when my books first came out.

As every scientist, historian, and doctoral candidate knows, you have to formulate a question that your research can answer. But in order to ask a good question, you have to KNOW something. This means that reading a lot is prelude to writing. Reading a lot is also known as research. So there are two stages to research:

1: Reading to educate yourself so you can formulate a thesis.

2. Researching to fill in the blanks so you can articulate your thesis persuasively. This research can include more reading, experiments, interviews, other media, etc.

One of the things we’ve noticed in the Authors on Call pilot program with the Bogert School this year is that the teachers are in a hurry to have the kids write reports. They want to make report assignments almost as soon as they’ve introduced a topic. My interaction with the students was to help them find subjects for reports. It was immediately clear to me that the kids didn’t know enough to ask a meaningful question. They’ve been reading my book What’s The BIG Idea? in their classroom work. This book is about the questions scientists ask that lead to BIG ideas about motion, energy, matter and life. In the introduction, where I define a BIG idea as one for which there is no quick or easy answer, I tell the story of Isador Isaac Rabi (1898-1988) who discovered magnetic resonance—the phenomenon behind MRIs . (He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1944.) He said that he owed his success in science to his mother. Everyday, when he came home from school, she would ask him, “So, what good question did you ask today?”

The Common Core Standards are asking for nothing less than a culture change in education. Where NCLB was focused on answers so kids could do well on high-stakes tests, now we will be focusing on process—how to get students to think critically and creatively, which means asking questions and learning how to do research to get answers. Only then will students be able to speak and write in their own words.

They are going to need our help.

THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: PART 4

My fellow Americans, I wrote about this terrible law three times already, and sure enough, it’s time for number four. Laugh or cry, every one of these posts told about well-intended folks who made American education worse by trying to make it better.

To recap, Part One featured twisted tales and outright lies we told kids to make them honest. Part Two explained how 70’s textbook tales aimed to foster racial and gender equality by turning everyone into model citizens—everyone, that is, except for white males. Part 3 said that when American students were ranked 22nd and 27th in the world in science and math, educators started testing kids like mad and drumming rote facts into their heads in an effort to play catch up. The Unintended Consequence? A nation of bored kids poised to lose their creativity and joy of learning in the process.

So ladies and gentlemen, what new Unintended Consequences have reared their heads this time around? May I present The Technology-will-Save-Us Kitchen Sink Solution. It says that students can use high tech gadgets to find out everything they’ll ever need to know, and here’s how it works:

The vibe is that traditional textbooks are a thing of the past. Despite some publishers’ best efforts, a lot of textbooks are bland, boring, and full of errors, and they promote politically correct agendas that obscure vital but inconvenient truths. Besides that, they’re expensive, they weigh a ton, and they take up way too much space in kid’s lockers.

So what’s the educational wave of the future? Meet South Korea, which boasts the fastest internet speed in the world (the US is ranked 13th). Five years ago, the South Koreans decided they wanted to become the world’s leaders in education, so they swapped their traditional textbooks for digital devices that incorporated all kinds of bells and whistles; high definition videos, embedded assessments, plenty of interactive features, links to a multitude of online sources, and more.

Well now we’re gearing up to do the same thing big-time in the United States. In fact, Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants schools to put digital textbooks into every classroom within the next five years. Apple recently unveiled its interactive digital textbooks for high school math and science, and Discovery Education is featuring cloud-based digital textbooks for K-12 science and middle school social studies.

You can see the advantages right off the bat: Digital textbooks are cheaper than paper ones; kids won’t have to break their backs carrying around a load of books (though maybe they could use the exercise); and you can find loads of material wherever there’s an internet connection.

But what’s the Unintended Consequence? Let’s take a look at what has happened in South Korea during their grand experiment. The surprise is that they have decided to reverse course because the kids are so hooked on all the gadgets that they’re often way too distracted to concentrate on a given subject. And what’s worse, it’s often hard to figure out what’s true and what’s not when you search for material online.

According to a March 25 article in The Washington Post, “At Seoul’s Guil Elementary School, where fifth- and sixth-graders participate in the trial…students toggle between their digital textbook and the Internet, which they use like an encyclopedia for fact-checking and research… On this particular day, students are learning about pinhole cameras — a simple device that captures images upside-down. When teacher Lee Yeon-ji asks her 24 students how the device works, she sends them to the Internet. ‘I think I found something that sounds true,’ one student says.”

What?? They THINK something SOUNDS true? Now there’s the rub. How can students learn the facts by guessing whether or not the material they find online is accurate? If kids are deluged by an ocean of material or distracted by apps that lead them off in dozens of directions, how can they even think straight much less learn anything?

Obviously this method makes cheating easy too. Say a tenth grader has to write an essay about the Civil War, for example. He can scan a bunch of papers online and copy anything he likes. How will the teacher ever know that the report is his?

Look around; kids are already addicted to gadgets anyway. Their attention spans are getting shorter and shorter all the time, even without digital textbooks that spin off in all directions, don’t round out the material in one place, and don’t offer a trustworthy set of interesting facts. Already too many young people can’t sit still and read a great book straight through. What will happen to their comprehension level, sense of direction, and analytical skills if they try to learn by flying through the cloud this way and that every other minute?

I’m definitely not saying that the cloud is evil and that gadgets are bad; we just have to guide the way we use such technologies in schools. Of course there are lots of great ways to learn both on and offline that don’t involve books of any kind, but since books are the focus here, you know exactly where this is going, so here it comes….

What would really help the most as we go forward are fewer distracting bells and whistles and more noses in outstanding nonfiction books. More than almost any paper or digital textbook you can find, nonfiction books allow kids to read and enjoy and learn from an engaging, well-rounded, professionally vetted, totally accurate piece of work that’s all in one place (and is also conveniently connected to the curriculum). Whether online or on paper, the best books can bring subject matter vividly and accurately to life. And in the bargain they can teach kids to concentrate hard and to think things all the way through.

Getting Involved with Learning

I’m sitting at a table in a condo in Whitefish, MT, not far from the Canadian border, on a writing retreat with two writer buddies, Peggy Christian and Jeanette Ingold. Jeanette writes YA contemporary and historical fiction (most recently “Paper Daughter”, about a Chinese American girl whose internship on a Seattle newspaper launches her into a mystery from the past) , and Peggy has written fiction for young people in the past (“The Bookstore Mouse”) and is now developing a blog (Backwoodsandbeyond.com).

At breakfast we pondered Vicki Cobb’s question for us nonfiction Ink Thinkers—what does our writing bring to the table that’s special, that makes us unique, that enriches the material we write about in a special way? As we talked, I realized that it isn’t just us nonfiction writers who uniquely help ‘educate’ our readers about the world—all good writers do the same thing, perhaps sometimes in different ways.

Historical fiction like Jeanette’s (she always aims to make sure that her information is 100% historically accurate) is a particularly obvious example—when Jeanette drops her characters down into a real situation, such as the terrible firestorm that engulfed the mountain west in 1910, in her book, “The Big Burn,” readers come away with an understanding of this event that’s seared into their memories. The characters may be made-up people, but their experiences of the fire are those of real people who went through that terrible time.

What does my nonfiction book, “Fire: Friend or Foe,” give readers that they couldn’t glean from Jeanette’s story? My work may cover some of the same territory, but it offers a broader view of the role of fire in the world. I can step back from a story like the 1910 fires to provide a greater context for that event, and I can help explain the various factors involved when wildfires rage, as well as provide a modern perspective on that fire’s role in shaping America’s attitudes and policies during the 20^th century and into the 21^st.

Perhaps historical fiction offers a way for readers to become more personally involved in a topic they are learning about. In a way, they are participating in the event, and personal involvement helps integrate information into our brains. A student might read “The Big Burn” and become intensely curious about wildfire, then turn to “Fire: Friend or Foe” for more information. It’s great the way fiction and nonfiction can complement each other.

As we discussed this issue, Peggy commented that when their family lived in New Zealand for three years, her sons were taught science totally experientially. For example, teams of fourth grade students were challenged to figure out how to build a raft that would hold the weight of a student crossing the swimming pool from just two long sticks, some garbage bags, and tape. The early designs failed, resulting in lots of dripping wet students, but eventually, the children realized that if they broke the sticks and used the pieces to make a sturdy triangle support for the plastic, the raft would succeed. What better way to show how triangular shapes impart strength and stability?

The members of Authors on Call, the part of Ink Think Tank that consults with teachers via videoconferencing, are partnering with teachers at Bogert School in New Jersey to integrate experiential learning into the curriculum using our books as tools for discovery. In the process, fifth graders created videos demonstrating geological phenomena and in the process came to understand our restless earth in a way they otherwise wouldn’t have; fourth graders created their own book about government that brims with creative touches such as characters speaking their ideas in cartoonlike balloons, which helps emphasize the most important information; and third grade students have exclaimed with wonder about our fascinating solar system by going to the NASA website online to discover information for themselves, rather than just reading facts from a textbook. And that’s just results from the first three author/teacher/student partnerships so far completed. There's more to come!

Creative Nonfiction Doesn’t Always Tell a Story

In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about narrative nonfiction—books that uses scene building, dialog, and other elements borrowed from fiction to tell true stories. But narrative texts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creative nonfiction for young readers.

Here are some examples:

Lyrical nonfiction employs such language devices as alliteration, rhythm, and repetition to infuse prose with combinations of sounds and syllables that are especially pleasing to the ear.

—Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre (illus by Steve Jenkins)

—Lightship by Brain Floca

—Swirl by Swirl: Spiral s in Nature by Joyce Sidman (illus by Beth Krommes)

—The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass (illus by E.B. Lewis)

—Step Gently Out by Helen Frost (photos by Rick Lieder)

—Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart (illus. Constance R. Bergum)

 

Humorous nonfiction makes expert use of sentence structure, unexpected word choices, and puns to craft a voice that has an unmistakably sassy, silly, whimsical, or even irreverent tone.

—Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving and Independent Dames by Laurie Halse Anderson (illus by Matt Faulkner)

—The Truth About Poop by Susan E. Goodman (illus. by Elwood H. Smith)

—See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman (illus. by Elwood H. Smith)

—Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs by Kathleen Kudlinski (illus. by S.D. Schindler)

—What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley (illus. by Edwin Fotheringham)

—Those Rebels, Ton & John by Barbara Kerley (illus. by Edwin Fotheringham)

—What to Expect When You’re Expecting Larvae: A Guide for Insect Parents (and Curious
Kids) by Bridget Heos (illus. by Stephanie Jorisch)

Some creative nonfiction for children is noteworthy for its structure, art, and design rather than its exceptional storytelling or spot-on voice.

—What Would You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

—Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

—Move! by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

—Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed by David Schwartz, Yael Schy, and Dwight Kuhn

—Redwoods by Jason Chin

—Coral Reefs by Jason Chin

When it comes to today’s nonfiction for kids, the creative possibilities are endless. And the news gets even better.

All of these books can serve as great mentor texts for students studying writing. They can help elementary-aged kids:

—develop a better understanding of voice

—improve sentence fluency

—learn how to write for an audience

—understand why including meaningful details and strong verbs is important

And best of all the content of these books can also enhance science and social studies lessons.

"The dog is the noblest work of Art"

Almost midnight. I sit on the sofa, laptop on my lap. Beside me sprawls a big, beautiful, golden-haired dog. His name is Hucks and he is my best buddy. I catch his eye. "How did it get so late?" I ask him. "How could I leave my blog until the last minute?" I sigh. He sighs. He understands. He's been here with me before.

And then I get an idea. "Hey Hucks, maybe I could write about Emily and Carlo? Even though it's cataloged as fiction, it's still a true story, it's thoroughly researched and beautifully written and illustrated, and it's a wonderful introduction to Emily Dickinson's life and poetry, and it's only two days until National Poetry Month...and it's about a DOG!" He cocks his head at me. I can tell he thinks it's a great idea.

Written by Marty Rhodes Figley and illustrated by Catherine Stock in color-drenched watercolors, Emily and Carlo tells the story of the shy poet and her best friend for 16 years, her "shaggy ally," a huge, floppy, slobbery Newfoundland named Carlo. Featuring excerpts from Emily's poems and letters, it's a book about love and friendship ("I started early, took my dog, / And visited the Sea") and eventually, loss ("Carlo died...Would you instruct me now?). Kirkus Reviews called the book "a pleasing little window into Dickinson's life and an invitation to learn more about the fresh-breathed poet from Amherst."

My own shaggy ally is snoring now. I'll take that as a hint and wrap things up. Hucks and I recommend celebrating National Poetry Month by checking out Emily and Carlo. And we agree with Emily, by the way: The dog is the noblest work of Art.

Have Laptop, Will Travel

One of the best things about being a writer is our portability which can incite mobility. Long ago when I was an MFA student at Vermont College, I met a visual arts MFA student who complained about the mighty costs and problems of shipping artworks to the twice-annual residencies. We writers only had to pack our floppy disks.

Nonfiction writers aren’t quite as portable as our fiction-writing cousins. Speaking for myself, my desk is littered with loose papers, file folders bulging with notes and photocopies, books piled high on said papers and stuffed into overflowing bookcases.

But the lure of mobility forced me to rethink my portability a couple of weeks ago when I flew to England to attend the twentieth anniversary retreat of the Kindling Words workshop in the Lake District. Fourteen of us spent a week at a four-star hotel, eating four-course meals each night, walking along the lake, into the woods, and up the hills (but not enough, I fear, to work off those four-course meals.) And, yes, attending workshops and writing.

Though I wasn’t the only nonfiction writer there, many were tapping away on fantasy novels. As they retreated to their imaginary worlds by the fireside in the lounge, I time-travelled back to eighteenth century Revolutionary America, to meet my biography subjects. As others were drawn by guided meditations into the subconscious minds of their protagonists, I tried to do the same, but was interrupted by an annoying voice whispering, “Document your sources.”

Seven writers, headlights shining, about to descend into the subconscious of their protagonists, or was it the Honister Slate Mine?

When the luxurious week was over, I took off for East Yorkshire to visit old friends, including writer Marvin Close, who live by the sea. One of the world’s biggest offshore wind farms will soon arise off the Yorkshire coast, but not soon enough to be pictured in my next book, The Wind at Work, a history of wind energy. So here, instead, is a picture of the beach with dog Libby chasing a seagull.

One evening Marvin arranged an interview at the local radio station, BBC Humberside. The topic of the interview: how a children’s writer from southern California came to be an obsessed fan of English football in general and Chelsea Football Club in particular. I tried to mix it up with writerly talk, but not having many people to discuss football [soccer] with at home, I was happy to talk about the sturm und drang of the current Chelsea season.

Now I’m in London for three months, thanks to my latest travel adventure: home exchanging. Sitting in a top-floor flat in Notting Hill Gate with sun streaming in on all sides -- I brought it with me from LA -- I’ve got several manuscripts in progress, just a few file folders of research, a couple of books, and a brand new card from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Library system. All the comforts of home!

I’m still immersed in the American Revolution, which has a whole different significance from where I sit now. And I’m on the lookout for something to research on the ground here. English football perhaps?

More anon on the joys of portability and mobility.

Non fiction. Non book

Every time I step into my local B&N, I mourn the loss of actual heaping shelves of books. Instead there are lots of games, knick knacks and plenty of room to stand around and admire their Nook reader. For this reason, if I'm in a bookstore and am allowing myself to spend any money at all, I try to buy books. But lo and behold, sometimes the local independent book store or shop or online store has non fiction non books that's actually good stuff.

My favorite children's bookstore in NYC, The Bankstreet Bookstore, has the most amazing, drool worthy, nonfiction section ever. Isn't it a thing of beauty?

I always want to buy books when I go there. But sometimes, the other non fiction non book stuff, which I also can't find anywhere else, draws me in too. I first bought one box of these fun card sets and now I'm up to four (I believe, but I don't want to go count because it might be five). The American Heroes and Legends set is great for getting a little bit of info.on someone and a question that can start a discussion.

At The New York Historical Society gift shop, I picked up two other non fiction non book I hadn't seen anywhere else. One is a set of cards put out by the Library of Congress called "Historical Encounters! A Quiz Deck on World-Changing Events" which are basically a pack of cards which each describe an encounter between two people in history that changed their lives and history as well. Examples include Lennon and McCartney meeting at ages 16 and 15, Jackie Robinson's meeting with Branch Rickey in Brookyn before he signed him with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Sears meeting Roebuck in Chicago in 1887. I wouldn't go so far as to describe the blurb on each card as "a brief, captivating essay" as the authors do on the box itself, but still lots of interesting information here that might easily lead to the desire to do more research.

The NY Historical Society also has terrific post cards and posters of a handsome, beardless A. Lincoln. This would make a great pairing with the children's book about the girl who wrote to Lincoln and suggested he'd look much better with a  beard. Clearly not the best exchange of advice ever given and taken if you look at the photos.

My daughter recently bought me the Teddy shirt from this non fiction non books fabulous hair-storically accurate site. (Yes, I'd also like the Abraham one. Even with the beard.) She has one of the scientists and it was a big hit at her college astronomy society. I will wear mine proudly on the streets of New York and surrounding environs and hope it sparks an interesting conversation, or at least a smile, with another lover of all things non fiction.