Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children's Book Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing

“Each essay in Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep feels like sitting down to have a cup of coffee with a good friend. Each author opens up about their process, their craft, their truth. This book will challenge your every conception about what nonfiction writers do and how they do it. Reading this book will transform what and how you teach nonfiction writing, making it a book you will return to time and time again.” — Shana Frazin, Co-Director of Classroom Libraries and Senior Staff Developer, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Columbia University

“These essays reinforced the idea that exploring something outside of ourselves, digging deep into the content but also into the emotional response that it elicits within ourselves, is an experience worth revisiting time and time again (if you're a reader) or sharing with others (if you're a writer).” —Katie Carr, elementary ELA curriculum specialist

In Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, some of today’s most celebrated writers for children share essays that describe a critical part of the informational writing process that is often left out of classroom instruction. 

To craft engaging nonfiction, professional writers choose topics that fascinate them and explore concepts and themes that reflect their passions, personalities, beliefs, and experiences in the world. By scrutinizing the information they collect to make their own personal meaning, they create distinctive books that delight as well as inform. 

In addition to essays from mentor authors, the book includes a wide range of tips, tools, teaching strategies, and activity ideas from editor Melissa Stewart to help students (1) choose a topic, (2) focus that topic by identifying a core idea, theme, or concept, and (3) analyze their research to find a personal connection. By adding a piece of themselves to their drafts, students will learn to craft rich, unique prose. 

Featuring essays by Sarah Albee, Chris Barton, Donna Janell Bowman, Mary Kay Carson, Nancy Castaldo, Jason Chin, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Seth Fishman, Candace Fleming, Kelly Milner Halls, Deborah Heiligman, Susan Hood, Gail Jarrow, Lita Judge, Jess Keating, Barbara Kerley, Heather Lang, Cynthia Levinson, Michelle Markel, Carla Killough McClafferty, Heather Montgomery, Patricia Newman, Elizabeth Partridge, Baptiste Paul, Miranda Paul, Teresa Robeson, Mara Rockliff, Barb Rosenstock, Laura Purdie Salas, Anita Sanchez, April Pulley Sayre, Steve Sheinkin, Ray Anthony Shepard, Anita Silvey, Traci Sorell, Tanya Lee Stone, Jennifer Swanson, Stephen R. Swinburne, Don Tate, Laurie Ann Thompson, Pamela Turner, Patricia Valdez, Sandra Neil Wallace, Laurie Wallmark, Jennifer Ward, Carole Boston Weatherford, Lee Wind, Paula Yoo, and Karen Romano Young.

Seeking to address the "critical gap in nonfiction writing instruction," Stewart has compiled thought-provoking essays by 50 children's nonfiction writers. Dispelling the notion that nonfiction writing is just a retelling of fact, author Candace Fleming says, "I am a storyteller, not a fact teller. And the true tales I write spring directly from my experiences, passions, heartbreaks, obsessions, fears, quirks, curiosities, beliefs, desires." Other writers share their personal connections and passions for their subjects, emphasizing their extensive research. Each of the book's three sections, "Choosing a Topic," "Finding a Focus," and "Making It Personal," begins with an introductory essay, followed by 17-18 essays; a Teacher Timesaver Table quickly breaks down the grade level, format, content area, and highlights of the essays, and instructional strategies are included in each section. Though the contributors here mostly write for a younger audience (kindergarten through eighth grade), the insights are more likely to resonate with an older audience. High school teachers could share the accounts with their students, but teens may not be interested in learning how picture book writers found inspiration. Still, with some modifications, educators working with younger people might find this useful-and might enjoy the essays themselves. While there is some diversity among the writers included, the overwhelming majority are white. VERDICT An additional purchase where educators are looking for insight into teaching the nonfiction writing process.-Laura Fields Eason, Danville H.S., KYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Melissa Stewart has written more than 180 science books for children, including the ALA Notable Feathers: Not Just for Flying, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen; the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor title Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis; and Can an Aardvark Bark?, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Steve Jenkins. 

She coauthored 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children's Books (forthcoming) and grades K-2 and 3-5 editions of Perfect Pairs: Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science. Stewart maintains the award-winning blog Celebrate Science and serves on the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators board of advisors. Her highly regarded website features a rich array of nonfiction writing resources.