Test Your Wings: Non-fiction Books for Young Readers

As an educator, I have found that students, specifically elementary students (K-5), are getting turned on by non-fiction books. Children are naturally curious about the world. The best way to take advantage of that curiosity is to provide young people with stories about real heroes past and present, and help them to discover the world around them.

Kingfisher Publications and the New York Times have announced an agreement to publish a line of non-fiction books for young readers ten to fourteen years of age. I would like to take that one step further: what we also need are non-fiction books published for children four to nine years of age. And, also for children in the K-3 grade levels because at this stage in their reading development, their minds are absorbent little sponges. Even at this young age, they enjoy anything that has to do with current affairs, science, technology, culture, sports, design, and food as these are all areas to which they can relate.

It is important to foster curiosity about the world among young people. Publishers are beginning to recognize the importance of the non-fiction genre as it applies to the educational process. I am encouraged both as a teacher and as a writer to see Kingfisher Publications (a Houghton Mifflin Co. imprint) and the New York Times embarking on such a noteworthy, and I know profitable, venture. The line of non-fiction books for young readers (10-14 year olds) will be launched in early 2006.

There is an untapped market for writers. The non-fiction, young reader genre is a great writing opportunity for all of you children and young adult, literature writers to test your wings and fly.   

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