A Brief History of Informational Series

Essential Elements in Information Books

The Importance of Using Information Books in the Primary Grades

Examples and Comparisons of Primary Information Series Books

Planets

Animals

Pioneer Studies

Conclusion

Examples and Comparisons of Primary Information Series

Animals

Animal research is a typical early project for young students. Students from kindergarten on up enjoy reading about different types of animals and looking at the fascinating pictures that have become available in recent years. For this section, I have chosen three books from different series that offer accurate information in different formats.

I Love Guinea Pigs by Dick King Smith copyright 1995 published by Candlewick Press is part of the Read and Wonder series. As mentioned in the history of informational books, Candlewick Press was a very successful picture book publisher when it decided to venture into nonfiction books for young children using a similar format that they used for the picture books. It was felt that informational books for children could be read-alouds much like pictures books if they were treated in the same manner. I Love Guinea Pigs is an example of this style.

School Library Journal refers to this book as having "pleasantly informative tidbits on their history, care and feeding" but also states that for a more serious study of the guinea pig that students should seek other sources. This book differs from most informational books about animals because it has no photos but rather uses drawings to move the story. Text is limited on each page and interesting facts are often outside the general text of the story in a corner of the page. Accurate general information is given including a history of the animal and the story is written in the first person. Informational books of this type are useful in introducing a topic to children or in developing an interest but lack the in depth information found in many other books written for this age group.

Another new series in this area is the See More Readers series by Seymour Simon. The book to be discussed is Wild Bears with a copyright of 2002 by Sea Star Books. This book follows the style of other Simon series but is written at a level that will reach younger readers. Sentences are simple and there are only a few per page written in large text. The information is straightforward and accessible to young children. Spectacular pictures sweep across two pages and text is superimposed over the picture. Kirkus Reviews states the book is written to appeal to both young and older less able readers due in part to the type of facts he includes to hook the reader. In this book, Simon writes about sloth bears, their space between their front teeth and how this aids them when feeding on termites. This book is full of interesting facts about many types of bears. It does not include an index, glossary, bibliography or recommended readings foresters. Pages do not have chapter titles. Unusual words are not highlighted. Despite these omissions, the book is a good source and interesting reading for young children.

Bridgestone Books produces The Wild World of Animals Series. Beavers Big-Toothed Builders by Jody Sullivan was published in 2003. The books in this series meet many of the needs teachers stated were important to them. A Table of Contents is available and on each two-page spread one can find a picture on one side of the page and a chapter heading and limited information presented in large text. A hands-on activity is available as well as an index, glossary, recommended readings and websites. On first glance this book appears to have all the necessary elements. However, on closer inspection, one notes that the pictures are not nearly as exciting as those found in the Simon book and the information is very basic. Fun Facts in the corners of the picture pages liven the text a bit and difficult words are sometimes located in the lower corner of the text page. Overall, the series is somewhat interesting but doesn't pack the overall impact of the Simon series. The format used in this series is seen more frequently in the newer information books and was a favorite of some teachers looking for books to help children with their research projects.