Ten of the Best: ‘Lyrical’ Non-Fiction Books
‘Lyrical’ non-fiction refers to those early information titles which push at the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction and support children’s first steps into new knowledge and understanding. The best lyrical non-fiction titles, like those in Walker Books’ ground breaking ‘Read and Wonder’ series, are based on meticulous research but have an authorial voice that shares rather than insists. Often in story form and using imagery, alliteration and rhythmic language, these books help children wonder and care as they read and learn. In the best of these titles, pleasing page design and typography combine with illustrations that are in harmony with a poetic narrative.
Insect Detective
Steven Voake, ill. Charlotte Voake, Walker, 978 1 4063 1651 1, £11.99, hbk and 978 1 4063 2809 7, £5.99 pbk
If, like me, you are disappointed to hear a knee jerk ‘Urrgh’ when children see a mini beast, you will appreciate this book which celebrates the beauty and variety of insects in their habitats. The gentle watercolour illustrations show the details children like. A conversational text inspires outdoor observation, drawing and writing as well as much lively talk. (3-5)
Think of an Eel
Karen Wallace, ill. Nick Bostock, Walker Books ‘Read and Wonder’ series,
978 1 4063 1202 7, £6.99, pbk. (Now relaunched in the ‘Nature’s Storybooks’
series in a book and CD set.)
Children love a mystery and here we learn that no-one has seen a wild eel lay eggs or an eel egg hatch. Luminous pictures show eels constantly transforming during their long journey across oceans and rivers. There is a poetic harmony between picture and written text: ‘Eels feed mainly at night’ swirls round an atmospheric picture of an eel emerging from the water onto a moonlit river bank. Since its publication in 1993 countless children have been inspired to question and wonder, and above all to care about this mysterious and fascinating creature. (5-8)
T. Rex
Vivian French, ill. Alison Bartlett, Candlewick Press ‘Read, Listen and Wonder’, 978 0 7636 4192 4, £6.99 pbk
A question and answer approach is used skilfully in this information story about a young boy’s visit to a dinosaur exhibition with his grandfather. The engaging illustrations and the grandfather’s speculative rhyming responses to the boy’s questions (‘we don’t really know. It was millions and millions of years ago…’) make this book a must have. (5-8)
Help Me!
Paul Geraghty, Andersen Press, 978 1 8493 9027 9, £5.99 pbk
Atmospheric pictures show the realities of the African Savannah and a touching account tells of real events and draws on what is known about animal behaviour. What happens when a tortoise slips and is in great danger…? (5-8)
Ice Bear
Nicola Davies, ill. Gary Blythe, Walker Books, 978 1 4063 1304 8, £6.99 pbk
Young readers are taken on an absorbing journey through the frozen arctic landscape. The well pitched text and atmospheric illustrations are underpinned by the authority of the author’s standing as a zoologist. Large print takes us through the seasons in a beautiful but harsh environment, while smaller print which undulates across the page gives extra facts about the bear as survivor and ruthless hunter. (5-8)
Window
Jeannie Baker, Walker Books, 978 0 7445 9486 7, £5.99 pbk
An image of a mother and baby looking out at a wild and beautiful landscape begins this wordless picture book. Time passes and we are shown the baby, now a young father, holding his own child and looking out at what is left of the wilderness after years of development. The author makes us care about the likelihood that the only wilderness available to our descendants will be in national parks and nature reserves. As in Jeannie Baker’s other picture books, the illustrations are photographs of her distinctive collages using bark, grasses, earth and fabric. (Baker’s visual storytelling is also powerful and moving in her latest book Mirror – two young boys grow up in different cultures but some things are universally valued – not least the warmth of family relationships.) (6+)
Nature Adventures
Mick Manning and Brita Granström, Frances Lincoln, 978 1 8478 0088 6, £12.99 hbk
Does poetry sometimes deserve a place in a children’s science book? Yes. As these author/illustrators show, the eye of the poet is often as scrutinising as a scientist’s. Here are apt quotations from nature poems to entrance and to complement copious scientific information. The authorial voice draws in young readers and hand lettering imparts facts in a personal, confiding way. Pictures, in pencil and watercolour of varying size are a hugely important source of detailed information. The book combines lyricism with some conventional features of non-fiction and is clearly organised under headings like ‘In the town’, ‘Field and hedgerow’ and ‘Through the seasons’. Technical terms – ‘carnivore’, ‘diurnal’, and ‘metamorphosis’ – are well explained in the glossary. (7+)
If the World Were a Village
David J Smith, ill. Shelagh Armstrong, A & C Black, 978 0 7136 6880 3, £6.99 pbk
‘What we need is not just facts, but a way of looking at the world that tells the story truthfully’ (David Smith, 2002:31). How can children picture the lives and circumstances of the more than 6.7 billion people in our world? David Smith raises issues to do with economics and cultural diversity in a way that helps young people begin to understand by relating them to a village of just 100 people. Nationalities, Languages, Schooling and Literacy, Money and Possessions are amongst the sections which organise the book. When children read that ‘only 34 out if the hundred people always have enough to eat’ the appeal is to heart as well as mind and vibrant pictures with a strong line add substance. The opening invitation is lyrical indeed: ‘Go down into the valley and walk through the gates. Dawn is chasing away the night shadows. The smell of wood smoke hangs in the air. A baby awakes and cries.’ Original, brilliant and sometimes heart rending. (9+)
My Uncle’s Dunkirk
Mick Manning and Brita Granström, Franklin Watts, 978 0 7496 9342 8, £7.99 pbk
These author/illustrators have perfected the lyrical biography for children. Teachers will know their lively ‘Fly on the Wall’ information stories and the much praised war stories based on family history – Tail-end Charlie and Taff in the WAAF – all published by Frances Lincoln. But the less well known My Uncle’s Dunkirk, telling of one man’s experience of Operation Dunkirk in World War 2, is particularly poignant. In spite of his silence, the uncle has a treasured store of mementoes like a soldier’s pay book and permits. A simply excellent starting point for children’s history projects. (9+)
Erika’s Story
Ruth Vander Zee, ill. Robert Innocenti, Cape, 978 0 2240 7015 7, £10.99 hbk
A personal ‘voice’ shares with young readers the effect of a terrible period in history on an individual life. As a small baby Erika is thrown from a moving train on its way to a concentration camp. She is found and cared for but there is so much she does not know: her date of birth, her birth name and where she was born. The condensed meanings in the sparely written text make it poetic. But it was the illustrations with their mostly sombre palette that inspired the deepest conversation in a small group of nine year olds. The baby, bundled up in vibrant pink clothes and rosy against a grey background, is shown landing on a grassy bank. A small symbol of hope in a bleak time, they thought. (9+)
Margaret Mallett is an independent researcher and writer about Primary English. Among her publications are Early Years Non-Fiction: A Guide to Helping Young Researchers Use and Enjoy Information Texts (Routledge) and The Lyrical Voice in Non-Fiction: Think of an Eel by Karen Wallace and Mike Bostock (Primary Bookmark The English
Association).