A Look at Two Different Types of Non-Fiction Books For Kids

Eleanor Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport
Eleanor Quiet No More successfully addresses and describes Eleanor Roosevelt’s life and accomplishments. This story is geared towards children in elementary school but can be read by older children and adults. The author and illustrator worked hard to bring this story to life by researching her life. You can even see how dedicated the illustrator was by looking at the details in his pictures. These paintings convey thoughts and feelings of the characters and represent the past. His pictures work well with the text. Some of the text in this story includes important quotes which are enlarged on the pages. Larger font permits children to focus on these statements and remember those that seem important or carry meaning. There are also borders along the pages with text. In some of the illustrations Eleanor is highlighted in brighter colors especially when she is laughing or when she has reached her aspirations.
Although I had some background knowledge on Eleanor’s life I was unaware of how much she helped people across the world during the war. This book describes Eleanor’s life without being too wordy as some biographies are. For this reason, children may be interested in learning about her life.

Animals at the Edge: Saving The World’s Rarest Creatures by Jonathan Baille and Marilyn Baille
Just by glancing at the cover, I was drawn into reading Animals at the Edge. On the cover of this book, a small animal with large eyes and cute little feet stares right back at you. When you open the pages of this book, you can admire the rare and unique animals that live across the world. This story teaches readers a little bit about many different animals and gives them information on how scientists are working to save them.
I really liked the organization of this book. There are differences between how each page is designed but they all include text within boxes, borders, pictures, and colorful font. There are “Did You Know?” bubbles as well as a “Note” book box. The bubble and the “Note” book box help to engage the reader. There are also rhetorical questions that promote deeper thinking.
Just the right amount of information is given about each animal and children may be inspired to look for additional information elsewhere. The fact that this book introduces you to the scientists instead of just saying “scientists study this animal” makes this book more personal and relatable. It is good for children to put faces to people and understand what a scientist might study.