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Consider these quotations from two children who are completely different kinds of readers:

“I like nonfiction that has characters and a story that’s a real situation. It really helps me learn without having to read constant facts.” —Flynn, fourth grader

“Reading stories is too stressful. I like books where you just learn information.” —Ashton, fifth grader

Which kind of reader are you? If Flynn’s statement rings true, then you probably prefer narrative nonfiction, which tells a story or conveys an experience. If Ashton’s way of thinking seems more familiar, then you most likely prefer expository nonfiction, which presents ideas and information in a clear, straightforward way that’s scaffolded to gradually build an understanding of the topic.

The pie charts below compare the results of a study of elementary students published in Reading Psychology in 2017 to the results of a survey of more than 1,000 elementary classroom teachers, literacy educators, and school librarians I conducted in 2018.

If you’re a narrative lover, you certainly aren’t alone. Most literacy-oriented educators think just like you. In fact, your love of stories and storytelling is probably one of the reasons you chose your career. The data also explains why narrative nonfiction has been the darling of book reviewers and award committees since it entered the children’s publishing market in the 1990s.

[Also read: "10 Ways to Nurture and Nourish Nonfiction Readers"]

But it’s important to recognize that many young readers think differently. Expository-loving info-kids aren’t interested in making an emotional connection with a main character, and they don’t read to escape or become immersed in the world of the book.

Instead, they read to learn. They want to soak up ideas and information about the real world. That want to understand how it works and their place in it. Research shows that info-kids experience joy as they gain knowledge, and we can feel that joyful enthusiasm in this beautiful poem:

Facts
Reading Facts
is like rain in my brain.

Every Fact
is a drop of knowledge.

Page by page
book by book
the puddle gets bigger.

The bigger the puddle
the bigger the knowledge.

Now read and read
and grow your puddle.
I know you can!

Grow your puddle
as big as you can!

—Adam, fourth grader

There are several different types of expository nonfiction. In 2016, Terrell Young, emeritus professor of children’s literature at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, coined the term “expository literature” to describe a new breed of finely crafted expository nonfiction that features stunning artwork, dynamic design, and a carefully-chosen blend of:

• fascinating facts and statistics
• text patterns
• text scaffolding
• kid-friendly analogies
• strong hooks
• skillful use of page turns
• interactive elements
• innovative formatting
• layered text structures
• strong voice
• rich, figurative language
• direct address
• humor

And the good news is that we’re seeing more and more of these books every year. We’re also seeing plenty of great narrative nonfiction, too. Here are a dozen recent picture books of each type that I highly recommend:

Expository literature

Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Salyer

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide and the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, illus. by Daniel Minter

The Book of Turtles by Sy Montgomery, illus, by Matt Patterson

Butt or Face? A Hilarious Animal Guessing Game Book for Kids by Kari Lavelle

Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends by Lita Judge

Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari, illus. by Diana Sudyka

The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure by Barb Rosenstock, illus. by Jamey Christoph

I See Color: An Affirmation and Celebration of Our Diverse World by Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew, illus. by Laylie Frazier

The Painter and the President: Gilbert Stuart’s Brush with George Washington by Sarah Albee, illus. by Stacy Innerst

Sleepy: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze by Jennifer Ward, illus. by Robin Page

Volcanoes by Nell Cross Beckerman, illus. by Kalen Chock

We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell, illus. by Frané Lessac

Narrative nonfiction

Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars by Jonathan Roth

Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage by Lisa Rogers, illus. by Il Sung Na

Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by James E. Ransome

The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson and Mahani Teave, illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Go Forth and Tell: The Life Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller by Breanna J. McDaniel, illus. by April Harrison

How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Frank Morrison

The Iguanodon's Horn: How Artists and Scientists put a Dinosaur Back Together Again and Again and Again by Sean Rubin

Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin by Michelle Meadows, illus. by Jamiel Law

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming, illus. by Deena So’Oteh

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art is Changing the Tide by Joanna Ho, illus. by Catia Chien

One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Barnard Booth, illus. by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton, illus. by Lauren Semmer

Ultimately, we want all students to interact successfully with both expository and narrative texts, but developing the skills to do so takes time and patience and practice. That’s why it’s so important to meet children where they are by understanding and encouraging their natural reading preferences.

When library, classroom, and home book collections feature a rich assortment of expository nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and fiction titles, every child will be able to find books they connect with right now as well as books that can help them stretch and grow as they develop confidence as readers.

Melissa Stewart has written more than 200 science books for children, including the Sibert Medal Honoree Summertime Sleepers: Animals that Estivate, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen. She co-wrote 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books and edited the anthology Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-winning Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing.