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Education Resource Area: Genres

Located in the Salem State University library (2nd floor). ERA provides resources and services to support education programs at Salem State University. The collection includes curriculum, lesson planning, assessment, educational research books and kits.

Children's Literature

This library guide is a starting place for resources and information about children's literature genres. Use the tabs below to  explore genres: biography, fantasy, folklore & folk tales, historical fiction, realistic fiction, and non-fiction. Find some of these titles in the Education Resource Area Collection, Berry Library, 2nd floor. How to find Children's books in the library video shows how to find books using the SSU library catalog. Check out for more Education Resource Area video tutorials here

Picture Books:

  Interdependence of art and text. Story or Concept presented through combination of text and illustration. Classification based on format, not genre. All genres appear in picture books.
Poetry & Verse   Condensed language, imagery. Distilled, rhythmic expression of imaginative thoughts and perceptions.
     

Folklore & fairytales 

  Literary heritage of humankind. Traditional stories, myths, legends, nursery rhymes, and songs from the past. Oral tradition; no known author.

Fantasy

  Imaginative worlds, make-believe. Stories set in places that do not exist, about people and creatures that could not exist, or events that could not happen.

Science Fiction

  Based on extending physical laws and scientific principles to their logical outcomes. Stories about what might occur in the future.

Realistic Fiction

  "What if" stories, illusion of reality. Events could happen in real world, characters seem real; contemporary setting.

Historical Fiction

  Set in the past, could have happened. Story reconstructs events of past age, things that could have or did occur.

Biography

  Plot and theme based on person's life. An account of a person's life, or part of a life history; letters, memoirs, diaries, journals, autobiographies.

Non-fiction

  Facts about the real world. Informational books that explain a subject or concept.

Chapter Books and Easy Readers

   

Graphic Novels

   

Challenged and Banned Books

   

Adapted from Ashland University Libary's LibGuide to children's literature..LibGuide links created by Rukmal Ryder

Biographies

Biographies

Biographies

Biographies

Biographies (K-6) nonfiction

Nonfiction Biographies K-6 (Recommended new books)


    • Educ. Res. D 804.66 .S46 R83 2011 Rubin, Susan Goldman Irena Sendler And The Children Of The Warsaw Ghetto 2011 Using toolboxes, ambulances, and other ingenious measures, Irena Sendler defied the Nazis and risked her own life by saving and then hiding Jewish children. Her secret list of the children’s real identities was kept safe, buried in two jars under a tree in war-torn Warsaw. An inspiring story of courage and compassion, this biography includes a list of resources, source notes, and an index.



    • Educ. Res. E 184 .S75 H486 2014 Herrera, Juan Felipe Portraits Of Hispanic American Heroes 2014 “An inspiring tribute to Hispanic Americans who have made a positive impact on the world. This visually stunning book showcases twenty Hispanic and Latino American men and women who have made outstanding contributions to the arts, politics, science, humanitarianism, and athletics. Gorgeous portraits complement sparkling biographies of Cesar Chavez, Sonia Sotomayor, Ellen Ochoa, Roberto Clemente, and many more. Complete with timelines and famous quotes, this tome is a magnificent homage to those who have shaped our nation. In this volume: Adelina Otero-Warren, Bernardo de Galvez, Cesar Chavez, David Farragut, Dennis Chavez, Desi Arnaz, Dolores Huerta, Ellen Ochoa, Helen Rodriguez Trias, Hero Street USA, Ignacio Lozano, Jaime Escalante, Joan Baez, Judy Baca, Julia de Burgos, Luis Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Roberte Clemente, Sonia Sotomayor, and Tomas Rivera”–





    • Educ. Res. F 127 .N8 V36 2011 Van Allsburg, Chris Queen Of The Falls 2011 The story of Annie Edson Taylor, who in 1901 decided to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.


    • Educ. Res. GV 1785. B3 P68 2014 Powell, Patricia Hruby Josephine : The Dazzling Life Of Josephine Baker 2014 In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine’s powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.


    • Educ. Res. HQ 759.96 .T46 2014 Telgemeier, Raina Sisters 2014 Three weeks. Two sisters. One car. A true story.


    • Educ. Res. HV 2534 .B44 A3 2014 Bell, Cece El Deafo 2014 The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her “superpower.”



    • Educ. Res. ML 3930 .L566 R87 2014 Russell Brown, Katheryn Little Melba And Her Big Trombone 2014 “A biography of African American musician Melba Doretta Liston, a virtuoso musician who played the trombone and composed and arranged music for many of the great jazz musicians of the twentieth century. Includes afterword, discography, and sources”–



    • Educ. Res. ND 259. R5 T57 2011 Tonatiuh, Duncan Diego Rivera : His World And Ours 2011 An introduction to the life, career, and influence of the Mexican painter Diego Rivera.


    • Educ. Res. ND 553 .M7 B5413 1987 Bjork, Christina Linnea In Monets Garden 1987 A little girl visits the home and garden of Claude Monet at Giverny, France, and learns about the artist’s paintings and his life. The illustrations include photographs of the painter and his family as well as examples of his work.



    • Educ. Res. PS 3552 .U7255 A4 2011 Burleigh, Robert The Adventures Of Mark Twain By Huckleberry Finn 2011 An introduction to the life and career of American author Mark Twain told in the voice Huckleberry Finn, one of his most enduring characters.


    • Educ. Res. PS 3575 .O783 A2 2011 Young, Ed The House Baba Built : An Artists Childhood In China 2011 “In Ed Young’s childhood home in Shanghai, all was not as it seemed: a rocking chair became a horse; a roof became a roller rink; an empty swimming pool became a place for riding scooters and bikes. The house his father built transformed as needed into a place to play hide-and-seek, to eat bamboo shoots, and to be safe. For outside the home’s walls, China was at war. Soon the house held not only Ed and his four siblings but also friends, relatives, and even strangers who became family. The war grew closer, and Ed watched as planes flew overhead and frends joined the Chinese air force. But through it all, Ed’s childhood remained full of joy and imagination.”–Amazon.com.


    • Educ. Res. QC 16. E5 B437 2013 Berne, Jennifer On A Beam Of Light : A Story Of Albert Einstein 2013 A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty road. But in his mind, he envisions himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light. This brilliant mind will one day offer up some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly fascinated by the wonders around him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows into a man of genius recognized the world over for profoundly illuminating our understanding of the universe.


    • Educ. Res. QL 31 .G58 M37 2011 Mcdonnell, Patrick Me Jane 2011 Holding her stuffed toy chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan books, and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals. Includes biographical information on the prominent zoologist.


  • Educ. Res. S 494.5 .U72 M325 2013 Martin, Jacqueline Briggs Farmer Will Allen And The Growing Table 2013 The story of former basketball star and current urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, whose vision of gardening from abandoned urban sites led to a grassroots feeding craze.


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