Comments on: Just the Facts?

By: Susan T.

Susan T. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:15:46 +0000

I write to encourage you to write those reviews. This is just the kind of thing that we science-likers want to know about in children’s books! I like the idea of a scientist’s evaluation. Don’t think of such review as negative, more along the lines of a corrective to incorrect information getting out. Definitely mention the errors.

An author combining events in a nonfiction kids’ book? Not good, to me. And it would raise questions about the veracity of other parts of the book, too. When the facts are debatable, the author has to tip his or her hand and indicate that.

All interesting questions to ponder. One aspect of the Cybils that I enjoy is the continuing conversation about all aspects of children’s books.

By: Carol Hinz

Carol Hinz — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:25:44 +0000

Roberta, you ask some really thought-provoking questions. I don’t think there’s one right way to present nonfiction topics to kids, but it can get tricky deciding whether a book is really fiction or nonfiction. Let’s say there’s a picture book with a made-up storyline that has references to time of day throughout and includes illustrations of clocks on every page. It’s a great way to teach kids about telling time, but I’d say it’s still fiction. My library seems to shelve the Magic School Bus books in the fiction section, but I’m not sure whether the Library of Congress classifies them as fiction. I don’t think there’s any problem with works of fiction that contain nonfiction elements or can be used in a classroom in conjunction with a nonfiction lesson. But for something like the Cybils, my sense is that they’d have to be evaluated in the fiction category.

I truly welcome the creativity authors are bringing to kids’ nonfiction. For works that contain a blend of fact and fiction, I do think that the book should include info somewhere, perhaps in an afterword, that clearly indicates when an author imagined scenes for which we lack documentation or condensed two events into a single scene. But combining events in a way that misleads readers about a person’s personality is worrisome.

As far as errors in published books go, it’s up to you whether to review the books, but I definitely agree with the advice to let the publisher know. That way any reprints, paperbacks, and electronic editions can be corrected.

By: Roberta

Roberta — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:16:58 +0000

Thank you, Jennifer, that makes a lot of sense to let the publisher know.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:11:41 +0000

Hmm. I know when I pointed out several typos in Serial Garden, a new collection of Joan Aiken stories, the publisher actually e-mailed me wanting specifics so they could fix it in a new edition. But that was a small press. When I noted even more irritating errors in the Bill Martin Big Book of Poetry, not a cheep – and that had tons of happy reviews. Guess I’m just a frustrated proofreader.

As a librarian, if word gets around that a particular author, imprint, or publisher is prone to factual errors, I cross them off my buying list. I have some that I check carefully and one publisher at least I never ever buy from. I’d like to say I’d withdraw books with factual errors, but….it was a real struggle for me to get my nonfiction section weeded up to the 90s and b/c of our state standards I can only weed so much.

If you have the time and interest, contacting the author and/or publisher is probably your best bet.