“Not Just For Us Nerds”: Examining Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives of Contemporary Children’s Nonfiction

Abstract

Children’s nonfiction once had a reputation as a lackluster genre. However, the nonfiction books published today are noteworthy for their appeal and quality. This study’s purpose was to examine contemporary teachers’ perceptions of recent children’s nonfiction. Fourteen elementary teachers shared their opinions of contemporary nonfiction for children in written reflections, which were inductively analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The teachers addressed the following themes in their reflections: 1) presentation of the books, 2) the potential of books to support elementary readers, and 3) ways books could support learning opportunities. The findings indicate these teachers had a positive response to contemporary nonfiction, but they suggest there is still work to be done to ensure elementary students’ access to a diverse array of nonfiction books.