The importance of juvenile nonfiction collections is very much a part of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The standards place an emphasis on reading, writing, and discussing nonfiction. Myra Zarnowski of Queens College has written a very informative article that appears in of all places a Scholastic Publishing catalog. She lays out a series of steps that both teachers and librarians can follow to help implement the CCSS.
Basically, she feels that by showing children how nonfiction books are constructed you can help them understand how information can be conveyed with clarity and style. One suggestion that can be introduced as early as kindergarten is showing students how to compare books dealing with the same topic. By grouping materials for children to examine, they can discover how authors writing about the same topics have unique points of view and offer different interpretations of the facts.
I really like this idea and as soon as the holiday season comes to an end, I hope to set up a display that will make available matierials that will help parents and children learn how nonfiction can promote reading for in-depth knowledge and enjoyment.