International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature

importance. Examples can be found among winners of The Times Educational
Supplement’s Information Book Awards, such as Spiders by Ralph Whitlock (1975) and
Being Born by Sheila Kitzinger and Lennart Nilsson (1987).

Practical guide

Many books on hobbies, crafts and scientific subjects come into this category. These are
books which are tested in use and judged by practical outcomes, and the perceived
audience is likely to be the child and the parent, rather than the teacher mediating the
book.

Criteria

We have noted some of the main purposes served by information books which indicates
the wide range of this area of children’s literature, and leads one to realise that any set
of criteria will have to be used flexibly. It is in this context that the following points for
consideration are offered.

• The standing of the publisher, the qualifications and experience of the author, and
  the reputation of the illustrator are useful initial guides.


• The purpose of the book, and (where appropriate) its relevance to one’s own purposes
  are major factors. One cannot judge a book’s success until one knows what the
  author is setting out to achieve. Questions about the scope of the book arise here.
  Does it set out to give an overview of a broad subject area, or to look closely at one
  specific subject area?


• The accuracy and currency of the information given is an obvious matter for concern.
  It may be necessary here to get a view from a subject expert, or make comparisons
  with other information sources. Since a high proportion of information books are team
  compilations, or are supervised by a panel of consultants, mistakes in a title from a
  reputable publisher should be few.


• Subject coverage needs to be assessed in the light of the anticipated use. Is the
  subject treated too superficially, or in too much detail? One sometimes needs to
  question how far complex material can be simplified. Some topics—for example those
  involving political issues or scientific concepts—resist summarising, which may
  merely distort or misrepresent the facts as known.


• The viewpoint of the author is important. A good information book will avoid
  stereotypes of age, gender and race, will indicate (as appropriate) the existence of
  different points of view, and encourage the reader to think critically about the issues
  raised.


• The organisation of material should help the book fulfil its purpose. A non-fiction
  book designed to communicate experience is likely to need a different arrangement
  from one principally concerned with information retrieval. However, most non-fiction
  needs a contents page which offers a clear guide to the book’s coverage, and an index
  which will lead to information worth having. The quality, and manner of construction,
  of indexes varies greatly, so it is necessary to check a sample of entries. It is

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