Should I ask the school not to send home non-fiction books?

[Hooliesmoolies]

My Y1 DD is currently getting 2 books a week from school, one fiction and one non-fiction. She doesn't like non-fiction books, and whilst she can read the fiction ones with almost no errors, she does make errors on the non-fiction ones. We read a lot of non-school books at home (don't get me started on the two a week thing!), but my question is should I make her read the non-fiction books, or is it better just to let her read the things that she enjoys? I kind of think that she will get to non-fiction at some point, and at the moment she may as well read the things that interest her.

Mixed in with the question about whether she should read the non-fiction books is the question about reading level. She really is word perfect on the fiction ones at the level she is at school. They tested her on the fiction book and said it was too easy, but then they gave her a non-fiction, which she evidently didn't do so well on, so they kept her at that level. But I think part of the issue is motivation. She enjoys stories. She doesn't enjoy non-fiction (unless it is about art or ballet). But books about the tour de France and the such like - and making roads (yes, there really is a book about making roads), no thanks.

So, do I ask for no non-fiction and at the same time make a comment about her finding the level easy (we can't write in our reading journals so it will have to be some moment at the school gate), or is she in the right place until she can read the non-fiction as well as the fiction?

[KatieKaye]

Can you find non-fiction books she does enjoy from the library and use those to demonstrate to the teacher that it is the subject matter she finds off-putting?
I have to say I don't blame DD at all and she sounds like a very discerning little girl!

[heather1]

As she gets older she will be reading more non-fiction books at school for her school work. It would make sense to me to encourage the reading of non-fiction.
My son is the same, loves fiction, doesn't like non. School have flagged he needs to practise his non fiction reading. I make a point of reading non-fiction to him and asking him to read it to me. We go to the library together and choose a topic of interest. He really enjoyed a simple Roald Dahl biography recently, would going to the library and choosing non book together be an option?

[fizzly]

I sympathise with this, however I think it is important to have a go at reading both fiction and non-fiction at every level as the type of vocab can be quite different and it is important to be able to read 'tarmac' or 'cement' even if the subject matter is rather dull! Does your DD get to choose the books herself? Can she at least choose which NF book to bring home so she feels like she is choosing something that is more interesting to her than some of the others?

[ChoudeBruxelles]

Ds is the opposite. He gets to choose what he reads from school now and 9 times out of 10 it's non fiction. When he was given books to read I didn't force him to read them - just wrote in his journal that he didn't like so and so book so we read x (book from home) instead.

[ChoudeBruxelles]

When they are learning to read I think it's really important to not put them off by forcing them to read stuff they find dull. There's plenty of time to read the things they have to when they're a bit older

[Hooliesmoolies]

I must be honest, I think that the non-fiction books the school sends home are not helping her love of non-fiction. I know it is good for her to enjoy non-fiction, but the tour de france? This week's book is on Skateboarding!?! Perhaps I should be more enthused!

[Hooliesmoolies]

Sadly she doesn't get to choose her books. They are selected for her. I can't comment that she finds them boring, or what we read because the school doesn't believe parents comments are any use to them so all I am able to do is sign.

[AlpacaLypse]

I'm shocked there isn't an option for you to give feedback through the reading diary. Do you get a regular opportunity to communicate with her teacher in other ways?

[SilasGreenback]

I think a lot of the early readers in fiction children can guess the words from the context and pictures. The books often use quite repetitive phrases.

This is much harder in non fiction books so the children have to work at the "reading" part more.

[erin99]

I think they are deliberately exposed to non-fiction, plays etc to make their reading more rounded, and yes if she can't do the non-fiction at that level she is not ready to move up. DS was similarly moaning about a nonfiction reading book tonight. We struck a deal, he did 4 pages (and had to press his nose and say 'ding' every time there was a word he didn't understand, which he loved) and then I read him a library book. In Y1 he is having to do a bit more writing etc that he's not mad keen on. I think that is just part of school, and life in general. My DD spent half of Y1 completely hooked on Rainbow Magic. With all the hours she spent reading her choice (which DH and I also suffered through!), one non-fiction book a week wouldn't hurt?

I'd continue with more art and ballet books at home, and maybe some really good other nonfiction. We like Usborne See Inside, and DS likes recipe books, and really random fact books like "everything you ever needed to know in the whole world ever" and "365 things to know".

Also it sounds like your school is really pushing the non-fiction. I very much doubt her teacher would just say "fine, she can read just fiction".

[susannahmoodie]

Why is skateboarding not interesting? Why is the tour de France less interesting than ballet? I suspect if you are rolling your eyes at these subjects when she brings the books home she is picking up on your own negativity. Far better to encourage her to read widely rather than limit her interests to a few stereotypically girly topics. gets off gender high horse

[ChocolateWombat]

I remember my son having the non-fiction Oxford Reading Tree books. They tended to be given out as you neared the end of one level. There were some bloody awful ones about quite bizarre topics, such as 'why do we believe in fairies' and some about computers which were so out if date, they were irrelevant. Lots were about things like volcanoes, inventions, cooking.....

I actually think they were good for son. He read fiction voraciously and without trouble, but found the non fiction more tricky and we had to explain a lot more concepts along the way, as he hadn't come across the ideas. This meant it was more time consuming and he didn't enjoy the books so much, but they were definitely part of learning to read. We all need to learn how to find out facts and to cope with books which use sub-headings, diagrams etc. so I do think there is a place for them, but if you get them for weeks on end with nothing else, Inwould ask for variety.

[Beastofburden]

I agree that fiction is easy and the true test is non Fiction. Perhaps you could ask for more engaging non fiction topics?

[specialsubject]

part of school is reading books you don't like, I'm afraid.

at least non-fiction teaches something. More than sodding Jane Austen (which I realise is a while off yet!)

but do keep the school informed.

[noramum]

When DD brings back non fiction then we work through them together. It is not only the reading but also understanding the topic, very different to understanding a story.

We had a book about different sorts of soil. Quite boring as such but then we used it to make practical experiments in the garden. Another book about earth meant an hour at the internet looking for more answers.

Tour de France is great, sports, geography, looking up information about a person.

They need to learn that no all books they encounter are there because the subject is great but you use them to work with them to get the information you need. Maybe read it first and write down some questions your DD has to answer afterwards.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

I agree that a lot of the fiction reading scheme books are in many ways guessable whereas non fiction ones make them actually have to use their phonics and break down longer or more complex words.

Whilst yes they may not be as exciting as a fairy story to some children I doubt the school will budge on this as it is important to be able to read a whole variety before moving up levels.

My 2 actually liked the non fiction and poetry books but with some books where they were dragging their feet (ORT fiction usually) I just pointed out that the sooner they read it and got better at it then the sooner they could move on to more interesting books from school. That soon made them concentrate and do it (as did the bribery of a jelly baby or something if it was a really desperate book)

[Hooliesmoolies]

susannahmoodie it is a little stereotypical to assume that being a girl, the only reason she prefers a book about ballet to a book about the tour de france or making a road is because she has had her interests limited to a few stereotypically girly topics. I think that there are a huge number of children, boys and girls, men and women, who are going to have no interest in the colour of a jumper and the very dry stuff described in a book about the tour de france. People do have different interests, it is totally acceptable for them to have different interests. Her favourite museums are the Science Museum and the V&A. She is less keen on the Natural History Museum. She likes the volcano bit, but she wouldn't actively choose to go. She still does, sometimes, but I am happy for her to make the choice of the science museum over the Natural History Museum because I think it is better for her to seek out information she is interested in, rather than impose things upon her.

[ErrolTheDragon]

How is a teacher supposed to know what may interest each child - just giving them books on subjects that they already know they like would surely be doing them a disservice.

Bit at: 'yes , there really is a book on making roads' .... why on earth be incredulous about that? I rather fear that the suggestion upthread that your DD is picking up on some stereotyped negativity of yours may not be far off the mark... I hope I'm wrong.

[RueDeWakening]

You could try her with these fab non-fiction books from The Book People - my DD had a couple of them home from school in infants, and I've recently bought this set for my DS1 who has just started reception :)

My favourite is "Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?", superb. And slightly mind-boggling.

Poetry should count as non-fiction too, could you read some Revolting Rhymes together, or Edward Lear limericks or something? Allan Ahlberg wrote some fab poems about school (eg Please, Mrs Butler).

[ErrolTheDragon]

x-post - good, I was wrong. But if she likes the science museum there's no particularly obvious reason why she wouldn't like a book on road building. Its the sort of thing mine might have seized on.

[Hooliesmoolies]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful comments. For me it is a balance between keeping her enthused about reading, and helping her navigate different types of text. I do think it would help if she could chose the non-fiction books, but she can't.

I will talk to the teacher about possibly finding texts that will engage her more, rather than asking if they will send home less. Based on what you have all said, I think they are probably pushing them so much because that is the skill she needs to achieve before they move her up a level.

[ChocolateWombat]

It is hard for children to choose their non fiction books and probably not good. Most of them will be about topics they know little or nothing about, so they can't choose based on interest. Also, it is likely that they have to read all or a good proportion of books at that level before they move up, so by choosing they will just be left with the ones they don't like for later.

If you get a particularly dull or odd one, perhaps note it in the reading diary.

[hiccupgirl]

The whole point is that lots of kids can read fiction books easily because they can guess a lot of words - the text and sentences tend to be predictable and the stories are often familiar.

Non fiction texts are harder because the child has to think much more about the words and the context and can't just use the story to keep them going.

I would agree that your DD needs books that she has some interest in reading but the fact that she can't read the non fiction books as easily as the fiction ones on the same level, gets my teacher senses telling me that she needs to practice reading less predictable texts and reading words in different contexts. The non fiction books will help with this and as she gets older she will be expected to mainly read non fiction writing in most lessons in school. It's an important skill to learn so I would keep going with them but make sure she gets to read something that she prefers afterwards or alternate them.