Writing Non-Fiction and Informational Books for Children
WCWP-40327
The market for children’s nonfiction and informational books and articles has never been better.
In this course, which can be taken by those familiar with writing for children and those just beginning, students will learn about the needs and trends within nonfiction work for children ages 3-12 – magazines, trade books, school-library publishers, and book packagers. Students will gain practice researching nonfiction topics and writing for the various markets, as well as examining the variety of writing styles that can be used to write about individual topics.
Topics covered in the course include: Straight Nonfiction and the School-Library Market – subjects, elements and design, Easy Reader Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Lyrical Nonfiction, Biography, Fictional Informational Books – Fictional books that provide information and elements of nonfiction; The children’s magazine market, and Common Core State Standards and how these affect the nonfiction market.
Quarters Typically Offered: Winter Quarter | Summer Quarter
Prerequisite: None, but some writing experience preferred.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Anatomy of Nonfiction: Writing True Stories for Children 1st
by Margery Facklam and Peggy Thomas
ISBN / ASIN: 9781889715599
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 1/13/2025
- Early Enrollment Discount: $400 ($425 if enrolled after 12/9/2024)
- Early enrollment advised
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor:
Cynthia Jenson-Elliott, MA Education
Cindy Jenson-Elliott teaches Writing Non-Fiction & Informational Books for Children for the Children's Book Writing certificate program. She is a teacher, environmental educator and the author of seventeen informational and nonfiction books for children, most recently Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, a Life in Nature, published by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt Publishers, and Dig In! published by Beach Lane Books. Her acclaimed 2014 picture book, Weeds Find a Way won numerous awards, including the National Council of Teachers of English Best Book, the American Library Association Notable Book, and the Eureka! Nonfiction Notable Book from the California Reading Association. In recent years, in addition to writing books for children, she has taught science to grades 1 - 8 in a private school, gardening, grades 1-3 , reading and middle school language arts in charter and public schools. She is a Teacher Consultant for the San Diego Area Writing Project at UCSD, is Poet in Residence at Boone Elementary through Arts for Learning San Diego, and runs her own writing program for children and teens called Words to Go. Find her online at www.cindyjensonelliott.com and www.wordstogosd.com.
