When should children’s authors stick to pure facts, and when is it okay to add fictional elements? Sibert Honor author Colleen Paeff shares her decision-making process in this craft discussion. Listen to the full episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Writing nonfiction for children presents unique challenges that every author eventually faces. The most significant? Deciding when to stick to the facts and keep the story nonfiction versus incorporating fictional elements to better serve the story.
In a recent conversation with Sibert Honor author Colleen Paeff, whose books include the Sibert honor book The Great Stink and the starred-review Firefly Song, we explored the ins and outs of this choice.
1. Define Your Boundaries Early
The main distinction is simple but important: Nonfiction uses only existing facts to create a story, while informational fiction creates new narrative elements, like fictional or non-human narrators, or even made up dialogue.
Paeff explains her approach: “I think of nonfiction as all true. I’m not adding anything… I’m just taking the facts and making a story out of the facts that already exist. For informational fiction, I’m taking the facts and making a story that didn’t exist before.”
According to Paeff, knowing if her story is fiction vs. nonfiction from the start helps her write her story. She knows specifically what she can and can’t include. For example, in her nonfiction book, The Great Stink, Paeff had little research about Joseph Bazelgette’s childhood. Since the book would be nonfiction, she had to skip that time in his life all together.
2. Follow the Emotional Heart of Your Story
The deciding factor often comes down to getting emotion on the page. Can you convey the main character’s emotional journey (or create an emotional journey for the reader) using only verifiable facts?
For Paeff’s upcoming book Pufflings Fly Free, about Icelandic children rescuing baby puffins, she needed to capture the significance of a child catching their first puffling. “I really wanted to capture that, but I felt like to get to the heart of that emotion, I needed to create a girl and create a family,” she explains.
Tip: If removing fictional elements would eliminate the emotional heart of your story, informational fiction might be your best choice.
3. The research is the same
One key insight Paeff shared: your research process shouldn’t change based on genre choice. Whether writing pure nonfiction or informational fiction, the depth and rigor of research remains the same.
“It’s long and tedious and amazing and fun. I go way too deep. I learn way more than I need to,” Paeff notes about her research process.
4. Address Research Gaps Thoughtfully
Sometimes research limitations force a switch from nonfiction to informational fiction. When primary sources are scarce, particularly for historical topics, authors may need to choose informational fiction.
I faced this in my forthcoming graphic novel, Light of Resistance. In nonfiction picture books, which are short, it’s fairly easy to write around the absence of authentic dialog. However, graphic novels are scene and dialog heavy with little summary and exposition. Yet, it’s so difficult to find those real moments of back and forth dialogue necessary to bring a scene to life. I had to invent dialog, turning my graphic novel into historical fiction.
Still, that choice should be deliberate, not a a way to shortcut the research.
Tip: If using made-up dialogue alongside real quotes, consider visual cues (like bold text or asterisks) to distinguish authentic quotes from narrative dialogue.
5. Use Back Matter to Build Trust
Transparency with readers builds credibility. Authors working in informational fiction often address their creative choices in author’s notes, explaining what’s documented facts versus what’s invented for narrative purposes. Sometimes the book’s subtitle will also hint that a book is informational fiction, saying the story is “based on true events,” for example. It’s important to play fair with the reader.
6. Leverage Research Tools
Paeff recommends the Obsidian app for research organization, no matter what you are writing, particularly its ability to automatically import Kindle highlights. This tool allows researchers to:
- Create interconnected notes that function like digital index cards
- Organize information by themes, timelines, or subjects
- Link between related concepts and sources
For authors managing extensive research across multiple sources, such tools can dramatically improve efficiency and organization.
The Bottom Line for Children’s Book Authors
The choice between nonfiction and informational fiction isn’t about which is better—both genres engage kids and teach them about new topics. The decision should center on what best serves your story and your readers.
As Paeff advises: “Focus on the story that you want to tell and what’s at the heart of the story. If you can tell it the way you want to tell it with facts, then you’re good. But if you can’t, then consider informational fiction.”
Remember, even the prestigious Sibert Award recognizes “informational books” rather than strictly nonfiction works, as long as they are well researched.
Connect with Colleen at https://www.colleenpaeff.com
For more insights on children’s nonfiction craft, listen to the full conversation on the Nonfiction Kidlit Craft Conversations podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
