GENRES

NONFICTION

FICTION

There are 2 main types of

literature:

FICTION•Fiction books are made up. Usually they are stories.

•Look in your book box. Do you have any fiction books?

FICTION

Within the fiction section there are lots of books that we can group together because they have something in common.

NON-FICTION

•Non-Fiction books contain facts.

•Look in your book box. Do you have any non-fiction books?

NONFICTION

Within the nonfiction section there are also lots of books we can group together because they have something in common.

These groups have a name.

GENRE

According to the dictionary, genre means…

•a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content

FICTION

What are some genres in fiction?

•Fairy Tales•Fantasy•Folk Tales•Tall Tales•Adventure Stories•Historical Fiction•Mystery•Realistic Fiction•Science Fiction•Picture Books

NONFICTION

What are some genres in nonfiction?

•Informational•Biography•Autobiography

This year we’ll find out what makes some genres special and

read some books from various genres.

SCIENCE + FICTION =

WHAT GENRE?

SCIENCE + FICTION =

SCIENCE FICTION

What famous science fiction writer was born in Syracuse, N.Y.?

Who writes it?

born in Syracuse, New York, on May 16, 1950

Bruce

CovilleYou can find some of

his books in our library!

He writes lots of different series such as: 

• Sixth Grade Alien Series

• Space Brat Series • Rod Albright Alien

Adventures • Bruce Coville's

Books of... • My Teacher Is an

Alien Series

ALIENS STOLE MY BODY

• Can you imagine what you would be like if your brain was empty?! That’s what happens to Rod. He has to figure out a way to get his mind and his body back together again!

Most science fiction books have characters with strange names. Try reading some of the names in this book:

•Selima Khan• Snout• Elspeth• Madam Pong• Grakker• Ah-Rit

What does the word SETTING mean?

• The setting of science fiction books can be -

• in the future• in space• in a different world• in a different

universe.

• This book takes place on the planet Kryndamar.

K. A. Applegate:Animorph series

• There are 54 books in the ANIMORPH series.• The kids in these books can “morph” into an

animal!• How? They touch something that’s alive and aborb DNA into their own bodies. That gives them the power to morph.

Animorph series

We have THESE books in our library, too!

you’ll probably like

If you like science fiction,

FANTASY

Some authors write both science fiction AND fantasy

books.

Who am I?

FANTASY

•Talking animals

•Magical powers

•Time travel

•Imaginary beings from other planets

This toad has an attitude!

Harry Potter books by•Many fantasy books are very long. Have you ever read an entire Harry Potter book?

What’s the advantage to a book having so many pages?

JON SCIESZKA

• You might know Jon Scieszka as the author of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.

• But have you read the fantasy…

More Fantasy Books!

• Winnie the Pooh• Alice in Wonderland• Bunnicula• The Giver• Wrinkle in Time

FANTASY: Time travel - talking animals - imaginary beings - magical powers

What is a mystery book?

• Let’s see if you’re right.

Genre:

MYSTERY

Mysteries•CHARACTERS SEEM SO

REAL•MAIN CHARACTER COULD

BE A DETECTIVE OR A SPY•MAIN CHARACTER LOOKS

FOR CLUES TO SOLVE A PROBLEM OR A CRIME

DAVID ADLER writes mysteries.

DON’T THINK, JUST WRITE!

These words are on a sign in David Adler’s office. What does this sign mean?

He has written several books! And we have some of them in our library.

Check out Cam Jansen books!

CAM JANSEN AND THE BARKING TREASURE MYSTERY by David

Adler• Little Treasure is

stolen! (Little Treasure is a poodle.)

• Cam will act like a detective. She will use her memory to find clues to solve the mystery.

FOLK

TALE

S FAIRY TALES

FABLES

You can find a basket of

these types of books in our

library!

What is a folktale?

It’s a story or legend forming part of an oral tradition or a tale circulated by word of mouth among the common folk.

Can you

explain this?

In folktales,

•animals that talk

•monsters• tricks•# 3 or 7

Folktales were told all over the world.

• Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm were born in the late 1700’s in Germany. When they grew up, they traveled a lot. Wherever they traveled, they listened to people tell stories. They published many of these stories. Today they are very famous and are known as the Brothers Grimm.

They published these stories.

• Cinderella• Sleeping Beauty• Snow White• Little Red Riding

Hood• Rapunzel• Rumpelstiltskin• Hansel and Gretel• The Frog King

Did you notice that series said “Favorite FAIRY TALES,” not FOLK TALES?

FOLK TALES•tales of talking animals•tales that tell why•tales of magic (fairy tales)•cumulative tales•tales of exaggeration (legends,

tall tales)

Fairy tales are tales of magic. They are folk tales.

• CINDERELLA is a fairy tale. It is told in different ways all over the world.

FABLES

What is a FABLE?

It’s a short tale that teaches a lesson. The characters in fables are often animals who speak and act like people.

CHARACTERS

• Characters don’t usually have names like we do. They go by the type of animal.

• They talk and act like people.

ANT

GRASSHOPPER

The characters don’t change much.

• Foxes are always clever.

• Mice are always small and weak.

• But the main character always learns a lesson.

WHAT IS THE MORAL OF A FABLE?

It’s the lesson about right and wrong learned from a story or event.

AESOP• The man who wrote

most of the fables we know is named Aesop.

• He lived as a slave in Greece in the 6th century.

• We don’t know a lot about him, but we do know that his master eventually gave him freedom.

HAVE YOU READ THESE?

REALISTICFICTION

Realistic Fiction are stories that are

made up but could happen in real life.

There are no exaggerated

events, just normal, everyday things.

Ever read a Junie B. Jones Book?

If you have, you read realistic fiction. The events that happen to Junie could happen to anybody!

You can find these realistic fiction

books in our library!

Historical Fiction…what is it?

•Historical fiction takes an actual historical time period or event and builds a story around it, often using actual people from history along with other “fake” characters. 

•The great part is that the author spends a lot of time and energy on researching that person, event or era, so readers get a real sense of what it was like during that time period. 

Read these Historical Fiction

Books!

NON-FICTION

Non-fiction books contain true information.

Non-fiction books could be

biographies (books written about

famous people). We have these in our

library!