GENRES There are 2 main types of literature

GENRES

There are 2 main types of literature: FICTION NONFICTION

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.

NONFICTION • Non-Fiction books contain facts. • Look in your book box. Do you have any non-fiction books?

Within the nonfiction section there also lots of books we can group together because they NONFICTION 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

What are some genres in fiction? FICTION • Fairy Tales • Fantasy • Folk Tales • Tall Tales • Adventure Stories • Historical Fiction • Mystery • Realistic Fiction • Science Fiction • Picture Books

What are some genres in nonfiction? • Informational • Biography • Autobiography NONFICTION

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? Bruce Coville You can find some of his books in our library! born in Syracuse, New York, on May 16, 1950

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!

If you like science fiction, you’ll probably like 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

Genre: MYSTERY What is a mystery book? • Let’s see if you’re right.

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.

S E K L L A T O F FA FA I BL You can find a basket of these types of books in our library! ES RY TA LE S

It’s a story or legend forming part of an oral tradition or a tale circulated by word of mouth among the common folk. s? u hi yo t n ain Ca pl ex What is a folktale?

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

HAVE YOU READ THESE?

REALISTIC FICTION

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!