How do sports nonfiction authors hook and hold readers?

•Real photographs, possibly one of the best ways to present images to children, enhance the text of How Soccer Works and How Baseball Works, keeping young readers glued to the pages. Greg Hall's illustrations enhance the photography and lend an engaging personality to the games. It's gratifying to find girls and boys, and men's and women's sports getting equal time on the pages. One doesn't get the sense that sports should be left to one sex or the other in particular.•The writing, while full of facts and fun, does tend to go off into sentences that feel too long for young readers at times. But subject matter that breezily combines playtime passions with lessons tied into classroom curricula hit the nail smartly on the head. The dragging sentence issue will likely be resolved by children more than willing to seek help over the rough spots so they can finish the books. Pushing the envelope? Maybe. But that's what sports, and learning are all about.•Very young school children can enjoy the books' bright colors and lively discussions with a little help from an adult. Elementary grade kids from around third and fourth grades upward are the perfect audience. It's tough to get kids and books together sometimes. Two of the most popular sports in the world can go a long way toward bridge the gap (Thomas)

How do sports nonfiction writers persuade their readers?

• Sports nonfiction writers persuade there readers in many ways• Some ways they persuade there readers is with the use of eye

catching photos in their books that draw attention• They also provide text that is very rich in facts and information that

are helpful and can inform the reader a great amount (Thomas)• Writers also persuade there readers and keep them interested in

books of this genre because they are so helpful and can teach you about things and give you a wealth of knowledge which many people appreciate having and keeps them wanting to read more

What is the relationship between sports nonfiction genre and truth?

• The relationship between sports nonfiction and truth is very clear cut and obvious

• Nonfiction is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, or events. To be classed as nonfiction, a work must be true. (Teacher)

• Nonfiction writing is all truth so the relationship between the two is that everything in sports nonfiction writing is true

What truths are best communicated through the sports nonfiction genre?

• Truth is a major aspect to the sports nonfiction genre• Truths about what happens in the world of sports are communicated

very well through this genre• There are many sad stories as well as many inspirational stories

and failure and success in the world of sports that have been communicated and expressed through the sports nonfiction genre

• Thanks to the sports nonfiction genre and there expression of truth in inspirational stories many people have become popular and well known that wouldn’t have if it weren't for their stories being expressed through these books

What are the main elements of the sports nonfiction genre?

• The late tennis champion , first African American man to win Wimbleton, and social activist tells his story from his career as a tennis player to his battle against AIDS. (Ashe)

• A look at the trials and triumphs of high school girls' basketball chronicles one season of the Lady Hurricanes of Amherst, Massachusetts, as they learn loyalty and self-confidence on their way to a championship game.(Blais)

• A heartwarming , inspirational look at the Minnesota Vikings football club and what this organization has meant to both fans and the community over the past four decades.(Bruton)

What common characteristics or techniques show up in the sports nonfiction genre?

• chronological order- (Time Order) Events are arranged in the order in which they happened

• Glossary - A part of a book, (found in the back), that contains difficult words or terms and their meanings

• Table of Contents- a part of a book, (found in the front), that helps readers locate where chapters, stories, poems,etc. can be found

• author's purpose- The reason an author writes an article, or story. The three most common are: to inform, to persuade, or , to entertain

• Footnote- A printed note or definition placed below the text at the bottom of the page

• Tone- the author's attitude about the subject of the writing

• These are all Nonfiction literary terms that show up in the sports nonfiction genre

• ("Nonfiction Literary Terms flashcards”)

Why would someone want to read a book in the sports nonfiction genre?

• “It's fun to play popular team sports but even young kids get an edge when they understand the game, the equipment, the rules and the history. Learn baseball, soccer.”

• Age appropriate explanations of concepts like curving kicks and why baseball bats are made of wood give young readers points of interest to share with friends or classmates. Readers take away cool facts. For example, shin bones, because of their unprotected characteristics, require outside padding. Who knew that rolled newspapers were the first shin guards for soccer and hockey players?(Thomas)

What are the qualifications or requirements for a book to be considered in this genre?

• Unlike the loosely defined and often-overlapping genre classifications fiction writers struggle with in categorizing their novels, most works of nonfiction will fall into one concretely identifiable category thanks to topic and subject matter. Correct classification is important because there is a staggering amount of nonfiction published each year and in many cases a high degree of specialization among the publishers and literary agents who bring these manuscripts to market. So writers needs to fully understand where their manuscript or book proposal fits best and also to consider the full spectrum of what’s available in their respective genre when they put together marketing pages and competitive analyses for book proposals.

• What you’ll find here is a short exploration of commonly confused terms relating to nonfiction classification followed by a comprehensive guide to nonfiction genre and subgenre based on the way bookstores are organized.

• “It is hard to imagine a more vibrant genre, combining the immediacy of journalism and the power of true accounts with the texture, read, drama, emotional punch, point of view and broad themes of a novel. Then again, narrative nonfiction also can deliver the worst of both worlds, when the desire to construct a story trumps the responsibility to stick to the facts, no matter how inconvenient.”

• ~Edward Humes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, on the topic of narrative nonfiction (Browne)