Chapter 8: Historical Fiction
I think historical fiction can be easily confused. It is not fantasy, realistic fiction, or non-fiction, like many people may believe. Historical fiction is a fictional, or partly fictional story that uses historical facts for the plot, setting, time frame, etc. Historical fiction children's books are also not a textbook, but can pair well with history and language arts lessons. Three characteristics for creating a successful historical fiction children's book are:
1. Setting is authentic
2. Characteristics of the book could have, or did exist
3. Plot is believable, if not real
These characteristics must develop a plot and story where there may be fictional characters, but there is truth behind the setting, the culture, the event, etc. A historical fiction book will be a balance of a fictional story, combined with known facts. These are crucial considerations when deciding on a book to include in your classroom. When evaluating these books, you should consider the strength of the character development, credibility of the plot, effectiveness of the writing style, setting, and how relevant the theme is.
There are many benefits to including historical fiction children's books in your curriculum. These books can help students to broaden their perspectives and develop a sense of life within a historical, and truthful, setting. Also students can further develop an understanding of how past and present and linked. There are many categories to explore and I think allowing students to choose the category that interests them most can help create an engaging classroom.
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