Hello Everyone,
For my advanced children’s literature class this summer, I delved into the use statistics for biographies at the elementary level. Below are my findings.
The elementary library media specialist from my practicum placement willingly ran a report in Follett Destiny of the top titles in the 92 section for this academic year.
Top 10 Titles for 2015-2016 Year
- Smile by Raina Telgemeier
- A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln by David A. Adler
- Martin Luther King by Sande Smith
- Derrick Rose by Paul Hoblin
- A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler
- Daniel Boone by Laurie Lawlor
- Helen Keller: From Tragedy to Triumph by Katherine E. Wilkie
- Michael Jordan: Basketball’s Soaring Star by Paul J. Deegan
- Abraham Lincoln by Peter Benoit
- Demi Lovato by Sarah Tieck
I was surprised Smile is the most checked-out title from the biography section. It is housed with the other graphic novels, since it is a graphic memoir, covering the “segment of…life” (as cited in Hintz & Tribunella, 2013, p. 281) of Raina getting braces during sixth grade. Students are heavily checking out this title because of its graphic novel status and their ability to relate with Raina’s experiences with braces and how her friends act differently towards her after she gets them. That the title is technically a memoir and therefore autobiographical has nothing to do with its rapid circulation, so it will be excluded from the succeeding discussion of biography circulation statistics.
With the exception of Derrick Rose, a basketball player, and Demi Lovato, a singer/songwriter, historically famous Americans are the topic students check out, with Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. being the top two. Since the most common individuals researched include Helen Keller, Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, students have been assigned biography reports by their classroom teachers. The most checked-out author of the Top 10 is David Adler, who writes picturebook biographies of famous individuals. After examining some of his works, I find that his biographies appeal to elementary students because they provide basic information on the individuals with hand drawn illustrations. Because Kentucky history features prominently in upper elementary social studies curriculum, the inclusion of Daniel Boone is not surprising. I was, however, slightly surprised to see Helen Keller included in the Top 10. It is interesting that Derrick Rose and Demi Lovato made it into the Top 10 list, which shows students still use the library media center to satisfy personal information needs.
Enthusiastically,
Ms. Tyler
Reference
Hintz, C. & Tribunella, E. L. (2013). Reading children’s literature: A critical introduction. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins.
