connections to their personal interests,
writing, “I like stories about cows
because I have one.” This child’s family
had a new cow on their farm, and
he was wrapped up in books about
this topic. Finally, one boy showed
that he understood that his own life
made an interesting nonfiction story
as he wrote about himself, “I like
stories about Liam when he was a
baby.” These examples highlight the
children’s natural curiosity about the
world, which “remains solid as they
progress through their elementary
school years and is not limited to the
world of animals” (Stead 2006, 2). Ten
of the 15 children in the class chose to
write about nonfiction as a preference.