Informational and fictional books: young children's book preferences and teachers' perspectives

This study investigated young children's preferences for books to read aloud. Participants included 142 children enrolled in 4 public kindergartens in the Sanlurfa province of Turkey, their parents (142 parents), and teachers. Forty-nine 4-year-olds and 93 5-year-olds and their 9 teachers participated in the study. Parents filled out surveys; children participated in eight consecutive book selection sessions before read-aloud and after read-aloud; and teachers were interviewed. Results from both before and after read-aloud revealed that young children preferred informational books to fictional books. Prior to reading the books, children preferred informational books due to their subjects and fictional books due to their characters. Further, interview findings indicated that teachers believe informational books are more educational, promoting curiosity, and triggering further activities, and transferrable to real life. Young children would benefit greater exposure to informational books. Policy-makers would promote informational children's books and professionals working on children literacy should allocate more attention to informational children's books. More informational children's books would be produced and teachers and parents would consider them as part of child literacy. Teachers and parents would introduce informational books as a choice to their children.