In the real world, we are exposed to nonfiction writing that has a clear and biased point of view. We often disagree with the conclusions of an author or question their understanding of the topic. However, this is a much rarer phenomenon in the world of nonfiction children's picture books. We tend to expose 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to books that have a very neutral point of view or books that have a perspective that we are encouraging them to share.
Because of this, finding nonfiction books for teaching point of view can be hard. Use the books below to help with your author's perspective lesson planning in upper elementary.
Looking for fiction books for this same skill? Check out this list of fiction picture books that will help you teach POV.
Nonfiction Books That Have Multiple Perspectives
What Do YOU Think About Reptiles?
This is a personal favorite of mine - because it's written by me! One of the reasons I decided to invest a lot of time and money into it is because I had such a hard time finding quality books to teach point of view in nonfiction.
This isn't really a book about reptiles - it's a book about how authors can present factual information in a biased way because of their point of view. They might omit facts, emphasize unimportant details, or use intentional word choice to persuade readers to agree with them.
The book presents two opposing perspectives on five reptiles, each supported by carefully selected facts. Students get to read both arguments and decide which argument they agree with - or if they have their own opinion. It's interactive, engaging, and a must-have in this digital age. And as an added bonus, it's also a great book for teaching fact and opinion!
It's coming out in February 2025. If you are interested in this book, sign up here to be notified of release dates, sales, and free book giveaways.
The Split History Books
These books are two books in one! They discuss different historical events from two different perspectives. For example, The Split History of Westward Expansion shares the settlers perspective - arriving in American, Manifest Destiny, wagon trains, the transcontinental railroad, etc. Then, it shares how Westward Expansion impacted American Indians - why they sometimes fought the settlers, how the U.S. government broke treaties, the Trail of Tears, etc.
There are also Split History Books for teaching the American Revolution, World War I, World War II, and more.
George Vs. George: The Revolutionary War as Seen From Both Sides
This book presents the American Revolution from both sides. Students will be introduced to the motivations, beliefs, and actions of both George Washington and King George III. American students will be much more familiar with the American perspective of the Revolutionary War, and this book will challenge 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to consider this war from Britain's perspective. For example, this book helps students understand why King George III decided to tax the colonies...and why the Americans didn't like it.
The book is a bit wordy to read aloud in one setting. However, it is a great way to introduce students to the Revolutionary War while also teaching point of view. The illustrations are engaging and provide helpful context.
Mirror
This is a wordless book that follows the lives of two different families - one in a small village in Morocco and another from Sydney, Australia. Because the story is told almost completely through illustrations, its status as fiction or nonfiction is a little hazy. But it's a fantastic book for comparing the lives of different people from different cultures. Your students will naturally compare how their own life and point of view connects with these two families.
Use one of these wordless book ideas to go along with this book! You might also like this point of view freebie!
Comparing 2 Nonfiction Books With Different Points of View
Squanto's Journey and The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving is a story of two different people groups coming together on Thanksgiving, but often, the story is told from only one side.
The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving tells the story from the viewpoint of the Pilgrims - the long journey on the Mayflower, the harsh first winter, the building of Plymouth, the essential help they got from Squanto, and the first Thanksgiving when Native Americans and Pilgrims came together.
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving tells this same story from the viewpoint of Squanto - how he was captured, enslaved, and forcibly taken to Spain, how he escaped and returned to his home, how he tried to help the white men and the Native American tribes, and how the two groups celebrated together.
By exposing your students to both sides, they will develop a better understanding of what actually happened. It will also help them understand how an author's point of view affects how a story is told. For example, The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving mentions the help Squanto gave the Pilgrims but omits any reference to his captivity.
Check out these other ideas for teaching around Thanksgiving.
Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers and Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta worked together to advocate for farm workers' rights. Together, they co-founded the National Farm Workers Association together. Both books explore the struggles and triumphs of fighting for the rights of farmworkers - but each book focuses on a different point of view.
Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers shares Dolores' point of view and her reasons for advocating, while Harvesting Hope does the same, only from Cesar Chavez's point of view.
A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark and The Journey of York
These two nonfiction picture books both tell the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition but emphasize different parts of the trip and are shared from different perspectives.
A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark is the more traditional version - it focuses on Meriweather Lewis and William Clark and provides a general overview of the expedition with some interesting stories thrown in. The Journey of York tells the same story, but from the perspective of the only slave on the expedition - York. This version emphasizes the parts of the expedition where York played an important role.
These are excellent books to teach point of view in nonfiction, as they allow you to compare how different authors treat the same events.
A List of Informational Books That Have a Strong Point of View
I'm Trying to Love Spiders
The Wolves Are Back
tells the story of wolves returning to Yellowstone National Park. Wolves in the United States had been eliminated, hunted by rangers and ranchers who thought they were dangerous to people and animals. The author of this book shares about the return of the wolves from the point of view of someone who thinks the return of the wolves is unequivocally a good thing. Help your students see this strong point of view more clearly by contrasting it with the opposing point of view - more wolves are dangerous and not a good thing.
You might also like these tips for teaching point of view and author's perspective in nonfiction or these books for teaching point of view in fiction!
Or, check out these other must have books for your classroom library!
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