Nonfiction picture books fall into in four categories
Will need 14 to 28 illustration possibilities.
Biographies
Can be a memoir of a specific period in someone’s life, a slice of a life, or a complete biography of someone’s life.
Broad topics
A book that covers a topic without focusing on one specific area. E.g. Birds.
Narrow topics
A narrow topic is examined in detail. Feathers. Melissa Stewart’s Feathers: Not Just for Flying.
Theme Books
How birds fly. Similar to narrow topics, these titles center on abstracts, that is specific concepts. Science-themed picture books are popular.
Non-fiction magazine pieces are more varied
Will need fewer than 14 illustration possibilities for magazines.
Articles
Can be broad topics, but more often are narrow topics. Theme stories, too. This is a broad category, often including science or travel.
Biographies/Profiles
For magazines, biographies are often a slice of life or a profile. E.g. “Zigzagging to Success” in the January 2016 Highlights.
How-to pieces
This category covers everything from recipes to repair to building things to art projects. E.g.
How to draw horses.
Lists
Brief write-ups of arts and crafts and such make this a fast-paced format. Why not lists of cars or dances? Things to catch a child’s interests.
Quizzes/games/puzzles
The quizzes etc. are more to spark interest or entertain than to inform or evaluate. Often they resemble Facebook tests: What is your color personality?
C. T. Suddeth 