Should (some) Back Matter Move to the Front?

Can 'inoculating' readers help to minimize misunderstandings from children's books?

Back matter refers to the content that comes at the end of a book. Traditionally, this includes things like a glossary, index, and bibliography. In picture books it often includes an author’s note and additional information related to the story. In books that mix elements of fact and fiction the back matter is usually the place where the author will clarify what is fact and what is fiction.

I learned about the concept of ‘inoculating’ against misinformation in my Conservation Psychology and Science Communication and Misinformation courses. The problem with misinformation is that it can be extremely stubborn to undo. Trying to correct misinformation can actually have the opposite effect—further reinforcing the misunderstood content. In contrast, warning people ahead of time about misinformation has been shown to be an effective tool. 

Informational fiction books mix fact and fiction. Info-fiction is meant to teach you something but use elements of fiction to do so. For example, a talking elephant who teaches you about elephants is informational fiction. These are the books I believe would most benefit from providing some of the back matter before the story.

We are familiar with the concepts of forwards, prefaces, introductions but an inoculation isn’t quite any of these. An inoculation serves as a “note to the reader” but is not always labeled that way. I am going to refer to them as “Reader Preps” going forward.

These Reader Preps do not have to be long. They can simply prepare the reader to understand fiction vs. nonfiction elements within the story. Not only would this help to minimize misunderstandings obtained from children’s books, it may also help to prepare today’s youth for a world where discerning fact from fiction is getting increasingly more difficult and complicated.

Here are a few books that do it well.

Dinosaurs are Not Extinct by Drew Sheneman

“This book is a work of nonfiction. Except for the part where dinosaurs can speak English. We made that part up because we thought it was funny.”

(This book also includes an Author’s Note.)

I Live in a Tree Trunk by Meg Fleming and Brandon James Scott

“The story you are about to read is mostly true. Please note, many animals have homes with specific names. For instance, a bower and a drey are both a type of nest. And some, but not all, porcupines make their dens in trees. Additionally, some animals burrow and nest—and this is double duty. Hence, the characters in this book would like proper credit for their hard work.”

In my opinion this one could use some additional information to let the reader know that animals who are sharing pages in the book do not always share the same habitat in the wild.

(Their book I Was Born a Baby also has a Reader Prep.)

If I Had a Dinosaur by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow

“Titanosaurs are the largest known animals ever to have walked the earth. This story is inspired by the discovery of the biggest type of titanosaur ever discovered. The giant bones were found in Argentina in 2014.”

With this story, the content reads as clearly fiction. It is a case where the Reader Prep may not be necessary to inoculate against misinformation, but it gives the reader context and understanding of a type of animal they may be unfamiliar with.

Do you know other picture books that use Reader Preps? Please share in the comments.

references & further reading:

1. Inoculating the Public against Misinformation about Climate Change by Sander van der Linden, Anthony Leiserowitz, Seth Rosenthal, Edward Maibach

2. Using trade books in teaching elementary science: Facts and fallacies by Diana C. Rice

3. “Processing Inaccurate Information: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives from Cognitive Science and the Educational Sciences” a chapter from Correcting Misinformation—A Challenge for Education and Cognitive Science by Ullrich K. H. Ecker, Briony Swire, and Stephan Lewandowsky