ReFoReMo Day 2: Marcie Flinchum Atkins Reveals Back Matter as a Matter of Fact

I wrote a poetic nonfiction book that needed back matter, but I wasn’t sure which direction to take. How could I make the back matter stand out and add an extra hook to my book? I turned to mentor texts.
Back matter is the information in the back, offered beyond the main text.
I originally started with as many recent nonfiction mentor texts that I could find. I found lots of biographies with fascinating back matter, but since my book wasn’t a biography, I wanted to closely study books that had similar characteristics to mine.

I had several criteria for the main text of the book:
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1) Low word count
2) Lyrical language
3) Science related
4) Stellar quality nonfiction

Many of these texts are poems, and the back matter explains each part of the poem and the science behind it. In Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt, a narrative text with poetic language, the back matter explains each animal mentioned in the book and how it is beneficial to the garden. In all of the books, the added layers of information in the back matter help the text work at many age levels.

Some books included a list of books or websites for further reading. A Rock Can Be and In the Canyon both contain a glossary. A few of the authors included an “author’s note” explaining their personal connection to the story. Flowers are Calling and Tree of Wonder include ways that students can take action.

As a teacher-librarian, I appreciated the fact that these books’ back matter tied into curricular needs. It helps “sell” the book to teachers who need to use books for double duty.

In some older nonfiction books, lengthy back matter offered interesting facts aimed at the teacher. The books on this list had back matter ranging from 1 to 7 pages. Every single one of them was designed to be kid-friendly, appealing, and interesting to read.

.While this list was a careful self-selection of a particular kind of book that I’m writing, I also found it interesting that Chronicle and Beach Lane books came up more than once. Some of my favorite back matter was in Water is Water, which was published by Roaring Brook. As a writer, this is something that I note when researching publishers.

​Back matter can be as fascinating as the main text, and it should offer another layer to your book. Analyzing back matter and taking notes helped me begin brainstorming layers I could add to my own book. 

How have you tackled back matter?

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Marcie is giving away a free download of her e-book, Mentor Texts for Writers. This book is perfect for ReFoReMo participants! Thank you, Marcie! To be eligible, you must be a fully registered participant, comment on this post, read daily, and keep records of your progress.

Marcie Flinchum Atkins is an elementary librarian by day and writes for children in the wee hours of the morning. Her books include Ancient China (ABDO, 2015), Mentor Text Tips, and Mentor Texts for Writers. She also holds an MA and MFA in children's literature from Hollins University. She blogs about mentor texts at www.marcieatkins.com.