Write Non-Fiction Historical Books for Children
Selene Castrovilla on Research, Characters, Finding the Right Story
Nov 3, 2009
In an interview with Suite101 writer Jennifer Jensen, Selene Castrovilla shared the challenges of writing historical non-fiction for children.
About Selene Castrovilla
Selene Castrovilla is the award-winning author of By the Sword and Upon Secrecy, historical picture books for older readers about George Washington, soldier Benjamin Tallmadge, and the Culper Spy Ring. She has also written a contemporary YA novel, Saved by the Music.
Finding the Right Historical Topic for a Children’s Book
The topic found me. I came across this story [By the Sword] while researching the Culper Spy Ring. Benjamin Tallmadge was Washington’s chief of spies, and I was reading his memoir. While very close-mouthed about the spy ring (as any good spy would be!), Benjamin mentioned his experiences at the Battle of Long Island and subsequent retreat in concise yet touching detail. He wrote that he hadn’t wanted to look another human being in the eye and kill them. Right away, I knew I wanted to explore that aspect of war. I knew my opening line: “Benjamin Tallmadge had never killed before.”
The details of the battle and retreat were a writer’s dream: the Americans were vastly outnumbered and out-skilled, and cornered in trenches awaiting capture or death. But Washington managed to sneak all his men right out from under the British noses. There was even a miraculous fog, which came down to cover them in the daylight. I couldn’t have made up something more dramatic! And poor Benjamin was in the rear guard, really thinking he wasn’t going to make it. Then he did – and went back to save his horse. Wow.
Benjamin Tallmadge gave me my whole story in his memoir – beginning, middle and end. Of course I had to fill it in with sensory details, and make sure I had all the information possible about the retreat. I read every primary source available – every letter and newspaper article written when it happened.
Bring a Historical Characters to Life Without Using Fiction
You have to make sure you don’t cross the line – like put thoughts in their heads you couldn’t know about. I was so lucky that Benjamin described everything in his memoir! You can’t use dialogue, so you have to use enough sensory details and create a momentum so that the dialogue isn’t missed.
People don’t change – what’s in our hearts remains the same. We struggle for the same beliefs, we cry for the same losses. This makes anything in history relevant.
I’m interested not so much in “what happened” but “why it happened.” The human story behind the cold facts is what makes the narrative come alive.
You bring someone to life by showing how vulnerable they are – that they have real fears and worries, just like us. You show that we are really just the same. If they have a problem they need to solve, they’re immediately human. If you portray them in honest, human terms, people will care.
Detailed Research for Historical Books
My editor is a stickler for accurate research, and she actually looks at the bibliography before reading the manuscript! But I’d done all the preliminary research on the war already, as I investigated the spy ring.
I started my research on the internet, but of course had to head out into the real world before long. Proximity to the location helped, but I still had to travel to places like Washington’s Crossing, where Washington crossed the Delaware. That’s where the David Library is located. It has every document and book pertaining to the American Revolution!
For more about Selene Castrovilla and writing for children, read How to Write Children's Books: Top Authors Give Tips.
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