Fiction vs Non-Fiction

What’s the Difference?

Fiction Books Non-Fiction Books
contain made up contain true facts
stories. and information.
Features of a Fiction Book
“Fiction” books are filled with made up stories, created from the imagination of
the author. They are not real and sometimes they even include talking animals!
Fiction books will usually include these features:

• Not real

• Tells a story

• Characters and setting

• Illustrations

• Problem and solution

• Should be read in order

Tells a Story
• Can you think of any stories you have read recently?
• Using the pictures below as clues, think of a book which uses the
characters in the story.
Characters
• What characters have you read about recently?
• Using the key words below, can you name any famous book characters?
• Evil
• Scary
• Brave
• Powerful
• Ugly
• Beautiful
• Giant
• Magical
Illustrations
• Fiction books often include
illustrations.
• Why do you think books include
illustrations?
Written in Chapters
• Each chapters tells a part of the story.
• Chapters sometimes end on a cliffhanger to keep the
reader interested and to build tension.
• Chapters often have a common theme such as:
• Time
• setting
• characters involved.
Examples of Fiction
There are many different kinds of fiction books and texts. These are just some of
the different examples:

• Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes

• Picture Story Books

• Chapter Books

• Novels
Features of a Non-Fiction Book
“Non-fiction” books are based in fact, they give the reader information and help
us to learn more about different things. Non-fiction books will usually contain
these features:
• Real facts Fun Fact:
Did you know that some non-
• Gives information fiction books do not need to
be read in order?
• Contents page

• Glossary

• Index

• Headings and sub-headings

• Diagrams with labels

• Photographs
Contents Page
• A contents page lists the sections of information in the book and how to
find the information.
• The reader does not need to read a non-fiction book from front to back,
they can pick out the parts which interest them.

Photo courtesy of mhx (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Glossary
• A non-fiction book includes lots of technical vocabulary linked to the topic.
• A glossary explains what the technical words mean.
• A glossary is in alphabetical order.

Photo courtesy of digitalcamouflage7 (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Index
• An index page helps the reader locate information quickly.
• The reader will look for a key word in the index and it will tell
them which pages that the word will be found on.
• An index is in alphabetical order.

Photo courtesy of gruntzooki (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Diagrams and Labels
• Diagrams and labels are included to help the reader understand the
information.
• Labels and arrows are often used to help the reader locate the
information quickly.

Photo courtesy of FeeBeeDee (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Examples of Non-Fiction
There are so many different kinds of non-fiction books and texts. These are just
some of the different examples:
Fun Fact:
• Dictionary Non-Fiction isn’t just for books
either. Documentaries are
• History Books another good example of Non-
Fiction.
• Animal Nature Books

• General Knowledge and Trivia

• Science Books

• Travel Books

• Art Books

• Biographies and Autobiographies

Fiction or Non-Fiction
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Fiction
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