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Children's Nonfiction Media Studies

Can You Believe It?

How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts

by (author) Joyce Grant

illustrated by Kathleen Marcotte

Publisher
Kids Can Press
Initial publish date
Jun 2022
Category
Media Studies, General, General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781525303227
    Publish Date
    Jun 2022
    List Price
    $19.99

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 9 to 12
  • Grade: 4 to 7
  • Reading age: 9 to 12

Description

For today's tech-savvy kids, here's the go-to resource for navigating what they read on the internet.

Should we believe everything we read online? Definitely not! And this book will tell you why. This fascinating book explores in depth how real journalism is made, what “fake news” is and, most importantly, how to spot the difference. It's chock-full of practical advice, thought-provoking examples and tons of relevant information on subjects that range from bylines and credible sources to influencers and clickbait. It gives readers context they can use, such as how bias can creep into news reporting, why celebrity posts may not be truthful and why they should be suspicious of anything that makes them feel supersmart.

Young people get most of their information online. This must-read guide helps them decide which information they can trust --- and which they can't.

Author and journalist Joyce Grant is an expert on how young people interact with and think about online media. Never judgmental, and often hilarious, she encourages readers to approach what they find online with skepticism and helps them hone their critical thinking skills to make good choices about what to believe and share. Engaging text is broken into manageable chunks, with loads of Kathleen Marcotte's playful illustrations on every spread to help explain tricky concepts. Two fake articles are deconstructed step by step using the information found in the book, and an additional article allows readers to test their skills. This comprehensive book has strong curriculum connections in language arts and social studies. Endmatter features a glossary, an author's note, sources and an index.

About the authors

JOYCE GRANT is a freelance journalist and the author of numerous books for children, including the Sports Stories novel Tagged Out. She is also the co-founder of TeachingKidsNews.com, which provides free, kid-friendly news. She lives in Toronto.

Joyce Grant's profile page

Kathleen Marcotte is an illustrator from the suburbs of Chicago. She earned her BFA in illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). She loves to create playful illustrations that can appeal to both children and adults and has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration and 3x3 magazine. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kathleen Marcotte's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, Hamilton Literary Award (Children's Book), Hamilton Arts Council
  • Winner, Hamilton Literary Award (Non-Fiction), Hamilton Arts Council
  • Winner, Press Freedom Teaching Award; Gold Educator, Global Youth & News Media
  • Short-listed, Yellow Cedar Award, Ontario Library Association
  • Short-listed, 2023-24 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award, Hackmatack

Editorial Reviews

... a worthwhile addition to libraries and media literacy curriculum.

Canadian Children's Book News

... this book can be used by readers from all ages and is an excellent resource for learning about fake news and how to identify it.

CM Magazine

A valuable---and entertaining---guide to an important subject.

Kirkus Reviews

This is an excellent introduction to media literacy for young readers who are bombarded with information daily.

Youth Services Book Review, starred review

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