Recently we were asked to help a class of first graders find non-fiction books which include a table of contents. We located the Checkerboard Animal Library series. Each book in the series follows a standard format providing information on a particular animal and includes a table of contents, glossary, bibliography and index relating to that specific animal. Titles provided in the bibliographies are older and may be difficult to locate.

An example of a book from this series is Dog-Faced Bats by Pamela J. Gerholt. The young reader is given an overview of these bats, including habitat, size, shape, senses, defense, food eaten and babies.  Information is provided using clear and relatively simple language, with photographs on every other page.