Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts

For ages: 9 - 13

Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook

This fun, quirky illustrated non-fiction book will help young readers (age 9-12) navigate the often murky waters of social media and online news. Can You Believe It? (#CYBIBook) fosters critical thinking and answers questions like:

What is fake news and why do people make it?
How can I tell if something’s fake?
How is real news gathered and reported?
What’s the difference between news, ads and clickbait?
Why is critical thinking so important?
Whose point-of-view is missing and why does that matter?

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More about this book

For today’s tech-savvy kids, here’s the go-to resource for navigating what they read online.

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 super smart.

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.

End matter features a glossary, an author’s note, sources and an index.

Published by Kids Can Press, Toronto, Ontario. June 7, 2022
Illustrated by Kathleen Marcotte. Edited by Kathleen Keenan and Designed by Andrew Dupuis.

June 7, 2022
Hardcover: ‎ 56 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 1525303228
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1525303227
List Price: USD $18.99, CAD $19.99
4-color 9 x 10 56 pages
Grades: 4 To 7, Ages: 9 to 12

AWARDS

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

REVIEWS

“A valuable—and entertaining—guide to an important subject.”

— Kirkus Reviews, 13 April, 2022

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

— Youth Services Book Review, starred review, 29 April, 2022

“… a worthwhile addition to libraries and media literacy curriculum.”

— Canadian Children’s Book News, 05 August, 2022

“… 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, 30 September, 2022

Reviews

“Colourful and catchy, Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts provides a good overview of what fake news is, why people create and circulate fake news, and how to identify fake news. While aimed at younger readers, 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. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, ****/5″

-CM Canadian Review of Materials, by Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen

Read the full revie w

Can You Believe It? "...can be used by readers of all ages and is an excellent resource..." Highly Recommended, 4/5 stars

“Although technically a children’s book, this is a perfect text for anyone who wants to grow more tech- and media-savvy.”

-Book Riot, by Carolina Ciucci

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“I’m glad I have a copy of this book in my school library”

“Unlike similar books, it doesn’t dwell on the ‘media is terrible and out to trick you’ angle. It demonstrates that with some applied strategies, it can be possible to be a more discerning reader/listener/viewer.”

-Diana Maliszewski, AML (Association for Media Literacy)

Read the full review

Read Maliszewski’s thoughts about “triangulation” here

Screenshot of part of review of CYBI on the AML website

“This book helps young readers decide which online information they can trust—and which they can’t. Explore how real journalism is made, what “fake news” is and how to spot the difference. Learn about bylines and credible sources, influencers and clickbait. Readers are encouraged to approach online information with skepticism and to make smart choices about what they believe and share.”

-Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC), Best Books for Kids and Teens Fall 2022

“Top Book for Grades 9-12”

Thank you Kate Barlow of the Oakville News, for including Can You Believe It? in this fantastic list of reads by great kidlit authors including Lana Button (The Cow Said Boo! illustrated by Alice Carter), Jennifer Maruno (While You Sleep, illustrated by Miki Sato), Sylvia McNicoll (What the Dog Knows) and Karen Bass (Blood Donor).

Read the full review

Helen Kubiw is a wonderful reviewer and I’m very proud about this glowing review of Can You Believe It? She had lots of nice things to say–I made the graphic below about Kathleen Marcotte’s illustrations because I think sometimes they don’t get enough credit. They really are incredible and they add SO MUCH to this book! Also, what Helen says about them is bang-on.

Read the full review

Resources

Teaching Guide: Can You Believe It?

This resource leads you through a series of activities, breaking the book up over several days. You will begin each day’s session by reading one section of the book and then completing one activity based on what you’ve read that day. Activities include: understanding illustrations, conducting an interview, understanding points of view, practicing making news, group discussion and analysis.

Download it – it’s free!

Fake News Resources

Are you looking for resources to teach kids about critical thinking and fake news? TeachingKidsNews.com by Joyce Grant has an extensive list of great resources you can use for free! For instance, BBC iReporter is a fast-paced online game that teaches kids how reporters must decide whether to post information or keep checking it for accuracy. It’s fun and real-world. Another great game you’ll find in our list of fake news resources is Spot the Troll which teaches kids how to know whether it’s a person or a bot following you. You’ll also find a list of scholastic papers, research and more to help teachers and parents prepare their kids for the online world and to help make them better critical thinkers.

“For the Record”: Journalism Resource

For the Record is a free, monthly resource about journalism. Each two-page edition features an interview with a working journalist and looks at a specific job in the field. The series covers investigative journalism, courts reporting, photo journalism, news librarians, editors, comics, editorial cartoons and much more! Produced by the Toronto Star’s Classroom Connection and written by freelance journalist and children’s author Joyce Grant. Download them all!

TeachingKidsNews.com

Joyce Grant’s free website, TeachingKidsNews.com can help your students broaden their knowledge about journalism and critical thinking.

It is a great, free resource for teachers, parents and kids. Each kid-friendly news article is pulled from the headlines. Great for shared reading, individual study or group work. Every article is written by a professional journalist and has Think & Discuss questions as well as Links for deeper investigations.

There are more than a thousand archived articles on just about any topic you can imagine. And it’s all free! This award-winning website also features One Good Thing, simple articles about fun, uplifting topics.

Joyce Grant, Author & Speaker