Staff Reads: Can You Believe It?

Staff Reads: Can You Believe It?

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

Reviewed by Michelle Stallman, Youth Services Librarian

In today’s world, there are more information sources than ever before, which means that we can all easily stay informed and up-to-date on the world around us. Through the Internet, television, and smartphones, children often view these messages without others around, so it’s important for them to know how to critically evaluate sources for themselves!

Can You Believe It?: How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts is a wonderful resource for teaching children the basics of media literacy. Presented in a friendly and interactive format, this book gives details about how and why misinformation is created and spread, and importantly, how to spot it.

Chapters like “Become an Investigator”, show readers some of the common ways that headlines and articles can be written to make you react a certain way, while others, like “Not Quite Fake, Not Quite Real”, talk about how to differentiate between kinds of articles, like opinion pieces, satire, ads, and advertorials. Throughout the book, there are even example news articles provided to help kids test their newfound skills.

Can You Believe It? is probably best suited for upper elementary students or middle schoolers, though younger children could certainly learn a few things too. You can get it at the library in print or on Hoopla.