Informational means designed to give facts, knowledge, or useful details about something. An informational book teaches you about real topics like dinosaurs, the solar system, or how bridges are built, rather than telling a made-up story. When your teacher assigns an informational report, she wants you to research and explain actual facts about a subject.

Informational writing focuses on explaining, describing, or teaching rather than entertaining or persuading. A science article about volcanoes is informational: it tells you how they form, why they erupt, and where you can find them. A novel about kids escaping a volcano is not informational, even though it might include some real facts.

Libraries organize books into fiction (stories) and nonfiction (informational). Documentaries are informational films. Museum exhibits are informational displays. Even a simple sign saying “Library closes at 6 PM” is informational because it gives you useful knowledge.

When something is informational, its main purpose is helping you understand or learn, not making you laugh, scaring you, or convincing you to agree with an opinion.