Graphic novels are cool! (And they totally count as reading)
Can we read? No. 106: From guest writer Dana Gaskin Wenig
Once a month between March and October 2023, Dana Gaskin Wenig is taking my place in your inbox to share her own extensive knowledge of, experience with, insight into, and love of children’s literature.
Here’s Dana’s offering for June — enjoy!
Graphic novels are so appealing. They deliver just enough story on each page and the beautiful art, sometimes created in collaboration with the writer and sometimes by the writer/artist, creates an irresistible combination. Parents and caregivers shop the children's book sections at a bookstore; young people shop the graphic novel sections. Graphic novels are written for all ages and cover all genres: fiction, non-fiction, history, fantasy, memoir, and more. Graphica is a beautiful and valuable genre in itself, and for children who have difficulty getting started with reading, graphic novels can provide a bridge to reading longer books.
There are a lot of popular graphic novel series for younger readers: the Narwhal and Jelly Books by Ben Clanton, The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dog Man, and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey, and there’s a box set of the Magic Tree House stories by Mary Pope Osborne available in graphic novel form. My favorite bookseller Christina says this about Bug Boys by Laura Knetzger, “Stag-B and Rhino-B are best friends and live together in a giant mushroom.” That’s enough for me. It’s always a win when a child falls in love with a series; the only difficulty is waiting for the next one to come out.
Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure by Leigh Luna (2023)
Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure (2023), text and art by Leigh Luna, is sweet and smart, and it’s my new favorite for younger readers. Clementine Fox is having a hard time with math in school. Her friend Penelope Rabbit does just fine on her math test! There are squirrel friends and bird friends, a sea turtle friend and an otter friend, all living together in friendship and working together to solve the problems of the day. When the opportunity for a seafaring adventure arises, Clementine and a small group of friends stow away on the sea turtle to visit a witch. They enter a realm of magic, learn about old rituals, and cake plays a part in helping Clementine gain a new understanding of hands-on visual learning. This is a very fun book that I suspect the children in your reading circle will ask for again, and again. (For kids 7 to 10 years old, or grades 2 – 5.)
Middle-grade graphic novels offer somewhat more complicated content and the art is more sophisticated. American cartoonist Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novels are very popular and include Smile, Guts, and Ghosts. Other very popular graphica for older readers includes the fantasy series Wings of Fire (dragons!) by Tui T. Sutherland, Phoebe and Her Unicorn (unicorns!) by Dana Simpson, Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi (this series includes demons, robots, the death of a parent, and a mechanical rabbit who turns out to be very useful). Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series numbers ten in the series now, each focused on an important historical event. There are graphic novels of the classics, ancient and modern history, there are memoirs, all written and illustrated in a way that gives children just enough information, in an entertaining and beautiful format, and (hopefully) encourages them to keep exploring those topics.
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega (2022)
Frizzy (2022), winner of the Pura Belpré Award, is a sensitively written middle-grade graphic novel by Claribel A. Ortega with gorgeous and richly drawn art by Rose Bousamra. If graphic novels are new to you or the children you read to, you’re in for a treat. Bousamra’s art adds depth and clarity to this story and addresses some elements of the story artistically rather than in the text. Marlene is a young Dominican girl whose mother takes her to the salon every Sunday to have her hair straightened so her hair will be “good.” The process is painful for her, and she agrees to it because it’s a chance to spend time with her mom (and she didn’t realize she had a choice).
Marlene’s cousin is having her quince (quinceañera) so the story starts with an extra trip to the salon to get her hair straightened yet again. She imagines the Super Amiga superheroes coming to her aid as she winces. This is an education in the importance of freedom of choice in styling curly hair, and a story of generational healing between Marlene, her aunt, and finally her mother. Whether this book serves as a window or door into a life different from yours, or as a mirror of your personal experience, it’s a very good read and I recommend it highly. I learned a lot, I enjoyed all the characters, the art is vibrant and fun, and I think there are important messages in it without it feeling like it’s delivering a message.
Garvey’s Choice: The Graphic Novel by Nikki Grimes (2023)
Nikki Grimes, bestselling author and poet and recipient of multiple awards, most recently the 2022 Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, has reworked her middle-grade novel Garvey’s Choice with the help of the brilliant and talented Theodore Taylor III. Garvey’s Choice: The Graphic Novel, is about a young man named Garvey who knows he’s not a jock, but his dad really wants him to be one. Each page or spread of pages bears a one-word title at the top which serves to bring the reader’s attention to the material for just a little bit longer.
As the story unfolds, we find out how hard it is on kids when a parent tries to choose push a child in a specific direction, and why parents might do such a thing (hint: it’s not always what you think). Along the way, Garvey makes close friends and begins to follow his own dreams. Taylor’s art is bold and expressive, and we are in no doubt about the struggles underway. The story is written in tanka, a poetry form that originated in ancient Japan. Garvey finally finds the strength to tell those close to him how it feels to be judged for his weight, and he finds joy in “mapping the stars for hours” with his friend Joe. In more ways than one, Garvey finds his voice which opens the door for profound healing. (For kids 8 – 12 years old, grades 3 – 7.)
Dana Gaskin Wenig is a writer, writing teacher, and former bookseller. She lives in the Seattle area.
My daughter loves Raina T. And my my nine year old son is very into the Amulet series.
The Hilo Series is another one my kids love. And I like a graphic novel retelling of a classic.
ahhh we love graphic novels in this house!