Why Graphic Novels Matter
When you see your child
pick up a book like the ones here, you might roll your eyes, and hope, pray, and bargain that they pick out a “real book” instead. But hold on, reading graphic novels could be more beneficial to your child’s literacy and personal development than you may think.
If you don’t have children or they’re too young for graphic novels, you may not be aware of where graphic novels fit in the literary canon. They are essentially the combination of a comic book and a short novel. With endless unique styles, graphic novel artists use illustrations to convey things like mood and body language in a way that traditional narratives cannot….(keep reading)
A good portion of graphic novels are fictional. However there are plenty of graphic memoirs that are gaining popularity. They can also fall under other nonfiction genres like history and science.
The general popularity of graphic novels has been on the rise for the last decade. It’s almost impossible to meet a middle grade reader who hasn’t read the Dog Man series or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If you’re familiar with these series, you may want to dismiss them because of their seemingly lower level vocabulary and story structure. However, I would counter that they have an even greater value; they foster a love of reading. Kids that are normally reluctant readers feel comfortable in books like these and get excited for the next installment in the series.
The popularity of graphic novels in the literary community is on the rise as well, some even winning prestigious literary awards. In fact, in 1992 Maus, which details the author’s father’s experience during the Holocaust, became the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize. Since then, graphic novels have become a standard in the award community for giving children new means to explore difficult subjects that may be hard to understand or digest.
Another such author who deals with difficult topics is Raina Telgemeier. Her semi-autobiographical graphic novels use illustrations to convey feelings that are hard or even impossible to put into words. In her latest release, Guts, Telgemeier chronicles her childhood struggle with IBS and anxiety, illustrating what an anxiety attack feels like to her, giving the reader a glimpse inside a world they may or may not be familiar with. These types of graphic novels can help teach social skills, emotional intelligence, and empathy. Some middle school and high school classrooms are even using graphic novels to teach complex, relevant topics like social justice, racism, and LGBTQ+ issues.
Graphic novels have also been used effectively by educators in classroom settings and beyond to teach enhanced literacy skills to readers of all ages. One of the greatest strengths using illustrated stories is that it can increase comprehension in children with learning difficulties or language learners. Oftentimes when one of these children read a text, they are not able to comprehend all aspects of the story, including plot, characters, or setting. But by adding illustrations, the learner can fill in the gaps in their comprehension. Even advanced learners can benefit from reading graphic novels, new research suggests. Through reading them, children learn how to interpret images, words, and the complex combination of the two to form a full story.
Graphic novels also fill an important spot in the grand scheme of children’s literature, providing a bridge between beginning chapter books (e.g. Magic Treehouse) and longer middle grade chapter books (e.g. Song for a Whale). There are also quite a few graphic novels that have higher interest levels but lower reading levels, so they are great tools for the older kids who are behind their peers and don’t want to be seen reading lower level books.
But the most important reason to add graphic novels to your child’s library is to continue to foster their love of reading. I could talk about why this is so important forever, and I will; tune in next week for why fostering a lifelong love of reading is so important!
Written by: Ali Teague
Ali Teague is the Eagle and Gypsum program coordinator for the Literacy Project and the former Children’s Specialist for the Bookworm of Edwards. She lives in Edwards, CO where she spends her free time curled up in a hammock with a good book.