Graphic Novels

 Adventures in Cartooning

Strum James, Arnold Andrew, Frederick-Frost Alexis. Adventures in Cartooning. 112p. First Second/Roaring Brook. Mar 2009. Tr $12.95. ISBN 9781596433694.

    This book is a perfect entry point into the world of graphic novels. In its effort to teach the main character how to draw cartoons, it also teaches the reader how to effectively engage with this style of reading. While the book does include a plot and storyline, it also gives explicit directions about how to follow along. That being said, the text and illustrations work together really well. Some spreads include the characters explaining what they are trying to accomplish before they are pictured doing it, creating a really guided experience for reading this untraditional/non-linear story. Though this book does have a plot line, the main intention is not necessarily to tell a well developed narrative so much as it is to familiarize readers with the graphic format and prime them to accept new ways of reading. Despite this, the illustrations and text are effective at both telling the story of the book, and explaining how to read it. This allows for readers who are new to the comic/graphic genre to follow along and understand the plot. This book is part of a series, there are 2 other books available. 

Babymouse Queen of the World

Holm Jennifer L., Holm Matthew. Babysmouse: Queen of the World! 91p. Random House Children's Books. Dec. 2005. Tr $6.99. ISBN 9780375832291.

The illustrations and text are effective in communicating the narrative of this story. This is the first book in an ongoing series that currently has 20 installments. The Babymouse series has a very specific art style that is easily identifiable as part of the collection. It is consistent, and in that way, effective. However, I remember reading Babymouse as a kid and feeling like the artistic choices were a bit dizzying to me. I was excited to revisit as an adult with a different lens and see how that impacted my reading experience. While reading this book, I still found the high contrast of the illustrations to be a lot. That’s not to say they are bad or confusing, because they do tell the story, however, they are maybe not the best reading experience to more sensitive readers. In that same vein, part of the charm of the Babymouse character is her imagination, she lives big in her head, and this is illustrated in the book. However, there is not a clear distinction between the actual narrative and when she escapes to her mind and a scene plays out there. The authors sometimes break the fourth wall and have Babymouse talk to a narrator. I think framing some of the imagination scenes in such a way would help distinguish between the real and imagined storylines and allow for readers to more easily follow the plot. 

Swim Team

Christmas Johnnie. Swim Team. 256p. HarperAlley. May 2022. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9780063056763.

    The text and illustrations come together to tell a clear narrative in this book. The panels are easy to follow, and each scene is clearly depicted. Visual (Bree’s inner anxiety focused thoughts) and linguistic (the butterfly effect) metaphors are used consistently throughout the book. Given the clarity of the illustration and panels, the narrative is easy to follow and understand, especially for the target audience, which is grades 3-6. The illustrator was really able to capture the fluidity and movement of water in their images. Since so much of this story centers around swimming, capturing the strokes appropriately is important. The illustrations of the different swimming forms are clear and distinguishable from each other. While not a series, author Johnnie Christmas has written other children's literature that young readers who enjoy their storytelling can try. 

Lunar Boy

Wibowo Jes, Wibowo Cin C. Lunar Boy. 240 p. HarperAlley. May 2024. Tr $24.99. ISBN 97800630507609. 

    This book features beautiful illustrations that add to the story. However, there is a lot going on in this book and it was quite difficult to follow even as an adult reader. The target audience for this novel is ages 9-13, I think younger readers will struggle to understand the plot. This is with a caveat that readers who enjoy and read a fair amount of fantasy may not struggle as much to understand the multiple arcs happening.

    The illustrations use color as a narrative device, shifting to darker tones when Indu is feeling lonely or called to the moon. To make it more understandable for young readers, further distinction between the different elements at play would have been helpful. Additionally, I think more frontloading of the world building and/or setting would help the reader to navigate the story. 

    This book also featured multi-lingial text, but was inconsistent in its presentation of discerning who was talking and when. Furthermore, on the pages that were primarily not in English, the illustrations did not do enough additional lifting to give clarity to the narrative. English-speaking readers may appreciate either the incorporation of English translation, and/or more descriptive imagery to provide context and understanding. This book is not part of a series. 

Consent (For Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You

Brian, Rachel. Consent (For Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You. 63p. Little, Brown and Company. Jan 2020. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9780316457736.

    This book features simple (slightly dressed up) stick figures to accompany the text. The illustrative style brings levity and silliness to serious and important concepts, making this book accessible to young readers. This book aims to break down the complex concept of consent into diverse and applicable situations for kids to learn, generalize, and implement vocabulary and concepts. While it breaks ideas into scenes or situations, it does not follow a narrative structure and does not have a traditional plot to follow. The writing is clear and takes concepts that can be big and abstract and puts them into a variety of familiar contexts that kids may or may not have experienced. Brian has several similar styled books out or coming soon, but this is the only one about this specific topic. If readers are drawn to the way they get into big topics in a kid-friendly and humorous way, they may want to check out her other titles about screentime, worrying, and ADHD.