YA Textbook Reflection Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Graphic Novels
- Summary: Graphic novels are stories told through pictures, much like a comic book or wordless picture book. The best part about graphic novels is that they are not tied to any specific type or age of reader. They don’t even have to be used for learning. However, you can still find graphic novels in history, fantasy, nonfiction, and all the sub-genres. Graphic novels hold just as much information as traditional literature, if not more. They still follow the guidelines of possessing proper literary elements and literary devices, but the illustrations provide a better understanding of the story being told. A strong point in graphic novels is that the illustrations can make abstract concepts more concrete with the visuals that are given. Graphic novels have some basic information in order to fully understand them. They are as follows:
- Graphic novels are not sequential art
- Graphic novels are more complex than picture books
- Graphic novels have color symbolism
- Manga is read top to bottom/right to left/back to front
Parts of a Graphic Novel
- Panels: Squares/rectangles that contain a single scene
- Gutters: Space between the panels
- Dialog Balloons: Communication between or among others
- Thought Balloons: Characters thoughts
- Captions: Information about a scene or character
- Sound Effects: visual clues (i.e. Pow!, Boom!)
Graphic Novel Titles
- HiLo
- Nimona
- Lumber Janes
- The Nameless City
- Last of the Sandwalkers
- Human Body Theater
- Space Dumplins
- The Silence of Our Friends
- Olympians
- The Stratford Zoo
- The Golden Compass
- The Graveyard Book
- Comic Squad
- Secret Coders
- For a more extensive list you can visit the ALSC website that accommodates K-12. Little Mavericks also have a list that covers K-6 for Texas.
Reflection/Response: Graphic novels are a great resource for readers who are interested in art and design. Graphic novels are also excellent in guiding a visual learner to actively engage with the text to decipher between text and images, as well as learning the difference of the text format between narration and dialogue. Upon further research I also learned that most graphic novels are great for introducing young readers to new words. They usually contain higher level vocabulary words than that of print-only books that are made for the same age group. Many adults are reluctant to have their children read graphic novels because they feel like it doesn’t count as actual reading. This is one form of bias that librarians have to work around, because reading a graphic novel is so much more than the glorified picture book that it’s made out to be, from the general public. They are for all types and ages of readers, but I feel they can definitely aide in teaching inference to the reader who can’t “read between the lines” of a text only book. The pictures and text together give them more of an understanding about inferencing within the text. As a librarian I feel it’s important to have graphic novels in your collection in all genres and not solely focus on fiction books. Yes, graphic novels are universally known for helping reluctant readers, but it’s our job as librarians to make sure everyone knows it is actual reading that dives deep into literary elements and literary devices, along with color symbolism and rich artwork.
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