It's No Joke:
Graphic Novels
Belong in
School Libraries!
LITERARY MERIT OF COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR KIDS
The Case for Inclusion
It's undeniable that communication is undergoing a massive change in the 21st century. Access to the Internet is available on an increasing number of devices – from tablets to phones to watches. The combination of images and text is becoming a standard method of conveying information, which requires new sets of skills in order to properly interpret what is being presented, we see this in memes and Snapchat now. University of North Florida assistant professor of literacy, Katie Monnin, refers to this as "the greatest communication revolution since the invention of the printing press," as a way of illustrating the scale of what is occurring.
Graphic novels can be powerful tools in this revolutionary process. They not only combine words and images, but require the reader to interpret the narrative flow by linking the actions in the panels together, which can help in advancing students' literacy skills and comprehension.
A number of school districts have already accepted the place of graphic novels, and have worked to increase their use. In 2008, the New York City Department of Education held a training session on graphic novels for hundreds of its K-12 school librarians, focusing on collection development, lesson plans, and the appeal of the books.
Comics and graphic novels should be considered when school librarians are developing their current collection. It's no joke, this particular reading material needs to be included in more school libraries, hopefully your's!
References:
Alverson, B. (2014). Teaching with Graphic Novels. School Library Journal: News & Features. Retrieved April, 2019 from: www.slj.com/?detailStory=the-graphic-advantage-teaching-with-graphic-novels
Ching, A. (2005). Holy Reading Revolution, Batman! Developing a Graphic Novel Collection for Young Adults. Young Adult Library Services, 3, no. 4, 19-21.
Liberto, Jacelyn Kit. (2012). Students and Graphic Novels: How Visuals Aid in Literary Term Recall and Students' Perceptions of the Tools. Education Masters. Paper 210. Retrieved April, 2019 from: fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1211&context=education_ETD_masters
National Association for Media Literacy Education. (2019). Media Literacy Defined. Retrieved April, 2019 from: namle.net/publications/media-literacy-definitions/
Thompson, T. (2008). Adventures in Graphica: Using Comics and Graphic Novels to Teach Comprehension. Stenhouse Publishers. Retrieved April, 2019 from: www.stenhouse.com/sites/default/files/public/legacy/pdfs/graphica8.pdf
-
Often times, graphic novels contain higher level vocabulary words than print-only books for readers in the same age range, and are great for introducing children to new words.
-
Graphic novels are great for visual learners. They force readers to actively engage with the text to decipher the interplay between text and images and to decode the differences in text format that signal it as narration or dialogue. Readers must interpret facial expression of characters and body language instead of reading descriptions in the text that explain their moods and tone.
-
Graphic novels offer the opportunity to learn important reading skills, like inference. “Reading between the lines” of a text is often a tricky task, but readers who have experience with interpreting a story based on texts and images are actively developing this important skill.
-
Modern literacy means being fluent in a range of mediums, including the interpretation of images. Graphic novels prepare readers to comprehend a range of multimedia messages, which increasingly dominate our culture.
-
Graphic novels are also a great resource for children interested in art and design. Aspiring artists are exposed to the wide range of styles of the illustrations in graphic novels. Layout and formatting of graphic novels can teach teens good design skills and how the way the story is presented is integral to a reader’s understanding and enjoyment of it.