The Graphic Details
Today’s picture books offer kids an educational and engaging fusion of art and words.
By Anne Trubek
 Graphic novels are all the rage right now, and they have emerged as one of the best new literary genres of this century. According to Publishers Weekly, retail sales of graphic novels were up 18% from 2004 to 2005, with around $245 million in sales last year. Still, many parents hesitate to pick them up. Some doubt their educational value or assume they are violent and adult-oriented; others worry about encouraging their children to spend too much time looking at pictures when they’ve only just begun to read. But graphic novels appeal to kids in the same way comic books have for decades, with their eye-catching artwork and bite-sized blocks of text.
And if the cool factor isn’t enough to make you pick them up, research shows that graphic novels, which often focus on character development, help kids learn to read. Some students have difficulty visualizing what they’re reading, and graphic novels help them put pictures with words. Also, reluctant young readers—most of whom are boys—are often more willing to try a graphic novel than a chapter book.
Until recently, finding graphic novels has proved difficult. Because they defy traditional categories, they had no home on shelves and were often tossed into different sections of libraries and bookstores at random. Luckily, graphic novels are now reviewed regularly and are finding their own home in the literary world. The American Library Association (ALA) has annual awards for the best graphic novels, libraries continue to develop new call numbers for them, and bookstores have begun shelving them in children’s sections.
The graphic novel world boasts a number of standout series. Bone , the Harry Potter of the genre, is smart, complex, literary and just plain fun. The series tells the story of three humanish creatures who adventure away from their home, get separated and finally find one another again. Another series, Amelia Rules! by Jimmy Gownley, tells the stories of a spunky fourth-grader and her uncool-at-school friends. And any child will love Joann Sfar’s accomplished and cute Little Vampire series, which chronicles the life of a young vampire who lives with other monsters and befriends a human boy.
Graphic novels even include nonfiction stories. To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel , by Siena Cherson Siegel, describes the author’s journey from Puerto Rico—where she danced on the beach as a child—to the New York City Ballet. For something more sports-oriented, try Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow , a biography of the Negro League baseball legend by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso.
Also be sure to check out classic titles that helped define and launch the genre in the late 1970s. One of the founding fathers of graphic novels, Pulitzer Prize-winning Art Spiegelman, edits the highbrow-meets-popular Little Lit series of fairy tales for all ages by some of the genre’s best artists.
Jumping on the graphic-novel bandwagon has one more benefit: many of the best titles come from small publishers. So by buying some of the most innovative, sophisticated and engaging children’s titles out there, you’re also supporting independent artists and publishers. Really, what’s not to love?
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