Krakkk! Krash! Bwoing! Graphic Novels in Grades 1-5

Comics in the Periodic Table of Elements

2012-01-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Go the the Comic Book of Periodic Elements. This is a really fun site for those who really want to enjoy the Elements. It's a great way to get the connection between the elements and superheros.

The following is the famous Periodic Table song. The kids will love it. There are many adaptations of the song. This is not the only one.

This is the Original version by Tom Lehrer. It's a fun sing along. After he wrote this there have been discoveries of a few more elements.

War Stories: A Graphic History

2010-04-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

My husband came across the book at the library and brought it home. It's not for kids, but teenagers and above who are avid comic fans will find it a treasure chest of art and information. It includes seven chronological chapters: Historical Hostilities; American Blood, American Soil; World War I; World War II; Britain Goes to War; Korean and Vietnam Wars; and Modern Day Conflicts. This is a comprehensive look at the nature of comics and historical events. It has a comprehensive index of both artistic credits and historical content. It includes pirates, the American West, and Iraq. This is a trade paperback published in 2009 by Collins Design an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. Look at the Browse Inside feature of their website to see examples of this fine work.

The author, Mike Conroy, is a well known comic journalist and historian. He is the news editor of the U.K.-based trade paper Comics International, and the founder of the Eagle Awards, one of the comics industries major international prizes. His previous books are 500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes and 500 Comic Book Villians.

All Ages Manga: Legend of Zelda Vol 9

2010-02-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 2, 2010 the 9th volume in the series, A Link to the Past, was released. The author of the Legend of Zelda series is Akira Himekawa. The name is a pseudonym for two manga-ka, A. Honda and S. Nagano, who together have created the series based on the highly popular Legend of Zelda Nintendo game. The series first began publication in the US in 2008 and is not an exact replica of the game. As the series grew the authors seemed to focus on the personalities, thoughts, and history of characters.

A young man with swashbuckling swordsmanship, Link, is involved with Princess Zelda, ruler of the kingdom of Hyrule. Himekawa brought to young readers fast-paced swords and sorcery action with all the artistic flare of traditional manga in 200 pages. The Legend of Zelda is published by Viz Kids. These are appropriate for the young reader and are only available in paperback. The appeal may be more for young women who enjoy romantic fantasy. For those young female reluctant reader manga fans this might be just the series to get them interested in reading.

uclick: Good but Expensive Comic iPhone Apps

2010-02-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

The publisher uclick has many graphic novel apps. Be aware that some of the apps are just for one chapter, therefore, making the total book as expensive as the physical book. Some are for the graphic novels loved for ages 8-12, for example, Bone. Each panel is in excellent full color, slide page turn, and very easy to read. However, you do not get a look at the total vertical page and you end up with 6 or 7 icons on your iPhone representing each chapter. In a pinch it is easier especially when traveling than dragging around the physical book.

They also have the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Ghostbusters. Many are $0.99 per chapter, but some are the full issue. Read carefully before you download. Chapter by chapter takes up a lot of app space. When your iPhone apps are on page 11 as is mine, you have to really want the book to allow it to take up your precious space.

You can get Manga on the Kindle for the iphone through Amazon.com, but it is also expensive and not that easy to read. Download the first chapter or so for free just to see how it works. It's tricky to zoom in to make the print readable. If the young ones have to have Manga, the get light Manga such as the Oz series available on iverse. The horizontal display makes it easy to read. For those who want serious Manga, there are companies such as Digital Media Productions working on making Manga displays easier to read on the iPhone, but right now it's a work in progress.

Two More Comic iPhone Apps: Sadly No DC

2010-01-24T14:29:00.001-08:00

As I started looking at comic apps I began to realize there were no Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, or Justice League comics. DC comics is not on the bandwagon for the iPhone apps. Hopefully, as these apps become more popular, DC will jump aboard. I can hardly wait. Right now I think the companies are just trying to figure out the best format for their brand.

Comic Zeal is rated with 3 & 1/2 stars and cost $3.99. It has two categories in their library, Flashback Universe and the Golden Age of Comics. The golden age are comics that are in public domain from 1930 to 1960. There are many free ones, but you can also connect online to get more. However, you must be connected to WiFi to do so. The reader was difficult to use, however, Comic Zeal, has a cool feature. You can easily save a page to your photo album.

Panelfly

Panelfly is free and rated with 3 stars. I found it to be very slow loading. When I did try to load, I got a message saying I was trying to load a deleted issue. When I came back the next day, it was loaded. It does not work well on the 3g network. Works much better with WiFi. They do have some free samples. Some of the free samples just give you the first chapter then you have to pay for each remaining chapter. Most range from $0.99 to $1.99, however I found some for $6.99 and another for $9.99. The price is not listed on the graphic novels until you go to buy one. The app lists featured, top tens, and genres. You can also search. The reader is easy to use. Just tap for zooming in, move around the page, and slide to the next page. You can also view all the pages at once. Panelfly is working on a little different app for the ipad.

Top iPhone Comic Apps

2010-01-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

I was a little reluctant to have the youngsters use my iPhone, but my grandchildren, ages 7 & 5, love it. The main rule is they have to stay sitting down when they use it. The unspoken rule is I am either sitting with them or in the same room or place keeping an eye on them. I don't want them in my email or making phone calls. As long as you don't give your child your iTunes password, you have control over what the child can read. It's handy for a break when they get bored on a long trip or just need some quiet time. There are beginning to be some good book apps for kids also which they loved but not as many high quality books as I would like. My absolute favorite iPhone book is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It has a Read to Me and a Read it Myself section. It's beautifully presented and a model for others adapting books for the iPhone. Using the iPhone for children's reading is just as handy as any adult e-reader. You don't have to carry tons of books around. Comic reading is one available alternative at little cost.

Archie Comics

Archie Comics for free is the best comic iPhone app that I could find for young children. There also are a couple of paid Archie series also by Iverse. The free version is rated with 2 & 1/2 stars. The paid ones get higher ratings one even getting 4 & 1/2 stars. There are no hacker/slash comics on the free version. They have Archie, Sabrina-Manga, Betty and Veronica, Young Salem, and Jughead. You get four free titles. After that its between $0.99 to $1.99. Iverse uses a format that can be either vertical or horizontal depending on the rotation of your iPhone. It's difficult to read in the vertical format but having both layouts is important to get the feeling for the flow of the panels. I found the reader very easy to use.

Iverse

If you have children who are into superheros and you want a lot more variety, go to Iverse. The app itself is free, has a new release section, top paid, and top free. Many of the Archie and his friends series are also here. It has 2 & 1/2 stars and both the vertical and horizontal layout for easy reading. This is a big site. It also has the the usual hardcore horror, fantasy, sci-fi, Manga, and romance genres. It also has the all ages genre which includes Archie, Oz, Sabrina, the New Alice in Wonderland etc. The Marvel titles, such as spiderman, X-Men, Captain America, and Iron Man are in the superhero genre. If you pick a paid comic, the prices range from $0.99 to $1.99. Remember you have control of what they read because you have the iTunes password.

Classic Fairy Tales in Comic Format

2009-11-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

The classic tales have been told in a charming and bit unusual format by the publisher Stone Arch Books in the Graphic Spin collection. The interest level is age 3 to 8 and the reading level is grade 1-3 with 40 pages. Most the goodies that teachers have often used in the classroom are here. Rapunzel, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and my two favorite tales, Rumpelstiltskin and Jack and the Beanstalk are in the first collection. They are a little dark in the "Grimm" style, but the main characters stand out. The art work is highly stylized, but appealing. Recently they have come out with the Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, and a couple of others. The art work seems a little lighter in the new additions. All the tales have a lexile score ranging from the early 300's to about 410 and are all available in library bound editions.

In many schools where students have emmigrated from South America, East Indian, Asian, or African countries these Germanic tales may be new to the students. Teachers often use the classic tales to build a commonality in the the classroom community as the ideas may be used to reflect the common good within the classroom, the school, and the community. Today that would be considered character education. Actually each of these have a character education theme. Red Riding Hood is "Trustworthiness" and Hansel and Gretel is "Caring". I do not necessarily agree with the theme assigned to the books by Stone Arch, but the students can decide for themselves as the story unfolds.

Teachers or home schoolers may read and explore five classic versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, so you may want to save these fairy tale graphic novels for students to explore on their own. By the time the boys are in second grade they often balk at Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty as they are considered these to be "girl" books. However, they would enjoy Rumpelstiltskin or get a good laugh at the stylized wolf in the Three Pigs. Librarians, even with the budget cuts in libraries, I would still take a chance on a few of these and see if the students, especially those reluctant readers, embrace them.

The Charm of Owly for the Pre-Reader

2009-11-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

If you are are interested in the comic format for the youngest pre-reader, ages 4-6, take at look at Owly by Andy Runton . On his website you can see limited previews of some of the books. The first Owly book came out in about 2004. The Owly series is almost wordless, but can be used to introduce visual literacy, oral language, and directionality to the youngest of readers.
Use shared reading between a parent, older sibling, or preschool teacher and the child. The Owly series are snuggle up and read together books. Share your thoughts aloud with the child and have the child do the same as you go through each panel. Shared reading helps develop phonology, fluency, content, and comprehension. Shared reading is also great for learners with diverse backgrounds. Owly was the winner of the 2006 Eisner Award for "Best Publication For A Younger Audience".

The characters could be described as "sweet" with human characteristics. The theme is often friendship, love, or overcoming obstacles. The series is published by Top Shelf and is available in hardbound or paperback but not library bound. The books are in black and white and usually have about 160 pages which is a lot for a pre-reader. For those youngsters with a limited attention span, it would be best to read the series in stages. The fifth book in the series was published in 2009 and is Owly Tiny Tales.

Amulet

2009-10-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Amulet is a new series by Kazu Kibuishi. Kibuishi has credentials as his book Daisy Kutter: The Last Train won the American Library Associations Best Book Award for Young Adults. He continues in the tradition with Amulet: The Stonekeeper and now just released in September 2009, book 2, The Stonekeepers Curse. However the Amulet books are for young readers ages 8 and up. The main characters are a brother, sister, and mom along with the robot rabbit who join the struggle between good and evil. Amulet: The Stonekeeper was nominated for a 2009 Eisner Award for Best Kids Publication. The Eisner award is considered to be the Oscar of the comic world.

The books are in the comic format somewhat in the manga style, but with Lemony Snicket overtones in the story. The art is in color and read from front to back. The first book started immediately with the death of the children's father which may be a little harsh for younger readers. They find a spooky place to live and the adventures begin. There is a future book 3 in the planning stage. Amulet is published by Graphix which is an imprint of Scholastic. These are available in paperback and hardbound, but not library bound. Scholastic is known by librarians for poor quality binding on their hardbound books, Harry Potter, being the utmost example. If you are interested, you would be just as well to try paperback. Surprisingly, the Bone series also by Graphix is produced in fairly sturdy form in paperback.

Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid: Great Crossover Books

2009-10-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

On October 12th the 4th in the Wimpy Kid series came out, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Days. These books are a series of cartoons and writing which make them a great crossover book for kids who are not ready to give up the comic format or the older reluctant reader. The stories are funny and the hero is a somewhat typical kid. This book is already on the best seller list. The series is best for 3rd graders and up. Amulet books has a website for parents, teachers, or librarians with more information.

Kinney's first book Diary of a Wimpy Kid was published in 2007 with a Lexile score of 950L. The books are published by Amulet an imprint of Abramsbooks. They are available in hardbound format and have 224 pages. The first two in the series are available from Bound to Stay Bound. These books will never stay on the shelves so take advantage of being able to get them library bound from BTSB. For $16.95 the American Library Association has a poster of the Wimpy Kid to encourage reading.

The Father of Manga: Astro Boy

2009-10-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Be prepared for more of a push for comic reading by students as Astro Boy hits the silver screen on Oct 23rd. Astro Boy was originally published in 1952 in Japan by Osamu Tezuka. In Japan Astro Boy is called Mighty Atom. He was very popular in Japan and became more popular as he was seen later on in the 1980's on TV in the states. To my knowledge this is the first Astro Boy movie in the states. For more information look in the categories on this blog under Astro Boy.

For information on the books including the history see Rocketing Back to Fame: Astro Boy in the School Library Journal. This article discusses the unique history and availability of the books. All the books however are in paperback. The original Astro Boy was in black and white.

Comic Format for Emerging Readers

2009-09-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

More publishers are coming out with books in comic format for those readers from age 4 to 8. Art Spiegleman has come out with Jack in the Box from Toon. Toon is an imprint of Raw Junior LLC. In 1992 Art Spiegleman won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award for Maus: a Survivors Story. Maus is often used in high schools to study the Holocaust, but Maus is an example of the quality of the Toon books. Stinky by Eleanor Davis is a 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel honor award book from Toon. The Geisel Award is given annually by the American Library Association to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. Of course, the reviews for Stinky are top notch for both the story and art work. The toon books are on the online reader and the website has lesson plans. Students can be read to or they can read it themselves. The books can be purchased as hardbound or paperback, but not library bound. Jack in the Box had mixed reviews, so use the online reader to take a look before you buy.

Ninja Baseball

Manga for those from 7 to 12 is the goal of Udon Kids publishing. They started publishing in 2009. Basically they have four genres: Adventure, Sports (Baseball), Fantasy, and Science Fiction. Three of the series seem to be directly aimed at girls. They have a preview of each of the series on their website. The stories are in black and white and must be read from back to front as traditional Manga. These are translated from Japanese titles, so they have 200 pages. Characters have the traditional big eyes and typical manga energy. These are all in paperback which makes them a challenge for use in libraries, but not impossible.

The Big Cheese: Geronimo Stilton

2009-09-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Papercutz, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing for tweens 8-14, launched in the Spring of 2005 with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew graphic novels is now coming out with graphic novels of Geronimo Stilton. These can be hardbound, but they are not library bound as of yet. There are three of these available: #1, the Discovery of America; #2 the Secret of the Sphinx, and #3 the Coliseum Con. If you are not sure you are interested, checkout this preview of the Secret of the Sphinx. By the way Spotlight is still publishing some of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew in library editions, but they do not have all produced by Papercutz.

The original Geronimo Stilton books are chapter books. Attack of the Bandit Cats has a Lexile score of 570L. You can search for the score for each book. They were originally published in Italy and have been translated into 35 languages. In 2004 they finally became available in the United States. Each book is a fast, good read and is an excellent crossover adventure book for students ready to jump from graphic novels to chapter books. Many pages have a comic on it making the book feel familiar to those not yet used to reading chapter books. Geronimo Stilton is the main character who is the editor of a newspaper and time traveler who has to keep his arch enemy (a cat of course) from changing history. Bound to Stay bound has 35 volumes of Geronimo Stilton books available. It's best to get these in library bound (BSTB) as these books will be taking a lot of wear and tear. Read some chapters aloud and the books will fly off the shelves. There are many cheese jokes in these so a cheese tasting would be a great introduction.

In Italy the classic tales such as Robin Hood are included in the collection. However, they have not yet been translated into English as of this date.

Bulking Up Little Mickey

2009-09-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney bought Marvel Comics for $4 billion. It means more big bucks for Disney as they produce megahit movies with these characters. What does this mean for Marvel's stable of comic characters, Ironman, Captain America, Spiderman, Wolverine, and Spiderwoman? What does this mean for publishers like ABDO Publishing who publish the comics in Spotlight one of their imprints? These are hardbound with library binding. What does this mean to inner city libraries and the young people who cannot afford to buy comics, so they use the local library as their source?

Will Spidey be bringing the glass slipper to Cinderella? Will Mickey Mouse have to bulk up his petite frame, so he can marry one of the wicked stepsisters? Will Captain America knock off the wicked witch of Sleeping Beauty? Of course, Captain America doesn't have a weapon except his shield, so he will have to use a judo toss as a method of disposal.

It doesn't have to be negative. It can be a win-win for both companies and for libraries. Time Warner has owned DC (Detective Comics) since 1969. If anything, the movies produced have added to the mystic of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Comics are more popular than ever. If you don't believe it, just checkout the growing graphic novel sections in your local bookstore. Five years ago these sections were slim pickings. In 2003 most city libraries did not even have a graphic novel section. Now they do. A student looks forward to a movie coming out. They go to see it, and they want more. This merger will mean an upswing in books kids want to read. That is the core value. There need to be books kids want to read to propel them to proficiency in reading. Hopefully, more books will be produced and many of those books will be in library binding.

DC Comics: New Titles

2009-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Stone Arch books has come out with 12 new superhero titles to go with their other DC Comic titles. The addition of these new titles make a 24 volume series of DC comics available to students. Some of the titles will not come out until 2010. All are full color crossover chapter books for those who enjoy the DC graphic novels. Reading level is grades 2-3. Interest level is grade 3-6. They have 56 pages and a character education theme. If the comic features are not too watered down, these may make a welcome hook for the reluctant reader. All are in library binding. Superman, Batman, Robin all make a great addition to any elementary school collection. Stone Arch is an imprint of Capstone Publishers.

The World of Shredderman

2009-06-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Students who are ready to crossover from graphic novels to chapter books should take a look at the Shredderman series by Wendelin Van Draanen. Shedderman is a cyber superhero for ages 7 to 10. The series includes four titles, Secret Identity, Attack of the Tagger, Meet the Gecho, and Enemy Spy. There are a few graphics in black and white which give off similar vibes as graphic novels, but these are definitely chapter books. The series is published by Random House and has a very cool website for introducing the characters. The website also includes resources and activities for teachers.

Flying High with "Fly Guy"

2009-05-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Tedd Arnold's kindergarten to 2nd grade Hi! Fly Guy has won the 2006 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award from the American Library Association. It sells in the Bound to Stay Bound version for $9.79. Shoo, Fly Guy and Super Fly Guy are both $10.25 in BTSB. The originals are all published by Scholastic. The BTSB versions will stand up to a lot usage by children. All are easy to read but still a fun graphic novel for the little ones.

His newest book Hooray for Fly Guy will be out in September 2009. In this book Fly Guy plays football. Fly High! Fly Guy was published in 2008. In this version Fly Guy takes a road trip. Arnold also has There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy which is an interesting concept for a super hero fly. Arnold is the author of one of my favorite picture books, Green Wilma. Wilma is another creature with big eyes. For a comprehensive list of Tedd Arnold books visit his booklist

Spotlight Beefed Up the Comic Classics

2009-05-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Spotlight has added many new additions to their graphic Marvel collections such as Ironman and Captain America. Ironman should be popular due to the movie which came out last year. They have also added to their Hulk and Spiderman series. X-Men: First Class and and X-Men Power Pack complete their previous selections in this series. These will be a big hit with students due to the popularity of the X-Men:Wolverine movie. Keep in mind the ever popular Thor is now out also.

Spotlight is a division of Abdopublishing. Spotlight has high quality library editions which can take a lot of wear and tear. Don't forget that Spotlight also has the beloved Archie series with Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. This series is in their graphic novel collection and is a big hit with fourth and fifth grade girls.

Explosion in Graphic Novels

2009-04-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! There is an amazing amount of graphic novels coming out. At last publishers are producing many titles for grades 1-5. The Magic Wagon division of ABDO publishing has increased it's titles dramatically. They have Katherine the Almost Great series and Fiona and Freida's Fairy-tale Adventures for grades 2-5. Graphic Classics for grades 3-6 such as Moby Dick, White Fang, and Robin Hood are also available. I would want to see these before buying to check the quality of the stories. Now that everyone has jumped on the graphic novel bandwagon, librarians have to be sure the books they purchase are still worthy of being in a school collection especially in these times with limited funding.

Most interesting is the set of 6 of the series Boxcar Children. Although the Magic Wagon is not listed as a division with library editions, the Boxcar Children has reinforced library binding, so they should be able to stand some wear and tear. They have full color pages. However, the books are only 32 pages which makes me wonder if the content of the story is still in tact. Experienced teachers have for many years used the Boxcar children as the bridge to reading chapter books for grades 2 and 3. Those readers with less experience would be still be able to feel on par with their peers by reading the graphic novel Boxcar children.

The Last Airbenders

2009-02-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Just received the series of six of The Last Airbender from Perma-Bound. Now I find the famous director M. Night Shyamalan is releasing the movie in July 2010. I wish had access to more. Movies always spark students interest. Students are certainly going to be wanting more of the series. This series is based on the original Japanese Anime series.

The Avatar is the master of all four elements, water, earth, fire, and air, which are involved in continued warfare. Only the Avatar can stop the Fire Nation from conquering the world.

Kids are now coming to school with the Airbender hair cut. It's not from reading the book. It's from watching the series on TV. They have a shaved head with just the arrow showing in hair. Will wonders never cease?

New Recommended books: School library Journal

2008-11-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Rise of the Toa Nuva Book #1 by Greg Farshtey grades 3-6. 2008.
A graphic novel series based on the LEGO toy line. Art is vivid, attention grabbing, and the story line is exciting and action packed. A great purchase for comics and graphic novel collections. Reviewed by Tracie Glass, Eugene Public Library, Or.

The Legend of Old Salty: The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny by Matthew Louz. grades 3-6. (Salt Water Taffy Series) 2008.
Brothers Benny and Jack solve a mystery after learning of the legend of Old Salty a monstrous sea creature. Strong art and nicely paced action. Review by Lauren Anduri, Brooklyn Public Library, NY.

Unfortunately both these selections are paperback which makes them hard to use in a school library setting, but not impossible.

New Hardbound Manga

2008-09-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

In one of my early posts I reported I was unable to find hardbound Manga for elementary. That is no longer true. It's limited, but there is some. Perma-Bound has come out with editions of Manga. Manga for grades 2-5 is represented by the 8 volume series Avatar: the Last Airbender by Tokyopop which was shown on Nickelodeon TV for a few years. Cine-Manga from Tokyopop ages 3-6, includes Enchanted, and Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Also for that age from Tokyopop is Kilala Princess Vols 1,2,3,and 4. Kilala Princess for this age is a mini version of the original series. There is a Manga Literary Classics Series for ages 4-7 which includes Gulliver's Travels, Little Women, and Treasure Island. Perma-bound has more manga for middle school and high school. Naruto has become a big middle school favorite with youngsters since it became available in the United States as anime on the cartoon network in 2005. Elementary students ask for it, but it's not appropriate for elementary students. Beware of the new manga's coming out for elementary students. They could be really bad versions of the original art form. I am not saying they are bad. I am just saying take a look first if you can. I would not order many copies of any of the manga titles until I see the actual books.

Anime vs Manga

2008-08-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

What is the difference? According to Wikipedia, anime is animation either hand drawn or computer assisted. Anime was an art form started in Japan about 1917. Modern Manga is often considered an offshoot of anime evolving into a new comic format. However the earliest manga was a picture book published in the 1700's. Modern manga and anime often feature big wide eyes and have a cartoon art form. They both exploded in popularity after the war. Anime and manga are not genres. They have many genres within the art form.

Manga means comics in Japanese. Manga is mainly a paper culture although there is an increasing amount of manga online. Manga is sometimes scanned and put online by fans. Leading companies like Tokyopop and Viz have their own online manga. Tokyopop has an online player that works fairly well so that that the reader can read online. It looks just like a book with a colored cover, black and white inside, and the pages turn. Online manga is usually not for young children.

Anime is television, films, video, internet, etc. Anime is colorful. Traditional manga is black and white. but this is changing as manga goes global. Often both feature the warrior traditions of the Japanese culture but defined in a pop culture or futuristic setting. Japanese societial mores regarding nudity, gender roles, violence, and even roles of students in schools are often depicted. These roles are much different in the United States. There are anime for children. Adult anime is often shown in the middle of the night on American television. Although the art form is cartoon, the content is not for young children.

There has been a huge globalization of manga and anime all over the world. Pokeman was originally a video game, but the brand is marketed in toys, books, and videos all over the world. Anime movies have won many global awards. In the last few years United States bookstores have developed increasingly large manga sections. Many elementary school age students have favorite manga authors or series.

The Lexile Framework for Reading

2008-08-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

Should students independent reading be guided by their Lexile score? The Lexile Framework for Reading suggests that students read books within the range of 100L below or 50L above their score. This may be difficult as not all books are found on the Lexile book search, librarians do not know the students Lexile score, and graphic novels are often not included in the database. A teacher will not find Spider-Man Versus Doc Ock in the Lexile database. The score reflects sentence length and vocabulary difficulty. The score does not take into account organization, content, or the desire of the student to read the book.

According to Stephen Krashen in the California School Library Journal using Lexile scores is not necessary. Krashen believes students can choose the book to read by reading some of the text to discover if the text is too hard or too easy. This goes back to the old five finger test. The student opens the book to a page, tries to read it, preferably out loud, and puts up a finger for every word they don't know. If they use all five fingers, they get another book. This is a practical and easy way for students to find a book especially if they are searching without a librarians or teachers help.

Although most of the Captain Underpants books are in the Lexile database, many graphic novels/comics are not. Publishers can submit books to be included in the database, however they are charged a fee for analyzing the book. If the publishers don't do this, their book will not be in the database. Graphic novels sometimes have NC in front of the score. This means non conforming text. The vocabulary and sentence structure does not necessarily match content nor the design of the book. Books with NC are usually for advanced students at their level. Manga books are not in the Lexile database, but the desire of the student is often very high to read them. Here is an example of a few graphic novels in the Lexile database.

Tiger Moth: Insect Ninja 360L
Adventures of Marco Polo 620L
Adventures of Captain Underpants 720L
Robot Rampage 370L
Out From Boneville NC360L

If you are looking for lexile scores by grade level take a look at Understanding Lexiles. This will tell you the possible range of scores for each grade.

Managing a Graphic Novel Collection

2008-08-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

In an elementary school students have a limited amount of time to have a lesson and checkout independent reading materials especially if their library is a prep time. I find it easier for students and myself if I have a completely separate graphic novel section. It is faster to shelve the books and keep an eye on the collection. The turnover rate is high. Most of the books are cataloged for 741 but some are B or picture books. I put all the graphic novels in one section somewhat separated from the rest of the collection that is easy to observe. Students tend to congregate there to discuss and choose books. Sometimes students will even argue or fight over a certain book. As a general rule as long as you can see students well and they know you can see them less problems occur.

Some of the easier books such as Robot Rampage for the very young readers( grades 1 & 2) are pulled and put in their easy reader section. I try to keep Bone and most of the manga books for grades 3, 4, and 5. Although I could find no evidence to prove back to front reading is a problem for very young students, it may be a challenge to read from right to left. Some teachers are not happy about back to front reading for students in grades 1-3.

Publishers

2008-07-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

A serious issue in obtaining library books for young students is the quality of the binding and the paper quality. Graphic novels/comics get a tremendous amount of wear. They do not sit on the shelves. They fly out the door just like the heros in the books. With American comics it is not a problem if you know where to get library bound books. Jeff Smith's Bone by Scholastic is one of the few paperbacks that is built with good quality paper. Most quality manga's are all ordinary quality paperback. Although in 2008 Perma-Bound has come out with a few elementary mangas. Paperbacks don't survive well. After about ten checkouts they are going downhill. I put more money on the American graphic/novels because they can be bought in library binding. When I have the money I invest in a few good manga's for the older students.

Spotlight is popular fiction in quality library editions. They are reinforced side-sewn editions. Spotlight is an imprint of ABDO Publishing. They have a few picture books, Dora the explorer, and a few Henry and and Mudge, but they really excel in their graphic novels/comic selections. They have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fantastic Four, The Hulk and Sentinel, Spiderman Team Up, Spiderman, Spidergirl, X-men, Archie, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. I have these books and they hold up amazingly well.

Using various publishers Bound To Stay Bound Books have an increasing selection of graphic novels. They have Capstone's graphic history library such as the Boston tea Party and Rosa Parks. World Almanac Library's California Gold Rush and the First Moon Landing are part of this collection. The infamous Captain Underpants, Babymouse, and Scholastic's Bone series are in BTSB. They have Creating the X-men, Kristy's Great Idea (Babysitters), the Story of Spiderman, Wolves in the Wall, and many more high quality graphic novels. These are all hard bound with a good looking sturdy cover. For the very young students they have the Stone arch series books Tiger Moth and Robot Rampage .

"Good" Graphic Novels/Comics

2008-07-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

What makes a good graphic novel/comic? When I say graphic novels/comics for beginning readers I am also referring to books like Calvin and Hobbs or Garfield. They often have one page stories with just a few panels which are easy for the reader to understand through both the text and the visuals. First look at the myths of what makes a child a good reader. There is clearly no one answer. Graphic novels/comics do not have the same setup as picture books for emergent readers. They do not have repeated phrases, patterned text, or rhyming. However, good illustrations that either add to or match the storyline are essential in picture books and graphic novel/comics. Both can have humor, be about real life situations, or engage a child in a wild adventure. The child can use prediction in either. Equally both involve visualizing. Comics involve visualizing what happens even between the panels. Picture books may have features on end papers allowing the student to make inferences even before the book is read. Making inferences are very necessary in comics. Since the text is limited in both, the child has to figure out what has happened or is going happen in his or her mind. Comics also have universal themes, such as good vs evil, order vs chaos, and working together. Every good book whether a picture book or graphic novel/comic is engaging and is not condescending.

Reviews in School Library Journal, Booklinks, websites, or books, such as 101 Best Graphic Novels by Stephen Weiner, give a helping hand when picking out appropriate books for students. American comics are rated by the comics code as either for teens or all ages. The original comics code was very restrictive and came about due to congressional hearings. At that time (1954) it was thought that comics caused juvenile delinquency. However, since 1980 publishers have not adhered to the comics code, so when getting American comics for elementary school, you still have to be careful. Manga books do not follow that code, but there is a rating on the book cover which gives you an idea of the appropriate age. However, mangas imported to the US are published almost exactly like the ones in Japan except they are in English. They are not edited for content with the US population or mores in mind. The first few books of a manga series may be rated for all ages and the last few books will be rated for teens. Manga books often are in a series. See Great Manga for Preteens in the sidebar for much more information.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!

2008-07-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

There are publishers with increasingly large collections of graphic novels for grades 1-5. The trick is to identify the good books and the ones that are just written to hop on the band wagon. As with all books some are good and some are terrible. How do we define a good graphic novel/comic for elementary students? It starts with identifying the purpose for using graphic novels. Are teachers using them to bring the reluctant reader into the circle of readers or is it to emphasis literary terms and techniques, for example, foreshadowing, in a visual medium leading to the development of critical literacy? Are teachers using them as a curriculum connection? Are teachers using them for those students who can read but just don't want to because they feel mainstream reading has no connection to the pop culture around them? All of these reasons are valid.

In grades 1-5 there are many reluctant readers, the purpose of using graphic novels/comics is usually to encourage students to read. Students have to be engaged to become good readers. At this stage it does not matter if they are reading Superhero or Pokemon. I dislike Pokemon (just a personal non preference), but my job is to give students something they will read. While they read they learn to visualize what they read and enjoy the reading experience. Often reluctant readers have a problem with reading because they cannot visualize. A picture is worth a thousand words. A good book engages the student with text and visuals. The next post will examine the characteristics of what I see as a good graphic novel. This is just my opinion.

Some publishers have jumped on the character education band wagon with graphic novels tagged as character education, such as Stone Arch Books, Tiger Moth series and others. These are definitely not the most popular comic/graphic novel in the library, but the younger students, boys usually, (grades 1, 2, & 3) will check them out, and they feel satisfied. However, Stone Arch also has the classics such as Treasure Island or Robin Hood. The publishers also have them tagged for character education, but these are classic tales with important curriculum connections that the reluctant reader would never pick up and read unless it was in graphic novel format. In the last few years many more biographies and history books are being made into graphic novels. Moby Dick has long been a mainstay in literature for high school. The graphic novel version by Will Eisner is another way of looking at this classic. For me the goal is always to get the student to read.

What is Manga?

2008-07-10T15:10:00.001-07:00

I am a total novice regarding comics. I am even worse figuring out manga. I tried to find out as much as I could about the genre. Scott McCloud an American cartoonist has published a book Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic novels. At the end of the book is a section on Understanding Manga. This is exactly what I needed. The following is a brief rundown on the history and nature of manga according to McCloud and Wired magazine.

There are two kinds of manga for ages 7-13, Shojo and Shonen. Shojo is mainly for girls under 12 and Shonen is for young boys. See School library Journal for more definitions. Young readers often cross over the gender barrier. Shojo often is romantic, emotional, and sometimes magical such as Sailor Moon and others. The action is shown in the expression of the faces and the reader is inside the characters head. In Shonen the action is more physical. A specific method of drawing shows the motion, plus the use of action words such as, wham, bang, klank make it appealing to boys. With Shonen the reader is inside the action. This is the difference between North American Comics (Captain America etc.) and Japanese comics. With North American comics the reader is an observer. In manga the reader is a participant. In Japan this has led to thousands of fanfic artists (Doujinshi) who make their own manga stories using preconceived characters and situations from sold books. These are made, discussed, compared, and sold at huge comic markets. Its an inexpensive enterprise because its all in black and white. Characters are scanned, changed, and recopied on a copy machine for limited distribution. This occurs without the interference of the Japanese comic industry as long as fans only scan a few and don't mass market them. They do have copyright laws but they are not enforced as long as the unspoken rules are not broken. According to McCloud the reason manga is loved is because the reader feels they are part of the story. It's all about participation. The fans become the writers. Some of the techniques used are large expressive eyes, details, use of wordless panels, and the use of streaked backgrounds to give the reader a sense of motion. By the way Making Comics is an informative book, of course it is in comic format. For eye opening information on Manga mores, styles, pitfalls, and titles for under 13's checkout Great Manga for Preteens.

Wired magazine (Nov. 2007) reports manga began with the animation market now known as anime which was television and movies of cartoon characters. Tetsuwan Atom (Mighty Atom) was the first weekly cartoon made for Japanese TV. It was sold in America as Astro Boy. The artist was inspired by our own Walt Disney. Go Figure.

Little known strange & weird facts according to Wired:
Hiroshima has a public library totally devoted to manga .
In the United Kingdom, the Catholic church is using manga to recruit new priests.
American teenagers can read graphic novels which each contain 300 words often found on the SAT and ACT: Warcraft, Dragon Hunt, Psy-Comm, and Van Von Hunter, manga titles published by Kaplan and Tokyopop.

The Americanized Versions

2008-07-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

American comics or graphic novels have plenty of action. Some are even award winners. The graphic novel cover shown at the beginning of this post Bone: Out From Boneville is a good example. This is the first of a series of 8 by Jeff Smith most appropriate for 4th and 5th graders, but a high reading 3rd grader might enjoy it too. Those reluctant reader boys with a show me attitude enjoy it. The graphics are a little dark and scary. Reading a scary book is a way to show they are tough. The text is not easy, but it's funny too. There are many inferences in both in the text and graphics. For the older reluctant reader it is not identified as baby book as they call easy readers or picture books, so the student feels cool and part of the group when he or she leaves the library. Bone books are in paperback and hardcover and published by Scholastic.

Last year when I introduced graphic novels the girls said, "Only the boys read those." So I introduced our girls to some wonderful comics/graphic novels for girls, for example: To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegal and Amelia Rules: Superheros by Jimmy Gownley. To Dance is a Sibert Honor Book. Baby Mouse: Our Hero by Jennifer and Mathew Holm is the first of a series of 8. The reluctant girl readers loved the series and asked for more. A favorite was also the Yotsuba@! series (manga) for the 4th and 5th graders. If you are seriously looking for titles for your collection checkout the Graphic Novel Titles links on the sidebar.

What is a Graphic Novel?

2008-07-07T19:33:00.001-07:00

A graphic novel is a basically a long comic book. Many of us are familiar with the comic book format we read as a child such as Spiderman, Batman, and Superman. These are still a favorite today. Look at the mirad of superhero movies that make the big bucks. However, our children today have the option to read this genre in a much longer book with a varied range of settings and topics.

Much of the format for today's graphic novels comes from other countries, mainly Japan, where the graphic novel is read by children, teens, and adults. The Japanese comics are called manga and are read from back to front. Manga's usually are in paperback and are usually black and white. Stories may contain love relationships, including lesbian or androgenous relationships, violence, "bad" often call mature language, and nudity. There is lots of Whiz, Bam, Pow just like American comics. English versions of Japanese graphic novels can't just be purchased and used in American classrooms. Basically they need to be checked for language, nudity, and excessive or graphic violence before using them in our schools. The cover shown here is Yotsuba@! Vol 4 by Kiyohiko Azuma. Yotsuba@! is wholesome and suitable for elementary students. It has 8 volumes. On this web site I will list the sites I found for graphic novels or comics for students in grades 1-5.

Graphic Novels In Grades 1-5

2008-07-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

In the last year I have been experimenting with graphic novels in my library. I come to this with little or no background in comics so I had no idea where to begin or where this would lead. However, I discovered many kids are mad about the graphic novel/comic book format. Students who were not very interested in reading were so excited about the format and the new reading material that if I had allowed it some would have fought for some books. A far cry from the year before when I had to enforce the "get a least one book rule" for the reluctant reader. Often the reluctant reader is a boy but some are girls. If introduced to the right book girls will go for graphic novels also. Publishers are beginning to come out with graphic novels books that meet girls needs.

This blog is an attempt to get all the information I have gathered in one place for me and anyone else who is interested. There are many sites with information but many of the sites are not for elementary students. I am hoping that next year I will have monies in my budget to purchase more of the these books for students. I never seem to have enough.