Kids Love Comics, Too!

A librarian creates a juvenile comic and graphic novel collection

By Karen Bilton -- School Library Journal, 7/1/2004

It is not news to say that the world of comics and graphic novles is growing by leaps and bounds. It is also not news to say that the majority of materials published are for teens and adults. However, it may surprise you to learn that, with a little digging, it is possibile to find a wealth of materials for grade-school-age children.

Youngsters in elementary school are just as interested in comics and graphic novels as our older patrons. Many libraries probably already have juvenile comics on their shelves tucked away in nonfiction under 741.5. They probably have some Garfield and Peanuts books, maybe some Calvin and Hobbes. These books are a good beginning to a juvenile comic collection. But there is much more out there and much more currently being produced for this audience.

I would encourage librarians to seek out these titles and to think about starting a separate juvenile comic collection. First of all, the large majority of the titles are fictional works so they don't really belong in nonfiction. Yet, they shouldn't be dispersed among regular fiction or picture-book collections because of their unique graphical nature. That is, use of sequential artwork, usually in frames, to tell a story that is novel length. However, all the comics (juvenile, teen, and adult) should not be shelved together in one collection. The reason for this is age appropriateness. Finally, the most important reason to have a juvenile comics collection is simply because children love them and want easy access to them. They circulate out at astronomical rates. Approximately 95 percent of the books in the juvenile comics collection in my library are checked out at all times. This is higher than any other collection except for DVDs.

In the world of comics and graphic novels, there are two types of books, the most recognizable being the comic-strip collections. These are collections of newspaper comic strips bound together in a book, such as the Peanuts books by Charles Schulz. Children can't get enough of these, particularly Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson and Garfield by Jim Davis.

The second type is the graphic novel. This is a book with one continuous plot using sequential artwork along with dialogue in bubbles and narrative captions. Some graphic novels are original publications, the most famous probably being Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus: A Survivor's Tale (Pantheon, 1986). Many graphic novels consist of several installments of a comic series collected in a single volume.

Japanese manga has taken the American book industry by storm over the past few years. Loosely translated from Japanese, manga means "comic book." But don't let this fool you; a great deal of Japan's contemporary literature for all ages is published in manga format, including professional and technical books. The past few years have seen many series translated into English and imported to the U.S. Manga publishers first produce their stories in serial format, then issues are gathered together in a graphic novel. The images are often in black and white and the story reads from right to left. Some translators flip the artwork to read Western style from left to right but many artists won't allow their work to be flipped. Surprisingly, these are not difficult to read. Publishers usually include an instructional page at the back of the book.

From the world of manga, Akira Toriyama's Sand Land (Viz Communications, 2003) is an excellent choice for ages nine and up. In a world where the water supply is controlled by a harsh king, an unlikely group of heroes made up of a human and two demons sets out to find and liberate the hidden water source for the people. This is an exciting and fast-paced adventure through the desert with the king's army after the heroes, who are just getting by on their wits and their strength.

A terrific manga series for the elementary age, first published in the early 1950s, is Osamu Tezuka's "Astro Boy." In Japan, Tezuka is to manga what Walt Disney has been to American animation, and Astro Boy launched his influential career. Astro is a robot who attends third grade like regular children with the one exception being that he has super powers. Of course, he is often called upon to battle evil powers and save the world. Astro Boy is a great alternative to recent incarnations of dark and violent superhero graphic novels. Dark Horse Comics is reprinting the original "Astro Boy" series for the American market. Twenty-three volumes are now available.

Jimmy Gownley's "Amelia Rules!" series is a delightful entry for lovers of comics and realistic fiction. After her parents' divorce, Amelia and her mother have to leave the city and move in with her cool Aunt Tanner. With witty dialogue and irresistible charm, the protagonist learns to accept her new life and makes friends. Amelia's story is not exactly groundbreaking but is quite delectable in this colorful graphic format. She is a character to rival Ramona and Judy Moody. Two volumes are now available from ibooks: The Whole World's Crazy (2003) and What Makes You Happy (2004).

Jill Thompson's "Scary Godmother" books (Sirius Entertainment) are fine choices for ages seven and up. The first book in the series, which now consists of 6 titles, is simply titled Scary Godmother (2003). On her first night trick-or-treating without adults, Hannah sets out with her older cousin and his friends. When he tricks her into going into a "haunted house" alone, she learns that she is braver than she thinks with the help of her Scary Godmother.

The "Little Lit" series (HarperCollins), edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly, now consists of three hilarious books; Strange Stories for Strange Kids (2001), Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies (2000), and It Was a Dark and Silly Night (2003). All the books are collections of one- to two-page comic stories by some very gifted and funny artists such as Barbara McClintock, Maurice Sendak, Martin Handford, and Jules Feiffer. All three titles, suitable for ages seven and up, are a must-purchase.

Adventure ensues with Asterix and his faithful sidekick Obelix. Originally, published in the 1980s in France, these humorous stories for ages seven and up have been translated into English and recently made available in the U.S. The series, which now consists of more than 20 titles, are set in 50 B.C.E. Gaul. Ever in battle to keep out the Romans, our heroes live in a village with some quirky characters. There's Getfix, the village druid who is always cooking up some kind of potion, and the chief of their tribe, VitalStatistix, a very brave warrior who has just one fear—that tomorrow the sky may fall on his head. Fortunately, for him, tomorrow never comes. History and humor—who could ask for anything more! Currently, there are seven titles in this series from Orion Press with a dozen more due out this fall.

Juvenile comics and graphic novels can be more than just fun to read. Several smart and talented artists have published titles from which children will also learn something.

Steer young scientists (ages nine and up) to Jay Hosler's Clan Apis (Active Synapse, 2000). You don't have to be a bug lover to enjoy noted entomologist Hosler's graphic novel about the life cycle of bees. Filled with witty dialogue and subtle humor, the book introduces the biological, sociological, and ecological life of bee colonies.

Artist Marcia Williams has produced several outstanding comic adaptations of literary classics for ages eight and up, including Charles Dickens and Friends (2002), Bravo Mr. William Shakespeare (2000), and The Iliad and the Odyssey (1996; o.p., all Candlewick). Similarly, Will Eisner has teamed up with graphic-novel publisher NBM to retell several classic stories including Moby Dick and The Princess and the Frog (both 2003). With rich illustrations and loyalty to the story lines, Williams's and Eisner's books are enjoyable introductions to important works that children will remember fondly when high school teachers hand out these often assigned readings.

When it comes to finding review sources for juvenile comics, the Internet proves once again to be immensely useful. Countless Web sites exist to steer librarians to teen and adult graphic novels and several have realized that children's sources are needed, too.

Several librarians and graphic-novel lovers from Massachusetts maintain the No Flying, No Tights Web site (www.noflyingnotights.com), which offers reviews of graphic novels for teens and adults. They also have created Sidekicks (sidekicks.noflyingnotights.com) to focus on books for grade-school-age children. Updated frequently with new reviews, the site also contains a core collection list and additional resources.

Writer and avid GN reader D. Aviva Rothschild maintains a Web site called The Comics Get Serious, which now contains more than 140 reviews. She maintains a list on the site of kid-friendly comics with reviews (www.rationalmagic.com/Comics/KidFriendly.html) and even indicates potentially controversial aspects of the books.

Three companies in the business have created useful Web sites with reviews and age-range suggestions for comics and graphic novels. Two of those sites require registration but are free to use. BWI's Web site (www.bwibooks.com) is a well-known collection development tool. Once you've logged in click on Bibliographies, then BWI Special Topics Lists. Choose Graphic Novels for Juvenile Readers. Some titles on this long list have reviews, which are clearly noted, and written by librarians.

Dark Horse Books's Web site (www.darkhorse.com) also requires a free login. If any of their titles have been reviewed in a print source, the text of the review is available here. Suggested ages are also given.

The reviews on Diamond Bookshelf's site (bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/reviews/) are provided courtesy of young adult librarian Katharine L. Kan. Thankfully, she gives suggested ages, which can be hard to find.

Two library listservs are great sources for recommended titles. Searching the archives of PUBYAC (www.pallasinc.com/pubyac/Archives.htm) and GNLIB-L (Graphic Novels in Libraries Listserv) (www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib/) with keywords such as "Juvenile" and "Younger" along with "Graphic Novels" and "Comics" will yield many results.

Last but certainly not least, the best review source is YOU! Go to bookstores and comic stores and browse. Once you find a few authors and publishers you like, use your usual tools to find more. I guarantee once you enter the world of juvenile comics you'll be hooked, and your young patrons will appreciate your efforts.