The Martin County Library System is hosting their first Fan Fest for teens at the Blake Library on Saturday, July 25. Fan Fest will be a celebration of everything that teens are fans of from Minecraft to Hello Kitty to cosplay. One audience that we hope to reach are comic book fans. While Fan Fest is specifically for teens and older children, comic books or graphic novels are published for all ages from preschool to adult. The comic book format which was once discredited by parents and teachers alike is now endorsed by educators as a viable teaching tool for early literacy. Graphic novels also run the gamut from light-hearted illustrated stories to superhero tales to history and the Martin County Library System is home to these popular books for all age groups.
For our youngest readers, check out TOON Books. Much like traditional beginning reader books, TOON Books are clearly labeled with levels to indicate the appropriate age range for their books. Some TOON Books have even been honored with the Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) award which is given to the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. The visual clues in graphic novels help new readers to decipher the words in the stories. As the TOON Books website says “many of the issues that emerging readers have traditionally struggled with are instantly clarified by comics' simple and inviting format.” These books are perfect for reluctant or struggling readers.
More confident readers can make the leap from TOON Books to comics like Babymouse or Adventure Time. Babymouse is a series of 19 books featuring a spunky mouse who has a variety of adventures like snowboarding, running for president, and throwing a fantastic birthday party. The black and pink cover and pages are of particular appeal to girls. Adventure Time is a series of graphic novels that will appeal to both boys and girls and is based on the Cartoon Network show by the same name.
Still not sold on the literary value of graphic novels? Try one like Hidden by Loic Dauvillier. It is the story of a grandmother relating to her young granddaughter her experiences as a Jewish girl in Paris during the holocaust. This difficult time period is made more accessible through the author’s use of the comic book format. Many classics like Call of the Wild and Moby Dick have also been adapted to graphic novels making reading these a less daunting task.
