Shazaam! A Giveaway!

When people hear the term "Graphic Novels", we definitely don't think "Oh I must have them available in my classroom"! The term sounds a little, well, graphic! On the other end of the spectrum when we hear "Comic Book", we think funny, simple and shallow reading. In reality, there is a happy medium, just with any genre of literature, where the student's reading level is met and the motivation is sky high!  Graphic novels are actually a type of comic books, only longer, thicker, and with a higher quality print/binding that traditional comic books.

Comic books make a wonderful bridge from picture books to chapter books for a child who is struggling to make that transition. They offer very interesting vocabulary. They are the hottest item in most libraries and they keep students motivated to read. Students who are ELL often find the picture prompts helpful in comprehending the story line. They lend themselves to sequences activities very easily. They have common literary themes such as reluctant heroes, mythology type heroes, working together, being different, etc. Don't forget the art aspect either! There are definitely students in our classroom who are artistically gifted who will be drawn to the wonderful illustrations.

Real comic book nerds will tell you there are only 2 choices when it comes to comics, DC or Marvel. I'm here to tell you there is more out there than that (thus proving I'm not a comic book nerd, right?). Here is a list a few great comic books appropriate for an elementary aged reader:

Owly

Bone

Magic Pickle

Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures



To celebrate my love of literacy and all "funny" books in general, I will be having my first giveaway! Leave one comment each for "following" my blog, following my blog on Facebook, and tell me who is your favorite superhero/heroine of all times and why.  I will announce the winner Sunday night, after I get back from watching GREEN LANTERN!