Comic Relief
Episode 4 of How We Read focuses on Comic Reading, and it’s been an interesting journey learning more about the history of reading and producing comics. In response to concerns from teachers and parents about whether comics were worthy reading materials, I decided to come up with a list of recommended reads and some pointers for building up a comic collection to encourage deep reading and thinking, open up opportunities for student learning, all while enjoying reading.
Some of the comics I found at home
Some of these books are suitable for primary and other for lower secondary. They are all books I would put in my lower secondary classroom but if you’re worried, you can always check out Commonsense Media for an overview of books and other media to help you make an informed decision. Better still, read the comic yourself. I hope this helps you get started on your comic and book collection to inspire your students to read.
1.The Babysitters Club by Raina Telgemeier
Based on the original novel series by Ann M. Martin, the Babysitters Club series is about friendship, growing up and being independent. Now a Netflix series, it’s great for suggesting that kids try the novel version. Series books keep the children coming back and provide them with a stable of familiar characters they can relate to. Other comics based on novels include the Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl series.
2. Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank, David Polonsky & Ari Folman
The Diary of Anne Frank is a must read and the graphic adaptation provides another way of reading. It reminds faithful to the original and adds layers through the visuals. Shakespeare graphic novels as well as other classic adaptations such as Marvel Illustrated Pride & Prejudice are worthy additions to the library.
3. Raid of No Return (Hazardous Tales Series) by Nathan Hale
One of my son’s favourites, this historical fiction series explores American history. History buffs can find graphic novels that provide a glimpse into historical events. Singapore comics that teach us about Singapore history include Bicycle by Cheah Sinann and Mr Kiasu in Singapore History by Johnny Lau.
4. The Makers Club: Game On! by Reimena Yee & Tintin Pantoja
The first book by Singapore publisher, Difference Engine, it’s about Girl Power, STEM and creativity. Check out Sound: A Comics Anthology and Amazing Ash and Superhero Ah Ma at the Difference Engine website. Amazing Ash and Superhero Ah Ma help us understand dementia and what it means to be inclusive.
5. The Antibiotic Tales by Sonny Liew and Hsu Li Yang
A slender volume that packs a punch, this comic tells us about medication, antibiotics and over usage. Comics can teach us about medicine, science and other non-fiction topics. A good comic I picked up when I visited Australia is The Invisible War: A Tale on Two Scales. It tells us about the story of dysentery during World War I and the website even provides teaching resources. Certainly essential knowledge for our children today.
6. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Set in a refugee camp in Kenya, this book opens the children’s eyes to the world of refugees. Comics and graphic novels are a good way to introduce children to difficult issues as the visuals help provide context that might otherwise be missing. Together with this comic, you can also recommend other novels such as The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, A Long Walk to Water by Linder Sue Park and Ginger Knowlton, and Sing to the Dawn by Minfong Ho to help our students see the world differently.
7. Lucy & Andy Nenderthal by Jeffrey Brown
It’s funny and the jokes are silly but it’s a good link to the books we love such as Sherman’s Lagoon by Jim Toomey and Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. I make a case that reading certain kinds of humour help us to understand literary devices such as irony and helps us to understand people better. Laughter is good fun and it’s good to relax instead of making everything about preparing for the next BIG exam.
8. Maus by Art Speigelman
Biography, history and fiction all blend in this Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel which depicts Spiegelman interviewing his Polish Jewish father about his Holocaust experiences. You can learn about history, symbolism and storytelling. Many graphic novels take on a biographical perspective. Some examples are American Born Chinese by Gene Yang and They Called Us Enemy by George Takei.
9. Real Friends by Shannon Hale and Leuyen Pham
This is a great comic for reading about friendship and growing up, and gives kids a way to process their growing up years. When stocking the library, it’s good to consider prolific authors. My favourite series by Shannon Hale is The Princess Academy and she’s also author of Ever After High and The Princess in Black series. Students like reading around an author they like, and teachers need to be able to recommend more than Roald Dahl (don’t get me wrong, Roald Dahl is great). Other prolific authors writing books of varying levels and genres include Michael Morpurgo and Chris Riddell.
10. Candy Jem, X Venture Xplorers and a whole host of comics out of Malaysia
My kids love this and if you don’t already know, they originate from Malaysia and are printed in Malay and Chinese as well. While the language is not as polished as some of the books I’ve recommended, they do deal with topics that children are interested in. For schools looking to stock up their Mother Tongue collection, maybe it’s time to get these comics in other languages to encourage the kids to start reading. Another note: Asiapac publications are great for more Asian-centric stories.
I haven’t included lots of other books - from Japanese manga to non-fiction titles and hot favourites from the Marvel Universe. At the end of the day, schools will have to decide what kinds of comics they would like to support but I know that having a solid comic and graphic novel section can certainly draw students to the library, which is a good step towards reading, reading more books and enjoying reading.