CCBC-Net Archives
Graphic novels: favorites, a plea, and a good source
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Beth Wright <bethlibrarian>
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 09:59:49 -0700 (PDT)
I?m pleased to see this discussion of graphic novels on CCBC-NET, both because they are very popular at my library and because I enjoy them so much myself. I?m a former comic book junkie grown up into a children?s librarian and I still find them addictive. Personal favorites are Neil Gaiman?s fantasy _Sandman_ series, especially the collection _Preludes and Nocturnes_, and Ariel Schrag?s teen autobiographies, _Definition_ and _Potential_. These two series are very different from each other, but in both I appreciate the powerful storytelling in both text and illustration. They both showcase graphic novels? ability to show body language to reinforce (or contradict) what a character says. I also enjoy the way these titles use lots of ominous dark color to set a mood, which allows the text to be more spare and focused.
Both series I mentioned above are appropriate for older teens. However, since graphic novels are so popular with younger readers as well as teenagers, I wish more library review media would do regular reviews of GNs for elementary and middle school-aged children. I would like to echo an earlier comment on this listserv from someone (Monica?) who felt she needed to read every graphic novel personally to decide for whom it was appropriate. I feel the same way, and I even like doing it, but I don?t have the time.
One source I trust for recommendations on age-appropriateness, especially for younger readers, is Philip Crawford. He was formerly a librarian for the Helen Boutin Professional, a resource library for San Francisco Unified School District teachers (and is now a high school librarian nearby in Vermont). His regular column in the November?cember 2003 issue of Knowledge Quest was about GNs for elementary school-aged children, and he has published a book titled _Graphic Novels 101_ with Hi Willow/LMC (web site: http://www.lmcsource.com/). Philip isn?t on CCBC-NET, but I spoke with him yesterday and he said he would welcome questions from CCBC-NET readers. Please send them to me at bethlibrarian at yahoo.com, and if there is a lot of interest I?ll try to post some answers back to CCBC-NET in a few days.
I?m looking forward to hearing from others about the literary and, especially, the visual content of specific GN titles.
Beth Wright Youth Services Librarian Fletcher Free Library Burlington, Vermont bethlibrarian at yahoo.com
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway http://promotions.yahoo.com/design_giveaway/
Received on Fri 09 Apr 2004 11:59:49 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 09:59:49 -0700 (PDT)
I?m pleased to see this discussion of graphic novels on CCBC-NET, both because they are very popular at my library and because I enjoy them so much myself. I?m a former comic book junkie grown up into a children?s librarian and I still find them addictive. Personal favorites are Neil Gaiman?s fantasy _Sandman_ series, especially the collection _Preludes and Nocturnes_, and Ariel Schrag?s teen autobiographies, _Definition_ and _Potential_. These two series are very different from each other, but in both I appreciate the powerful storytelling in both text and illustration. They both showcase graphic novels? ability to show body language to reinforce (or contradict) what a character says. I also enjoy the way these titles use lots of ominous dark color to set a mood, which allows the text to be more spare and focused.
Both series I mentioned above are appropriate for older teens. However, since graphic novels are so popular with younger readers as well as teenagers, I wish more library review media would do regular reviews of GNs for elementary and middle school-aged children. I would like to echo an earlier comment on this listserv from someone (Monica?) who felt she needed to read every graphic novel personally to decide for whom it was appropriate. I feel the same way, and I even like doing it, but I don?t have the time.
One source I trust for recommendations on age-appropriateness, especially for younger readers, is Philip Crawford. He was formerly a librarian for the Helen Boutin Professional, a resource library for San Francisco Unified School District teachers (and is now a high school librarian nearby in Vermont). His regular column in the November?cember 2003 issue of Knowledge Quest was about GNs for elementary school-aged children, and he has published a book titled _Graphic Novels 101_ with Hi Willow/LMC (web site: http://www.lmcsource.com/). Philip isn?t on CCBC-NET, but I spoke with him yesterday and he said he would welcome questions from CCBC-NET readers. Please send them to me at bethlibrarian at yahoo.com, and if there is a lot of interest I?ll try to post some answers back to CCBC-NET in a few days.
I?m looking forward to hearing from others about the literary and, especially, the visual content of specific GN titles.
Beth Wright Youth Services Librarian Fletcher Free Library Burlington, Vermont bethlibrarian at yahoo.com
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway http://promotions.yahoo.com/design_giveaway/
Received on Fri 09 Apr 2004 11:59:49 AM CDT
