Hello again, Professor and classmates! This week I review and reflect upon graphic novels, let's begin!
Sturm, James, et al. Adventures in Cartooning. First Second, 2009. ISBN-13 978-1-59643-369-4
Adventures in
Cartooning, a collaborative work between cartoonist James Sturm, and his
former students, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost, is a graphic novel
which introduces children to the basic steps and structures of creating comic
books while also telling the story of a stubborn knight, a magical elf and
their very silly horse who go on an adventure to rescue a princess who wants to
be a cartoonist. Throughout the heroes’ adventure, the authors demonstrate to
young readers how illustrations, text and the placement of panels work together
in order to create a story told in a graphic novel or comic strip format. The
story itself is easy for children to read and follow along, being a fairly
simple medieval fantasy of brave heroes going on a quest to rescue a princess,
facing challenges along the way, but with a comedic, cartoon twist. The
illustrations, panel arrangements and text combine to not only make the story
fun and silly entertainment for its elementary-age target audience, but it also
educates its young readers about the creative process which goes into making
cartoons, such as in its inclusion of comic book-making instructions within the
back of the book, encouraging readers to lean to become cartoonists themselves.
Brown, Jeffrey. Star
Wars: Jedi Academy. Scholastic Inc., 2013. ISBN 978-0-545-50517-8
Star Wars: Jedi
Academy by Jeffrey Brown, is set within the familiar universe of the Star
Wars franchise, told from the perspective of protagonist Roan Novachez, a
twelve-year-old boy from Tatooine who is discovered to be Force-sensitive and
sent to be one of Master Yoda’s students at the Jedi Temple’s equivalent of
middle school. Although Roan lives in a galaxy far, far away, he is a relatable
protagonist for young readers, especially those who are entering new grades in
upper elementary and facing new challenges; as Roan struggles with
self-confidence and faith in his own abilities as he navigates his new school
environment, while learning to use the force alongside classmates who have been
raised by the Jedi from their early childhoods. Brown’s witty text combines
greatly with his cartoon illustrations, reimagining iconic Star Wars
characters, alien races and galactic locations in fun and fresh new
perspectives, with the author’s love for the Star Wars franchise shining
through on the pages.
The book pages alternates between comic strips of Roan’s school days, text of paragraphs told through Roan’s class notes and diary entries, with cartoon drawings of Roan, his friends and family scattered throughout the graphic novel. Children who are already fans of Star Wars are likely to enjoy this graphic novel, the first in a trilogy series, with the story’s ending concluding in a manner where it can either be read as a stand-alone or lead directly into the book’s sequel. Children who are unfamiliar with the Star Wars universe can still appreciate Brown’s unique take on the world, with a memorable cast of characters who make up Roan’s world, along with clever humor and heart on the pages as Roan finds his place as a Jedi Padawan in his new school. Even if the Star Wars series is new for some young readers, the universal experiences of entering a new grade and integrating oneself into a new classroom environment are themes that many children can relate to when reading Brown’s graphic novel.
Craft, Jerry, and Jim Callahan. New Kid.
Harper, an
Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019.
ISBN 978-0-06-269120-0
First book in a
trilogy series, New Kid by Jerry Craft follows the story of
twelve-year-old protagonist, Jordan Banks, who is the titular new kid, not only
in middle school, but at the most prestigious private school in his state.
There is fun in Craft’s story follows Jordan as he adjusts to his new school
environment and makes new friends, while also depicting Jordan’s struggles with
fitting in with a serious sense of realism, as Jordan faces microaggressions
from classmates and teachers alike due to being one of the few African American
students at the school, as well as dealing with being one of the few students
who has a middle class background compared to many of his peers, such as
Jordan’s new friend, Liam, whose family comes from generational wealth. Craft’s
story is filled with mature themes of racism and classism, along with genuine
heart and a sense of humor as Jordan bonds with classmates Liam, Drew and his
almost-girlfriend, Alexandra, who each come from a variety of backgrounds, with
their own challenges in private school as well. Craft’s illustrations are
bright, fun, and have occasional silly sight gags, depicting the issues of
Jodan’s middle school with humor when needed, without downplaying the
seriousness of a chapter or moment when the protagonist is facing a mature
issue.
Jordan’s bond with
Alexandra in particular is heartwarming as she struggles with social anxiety
out of fear that her classmates will bully her for having a burn mark on her
hand that she hides with sock puppets; through Jordan’s kindness, friendship
and willingness to listen to her problem, Alexandra gains more confidence in
social interactions with classmates by the end of the story. Jordan is a great
protagonist for child readers to relate to, as despite the challenges at his
new middle school, Jordan remains true to himself, remaining a friendly,
creative kid who stands up for his friends when they need support, finding a
happy balance between his home life and school life by the end of his hero’s
journey. Craft’s graphic novel is a wonderful story about inclusivity, the
importance of taking a stand against injustices when they are witnessed, and
the value of finding a balance between remaining true to one’s self with
embracing change while growing up. I would recommend this book for older elementary
and middle school readers, such as the issues of racism and classism within the
story may engage and resonant with older children more so than potential
younger readers.
Brian, Rachel.
Consent (for Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You.
Little, Brown and Company, 2020. ISBN 978-0-316-45773-6
The graphic novel Consent
(For Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You by Rachel
Brian is a very valuable educational book for children. Throughout Brian’s book,
the author teaches young readers about the incredibly important concept of consent
for one’s own body, learning how to say “no” when made to feel uncomfortable by
someone else, how to recognize signs and creating boundaries, all in
child-friendly language. Brian uses stick-figure, cartoon drawings and comic
panels with cute characters to convey her message about a very serious topic
that many parents and guardians may have trouble starting a conversation about
with their children; the cartoon characters within Brian’s book discuss the
matter of consent at a level and in terms that elementary age children can
understand, making a very serious issue easy enough for young readers to follow
along throughout the lessons in the book, as the author teaches readers how to
express themselves in a firm manner and how to recognize signs when a situation
doesn’t seem right, rather it is when an adult is being inappropriate with a
child or if a child doesn’t want to greet and say goodbye with hugs. Although
targeted to early and older elementary-aged children, readers of all ages can benefit
from the messages about consent within Brian’s graphic novel.
Peter & Ernesto:
The Lost Sloths by Graham Annable is about two best friends who, as the
title implies, are sloths who lose their beloved home after a hurricane
destroys their tree. Nervous and cautious Peter wants their sloth tribe to stay
in their familiar area and rebuild amongst the damaged area, avoiding any potential
danger, while easy-going and adventure-seeking Ernesto want to lead their family
across the rain forest to find an even better tree to call their perfect new home.
The group of sloths, led by inseparable Peter and Ernesto, face peril, but find
friendship with different animals as they quest to find the right tree to live,
finding a friendly, but lonely bird along the way who is excited to become their
roommate. Annable’s Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths is the second
book in a series of children’s graphic novels, but can just as easily be read
as a standalone if this is a reader’s first introduction to Peter and Ernesto.
The story is fairly straightforward and easy for young elementary school-aged
children to follow along. The simple text and cute, warm earth-tone illustrations
of the sloths work well together, combining to create a nice, fun and sweet
story about two sloth best friends finding a new home.
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