LIS 721 Transitional Books and Graphic Novels

 If a picture is worth 1,000 words, readers, transitional books, and graphic novels "word" count far exceeds lengthy novels such Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories or J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. These formats of books are often overlooked when really they should be the center of attention for many elementary aged readers. Children have to work to grow their reading stamina, vocabulary, phonological awareness, fluency, and comprehension skills. These terms are commonly referred to as the five components of the reading process.

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Every child is unique and will develop their reading skills at a different pace. There are many psychologists that have studied school age children and have come to similar conclusions about child development characteristics. 

Readers can learn to read using different models. Holtzheuser and McNamara suggest there are two main models readers use to develop their reading skillset, stage-based and non-stage-based.

• The stage-based model suggest that "readers’ progress through various reading skills and stages independently of one another in a linear fashion (Beech, 2005; Stuart & Coltheart, 1988). More specifically, it is not until a child has mastered previous reading skills that they should move to the next discrete stage."

• The non-stage-based model states that reading is, "a continuously developing phenomenon with various components developing concurrently (Stuart et al., 2008). In these models, reading development does not occur in a linear fashion, nor do children have to progress through a sequence of stages to become skilled readers. Proponents of this perspective posit that children may demonstrate differential ability in word recognition and language comprehension processes" (Stuart et al., 2008).

Photo Credit: I Can Read!

Ultimately, there are many ways to become a successful reader. The best way to get there is by practicing reading! Readers, transitional books, and graphic novels are a great way to bridge the gap from being read picture books to reading independently. 

While these formats are still growing and their target audience age range can vary, there are amazing readers, transitional books, and graphic novels out there. Below you can read about a couple that I recommend. 

Readers and Transitional Books

Fenske, J. (2015). A Pig, A Fox, and A Box. New York, New York : Penguin Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2015.

This addition to Step into Reading: A Comic Reader series is perfect for level one readers, meaning children who are in preschool to first grade. Fox finds a box and wants to play a trick on his friend, Pig. Fox's hijinks backfire on him in a comical way which children will find hilarious. The short chapters, sentences, and repetitive word play helps young readers feel confident to complete a chapter in one sitting, neatly wrapping up each activity by the end of the chapter. 

The cartoon style illustrations provide clues to the reader to help decode words that the reader may not be as familiar with. The use of colorful boxes throughout help train the reader's eye as to where to look next, while also providing much needed relief of large margins and white spaces for beginning readers. The cast of characters are likeable and easy to follow throughout their quick escapades. Loaded with sight words, this book is excellent practice for a novice reader looking to take on reading independently.

Tabor, C.R. (2018). Fox the Tiger. New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, [2018]

Fox wants to be a tiger so badly that they paint stripes, growl and prowl like a tiger. Fox's friends Turtle and Rabbit also want to join in the fun of pretending to be something else. The three friends dress up and play in their new roles until it rains and washes their disguises away. Featuring 2-6 sentences per double page spread, this addition to the I Can Read series works well for a level one reader.

Through the use of colored pencil illustrations, Tabor does an phenomenal job creating expression in the cartoon animals. The heavy use of pictures help to keep the story moving without having to add additional words to strain the reader. The large font is easy to read, supported by illustrations that provide picture clues for readers to help decode the text. There are no chapters to break up the text but the limited number of words per page, font size, line spacing, and simplicity of the vocabulary, keep the story moving. The page numbers at the bottom can help mark where a reader left off. This book makes a great addition to any public or personal collection for readers between 3-5 years old.

Hale, S. & Hale, D. (2014). The Princess in Black. Illustrated by Pham, L. Somerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2014.

This transitional book is not your typical princess story. Princess Magnolia has a secret. While she seems like the perfect, pink loving princess on the surface, she has an alter alias as the monster fighting, crime stopping, Princess in Black. The illustrations take on a Disney princess style providing breaks in the text and adding cartoon style elements to help the reader visualize the journey Princess Magnolia and her trusty steed Blacky take on. While the illustrations are engaging, they do not provide major clues to help the reader decipher the vocabulary used throughout the book.

This beginning chapter book is jam packed with action, full length sentences, and paragraphs. It is organized by manageable chapters that create natural pause points for those still developing their reading stamina. The length of the text, organization of the text, and diverse vocabulary make this book's target audience readers between 1st and 3rd grade. 

Graphic Novels

Arnold, T., Hamilton, M., & Weiss, M. (2018). Noodleheads Find Something Fishy. New York : Holiday House, [2018]

Tedd Arnold, the author of the popular reader series Fly Guy, pairs up with Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss to create the hilarious series Noodleheads. Two brothers, Mac and Mac, go on a journey to learn something new when their mom kicks them out of the house one afternoon. Now, the Noodleheads are not the sharpest tool in the shed, and often succumb to the trickery and wit of those around them. While many of the characters they meet are there to fool them, a few are there to help them.

The text is bold and large in size making this an entertaining read for those in 2nd to 4th grade. It uses complex sentence structure while featuring familiar vocabulary. The illustrations enhance the text with clear delineation from the previous text box making it easy for the reader to follow along. The plot is broken into chapters concluding the previous challenge the Noodleheads faced by the end of each chapter. Arnold, Hamilton, and Weiss include source notes for their inspiration behind each chapter. They explain some of the cheeky phrases and fool stories that helped them create the adventure that Mac and Mac pursue throughout the story.

Dauvillier, L, Lizano, M., & Salsedo, G. (2014). Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust. New York : First Second, 2014.

The creators of Hidden do a marvelous job melding textual and illustrative content to introduce difficult topics such as racism and the gruesome horrors of World War II. This story is told from the perspective of a grandmother looking back and reflecting on her childhood and experiences throughout WWII. She is revealing her hidden secrets to her granddaughter who comes to check on her, thinking that she had a nightmare and wanting to comfort her. 

While the content is direct and detailed it is palatable for readers grades 2 and up. The cartoon illustrations complement the story and add a layer of emotion not found in the narration. Lizano's use of linear lines to fill up their illustrations, adding depth and texture. While Salsedo's use of warm and cool colors helps differentiate between the present and the past. This is not a series, but there are other children's books about World War II for any readers who enjoyed this graphic rendition.

Craft, J. (2019). New Kid. New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, [2019]

Instead of going his dream art school, Jordan is forced by his parents to go to "one of the best schools in the state", Riverdale Academy Day School. It's based on academics. While Jordan is smart, his passion is drawing. Riverdale is highly ranked but lacks in diversity. Jordan works to overcome the nuances of middle school, balancing his new friends and his neighborhood friends, and the hardship of being the new kid.

This book is relatable to children ages 10 and up because it is about what it’s like to feel out of place, to not quite fit in, to let go of who we think people or things are, and see them for who or what they really are. The plot is timeless. The story is broken into 14 chapters which are named by spoofs on movie titles. These are witty and also give the reader a peak into the tone of the next chapter. The cartoon illustrations paint the story for the reader helping to move the timeline forward, emphasize characters, and create dialogue through imagery. Jordan's two page journal drawings reveal how he is dealing with and handling his emotions and anxiety. They are a refreshing change of pace and an expression of how Jordan is coping. For those who enjoyed New Kid, they can also check out Craft's other works such as Class Act and School Trip. 

References:

Gesell, A., Ilg, F.L., & Ames, L.B. (1985). Developmental Characteristics of the Elementary School Student. Child Behavior from Birth to Ten.

Holtzheuser, S. & McNamara, J. (2014). Bridging Literacy Acquisition and Self-Regulated Learning: Using a SRL Framework to Support Struggling Readers. Exceptionality Education International.