Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Graphic stories

We've just gotten a big pile of graphic stories in the library, thanks to the generosity of the Jamestown PTA. Woo hoo -- everybody likes to read these! These are true stories about real people and events, like "Dolly Madison Saves History" and "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb." But these books look like comic books, with great color illustrations and plenty of action. Of course, we have some "Calvin and Hobbes," "Peanuts" and other traditional comics, but this is our first venture into the fast-growing graphic world for young readers. We have a new series of graphic fiction in the library, too: "Bone," about a soft little creature and his fantastic adventures. "Babymouse," in all her pink glory, will soon be in the library to tempt our younger readers.

Parents: There is plenty of research to support the idea that the graphic story content can successfully compete for the attention of our screen-happy children, especially reluctant readers. Try them as a way to draw your child into a topic or simply into the act of sitting with a book and reading. For kids who are wiggly, the busy-ness of the graphic story page can often engage them enough to experience a whole story ... and you can enjoy a little walk down memory lane (I guarantee they're more fun than "Betty and Veronica" were)!