{"id":6567,"date":"2016-08-09T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=6567"},"modified":"2023-02-28T12:31:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T17:31:52","slug":"why-graphic-novels-are-fun-for-the-whole-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/why-graphic-novels-are-fun-for-the-whole-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Graphic Novels? Yeah, They\u2019re Fun for the WHOLE Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

In all my research (of which I have done none) I have found LOTS of reasons why comics and graphic novels are great for the entire family, and I mean everybody \u2014 moms, dads, kids, really smart pets \u2014 everybody. I will list them here for easy reference:<\/p>\n

1. Everybody can share graphic novels and comics.
\n<\/strong>Many, many graphic novels and comic book collections are all-ages. And I don\u2019t mean that the books are simple enough that various ages are able<\/em> to read them, I mean that the intended audience for the books is everybody. They\u2019ve been written and drawn with the very idea that anybody of any age will enjoy them. You remember comic strips? (They used to be published daily in newspapers, which were like iPads made of paper that had current events on them.) Daily comic strips were not made for kids, they were made for newspaper readers, as in, adults \u2014 BUT they were fun for all. For Better or For Worse<\/em><\/a> and Calvin and Hobbes<\/em><\/a> are perfect examples of comic strip collections that were acceptable for everyone. Each week these strips were like a small story. In For Better or For Worse<\/em> the characters even grew up and evolved over time.<\/p>\n

Graphic novels like the Amulet<\/em> series<\/a> or *cough*<\/strong> Hilo<\/em><\/a> are terrific for both young and old readers because they are solid stories. A parent can read a book like that (and do so pretty quickly) and then actually get to discuss the book with their kids.<\/p>\n

2. It\u2019s better than going to an all-ages movie.
\n<\/strong>We\u2019re getting loaded with family-friendly, all-ages movies \u2014 mostly animated, and that makes me a happy cartooning camper \u2014 and most of the films are amazing. But despite the fact that the whole family can watch them, it\u2019s hard to share them afterwards. Ask a kid what their favorite part of movie was, and you\u2019re probably going to get a general answer.<\/p>\n

Kid: \u201cI liked that big fish.\u201d
\nGrown-up: \u201cThe whale?\u201d
\nKid: \u201cYes. That whale was funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Movies fly by, even when you are watching at home. In a comic, which is like holding a little movie in your hands, a kid can point right to a page, a panel, a face, and tell you oodles about what they\u2019re digging on as it happens. Just try and pause a movie at a moment that you think is worthy of noting. I\u2019d bet all the popcorn in the world that you\u2019ll be faced with a kid saying, \u201cYeah, yeah, yeah \u2014 hit play\u201d (and when I say \u201cbe faced with a kid\u201d, well, they\u2019re going be looking at the screen the whole time).<\/p>\n

Reading together opens the discussion of storytelling and character. Just to have a visual story that can be held is a gateway to self-expression.<\/p>\n

3. Graphic novels are easier to read.
\n<\/strong>YEAH, I SAID IT. Too often we comic creators, cartoonists, or even academics who love, teach, and support comics feel the need to defend graphic novels against prose. I will not. Comics are<\/em> easier to read because of all the dang pictures. For the reluctant reader, the pictures provide a scaffolding. It lets them get into the story and fall in love with reading without struggling so hard with the mechanics. Hand a comic to kid who doesn\u2019t like reading, and they will get sucked into the adventure and the characters \u2014 you\u2019ll see them enjoy reading. With that foundation in place, they will learn, they will grow, and they will tackle books of prose because escaping into a book will already be familiar.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Why Graphic Novels Are Storytelling Quicksand for Reluctant Readers<\/a><\/span>]<\/h4>\n

4.\u00a0Curling up with a kiddo and a graphic novel is the best.
\n<\/strong>Lastly, you can physically share a book, and the share the experience of reading it together. Try reading a graphic novel with a child and you\u2019ll see they HAVE to pluck down RIGHT next to you, shoulder to shoulder, in order to follow along. You read, you point to each panel, you make funny voices and sound effects. You bring this movie in your hands to life. You\u2019re in the story together. What\u2019s better than that?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Judd Winick\u00a0is the author of Brightly’s Book Club for Kids pick\u00a0<\/em>Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth. Click here<\/a> to learn more about the book, discover\u00a0activities and tips for discussion inspired by\u00a0<\/em>Hilo, and join in on the reading fun.<\/em><\/p>\n

yes yes Books in the Hilo<\/i> Series: 9780385386173 Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/236029\/hilo-book-1-the-boy-who-crashed-to-earth-by-judd-winick\/ by Judd Winick <\/p>\n

9780385386173
\n9780385386234<\/p>\n

9780385386234 Hilo Book 2: Saving the Whole Wide World<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/236031\/hilo-book-2-saving-the-whole-wide-world-by-judd-winick\/ by Judd Winick 9780385386203 Hilo Book 3: The Great Big Boom<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/236030\/hilo-book-3-the-great-big-boom-by-judd-winick\/ by Judd Winick <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are LOTS of reasons why comics and graphic novels are great for the entire family \u2014 moms, dads, kids, really smart pets \u2014 everybody!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,68,173,230,622,703,954],"coauthors":[621],"class_list":["post-6567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-reading-aloud","tag-graphic-novels","tag-author-voices","tag-comic-books","tag-judd-winick","tag-book-club","tag-educators","ages_stages-pre-k","ages_stages-growing-reader","ages_stages-tween","ages_stages-teen"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Graphic Novels Are Stories for the Whole Family | Brightly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are LOTS of reasons why comics and graphic novels are great for the entire family \u2014 moms, dads, kids, really 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