Graphic novels have recently exploded in popularity. Using them to encourage reading and support the curriculum, then, is a natural step for teachers and librarians. This useful guide to collecting and using graphic novels contains lesson plans linked to school curriculums for all ages, helping educators to harness the instructional potential of these books. The authors also discuss how graphic novels can be important learning tools, particularly for reluctant readers. The guide features lists for collection development and helpful information, including reviews, jobbers, Web sites, publisher information, tips for partnering with local comic book stores, and interviews with librarians who use graphic novels. Including illustrated pages from popular graphic novels, this is an invaluable resource to help you select quality graphic novels for students while providing helpful justification for the use of graphic novels in schools, both to advance students' pleasure reading and to support instruction. This ultimate guide to collecting and using graphic novels in a school library is written by an elementary librarian who uses graphic novels in her library media center for instruction and to advance pleasure reading. The book contains lesson plans linked to school curricula for all ages, plus a discussion of why graphic novels are useful with certain types of readers, particularly boys and reluctant readers. It features helpful information and lists for collection development-- including reviews, reviewing sources, jobbers, Web sites and publisher contact information--and posits reasons to help the librarian defend the use of graphic novels with students.

Readers Advisory Reference.

Graphic novels have found a place on library shelves but many librarians struggle to move this expanding body of intellectual, aesthetic, and entertaining literature into the mainstream of library materials.

Graphic novels, long stories told in comics format, have enjoyed the fastest-growing sales of any category of book in the U.S. over the last four years. This modern renaissance of comics has produced a library of substantial works, whose subjects are not confined to superheroes or fantasy but are as varied and sophisticated as the best films and literature. Graphic Novels presents an accessible, entertaining, and highly illustrated guide to the diversity of contemporary comics in book form. Featuring striking graphics and explanatory extracts from a wide range of graphic novels, the book examines the specific language of the comics medium; the history and pioneers of the form; recent masterpieces from Art Spiegelman's Maus to Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan; the impact of Japanese manga and European albums translated into English; how artists have overcome prejudices towards the genre; and the ambitious range of themes and issues artists are addressing, including childhood, war and survival, politics, the future, sexuality, and the supernatural.

A guide to graphic novels for children and pre-teens offers historical and genre information, provides collection building tips, and discusses how to manage, promote, and maintain the collection.

Covering genres from adventure and fantasy to horror, science fiction, and superheroes, this guide maps the vast terrain of graphic novels, describing and organizing titles to help librarians balance their graphic novel collections and direct patrons to read-alikes. New subgenres, new authors, new artists, and new titles appear daily in the comic book and manga world, joining thousands of existing titles—some of which are very popular and well-known to the enthusiastic readers of books in this genre. How do you determine which graphic novels to purchase, and which to recommend to teen and adult readers? This updated guide is intended to help you start, update, or maintain a graphic novel collection and advise readers about the genre. Containing mostly new information as compared to the previous edition, the book covers iconic super-hero comics and other classic and contemporary crime fighter-based comics; action and adventure comics, including prehistoric, heroic, explorer, and Far East adventure as well as Western adventure; science fiction titles that encompass space opera/fantasy, aliens, post-apocalyptic themes, and comics with storylines revolving around computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. There are also chapters dedicated to fantasy titles; horror titles, such as comics about vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, and the occult; crime and mystery titles regarding detectives, police officers, junior sleuths, and true crime; comics on contemporary life, covering romance, coming-of-age stories, sports, and social and political issues; humorous titles; and various nonfiction graphic novels.

A collection of nine essays that describes strategies for teaching visual literacy by using graphic novels, comics, anime, political cartoons, and picture books.