21st Century: Graphic Novels, Manga, and Digi Fiction

Graphic Novels are a format, not a genre. They can be fictional or non-fiction. They are similar to comic books because they use sequential art to tell a story. However, they are generally stand alone stories with more complex plot. In graphic novels, the story is told using pictures in sequence, panels, speech balloons, and other conventions of the comic book form and format. They have grown in popularity over the past decade. Manga Fiction is a type of graphic novel. Manga is the Japanese word for comic and in the US this word is used to describe Japanese style comics. They are written right to left (like flipping through a book backwards), and top to bottom. Digi Fiction is a book that includes passcodes so that there is more information for the book online. It might be short videos to watch, or more text. Sometimes Digi Fiction can also mean that the entire book can be found in an online version only.

Graphic novels can and should be used in the classroom much like any other form of reading material. They also tell a story, with all of the literary elements of traditional stories present: plot, character, setting, theme, climax, etc. Figurative language, symbolism, and other literary devices are also present in many graphic novels. Due to the scaffolding of illustration in addition to the text, concepts such as flashback, foreshadowing, and symbolism might be more readily identified and understood. Since graphic novels might be a new format for a lot of readers, teachers must make sure to take time to demonstrate the structure so that students will know how to read a graphic novel. 


Awards:
Eisner Awards
Awards and Honors

Author or Text Resources:
2014 ALSC Reading List
Graphic Novel Titles

General Resources:
What Is A Graphic Novel
History and Basics of Graphic Novels
Graphic Novels

Quality Teaching Ideas:
Random House: Teaching Graphic Novels
Using Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Some of my favorite book choices:

Nursery Rhyme Comics
Edited By: Chris Duffy

Duffy, Chris. (2011). Nursery rhyme comics. New York, New York: First Second.
Grade level span:  , Lexile Level: , Grade Level: 3.8
Grade level span for class read aloud:
Major themes addressed: variety of themes with 50 different nursery rhymes
Qualities of the writing: 50 different cartoonists so there is a good variety of illustrations, easy to navigate the pages, interesting new way to look at old favorites
Connections to local, national, or global issues:
Facets that might require support: comics are hard for some students to follow, the language in some of the old nursery rhymes is language we no longer use
Support that might be needed: a lesson on how to read comics, perhaps a read-aloud of some that are a little more confusing to follow, might have to talk through the meaning of some of the nursery rhymes


Pecos Bill: Colossal Cowboy
Retold by: Sean Tulien


Tulien, Sean. (2010). Pecos bill: colossal cowboy. Mankato, MN: Stone Arch Books.
Grade level span:  2-3, Lexile Level: 560, Grade Level: 3.1
Grade level span for class read aloud:
Major themes addressed: being an entrepreneur, the Wild West
Qualities of the writing:
Connections to local, national, or global issues:
Facets that might require support:
Support that might be needed: