What's Going On in a Graphic Novel?

Abstract

The increase of graphic novels in libraries and schools and on award lists illustrates one way that children's literature is changing. This article explores the relation between words and illustrations in a popular graphic novel. The multimodal format of graphic novels requires readers to consider the words, graphics, panel sizes, and uses of color and line. Thus, the authors propose that (a) students need explicit instruction on how to read graphic novels, (b) graphic novel reading requires slow reading to attend to the details, and (c) opportunities to talk about text are necessary to explore the complexities of graphic novels.

graphic novel as a popular genre of book publishing in the context of modern design

“…The principle of complementarity of text and illustration forms a complete synergistic multimodal text, where the gap between emanate as a code and syllabic signs affects the gap between the original author's meaning -the idea and the reader's perception. The increased multimodal complexity of the text is a noteworthy aspect but the semiotic pragma remains valid (Smith & Pole, 2018). Multimodal communication, although emergent concerning monomodal communication and the apparent arbitrariness of signs is compensated by convention.…”

Navigating Award‐Winning Nonfiction Children's Literature

“…Around the same time, the Journal of Children's Literature published an article on the changing topography of Caldecott Medal–winning books (Koss, Johnson, & Martinez, ). Multiple articles published in the past couple of years have documented the rising popularity of graphic novels among students and in schools, providing ideas for teachers to help their students who read graphic novels (Low & Jacobs, ; Meyer & Jiménez, ; Smith & Pole, ). In this section, we review the recent research surrounding these changes, focusing on the plethora of information regarding the increase in visual images and the changing nature of book design.…”

“…Our findings from this content analysis of Orbis Pictus Award–winning and honor books revealed information about the evolving formats, features, and complexities appearing in recent years. This information can empower teachers to analyze children's literature (Kachorsky et al., ; Smith & Pole, ) and to encourage students to explore and analyze text themselves.…”

Graphic Narratives as Opportunities for Professional Learning

“…Although these teachers enjoy reading graphic novels, they may have little experience engaging in collaborative and shared literary analysis of the texts. Researchers have noted that teachers need to practice pedagogical experiences analyzing graphic novels so as to be confident and effective at utilizing these texts as tools for higher-level thinking and critical analysis (Jimenez & Meyer, 2016;Smith & Pole, 2018).…”