Graphic Novels for Elementary
As promised, I'm starting the elementary literature recommendations. In the earlier part of the course we discussed the elementary level (vs later with upper middle & high school) and the format of our reviews were different. We weren't to write reviews but annotations, which are a little different but still include what the book is about, but it leans more toward grade level applicability and how teachers may be able to recommend these books or use them in class. We only needed to do 3 a week, so these posts will be a little bit shorter.
This week's annotations are graphic novels for elementary! I decided to start with something to bridge the gap between older and younger and graphic novels is it. There are so many great options here, but I went for something a little more out of the ordinary.
Magic Tree House The Graphic Novel: Dinosaurs Before Dark. Laird, Jenny. (2021). New York, NY. Random House. Keywords: Graphic novels, dinosaurs, tree houses, magic, time travel. Recommended grade level: 1-3. Fiction, graphic novel.
This graphic novel adaptation of Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark has delightful illustrations by Kelly & Nichole Matthews that enhance the original story. As in the first Magic Tree House book, Jack & Annie find the Magic Tree House in the woods and go on a magical prehistoric adventure. With the graphic novel format, readers can feel the magic in the pages and the text is easy enough to convey the original story while making it an age-appropriate read for Magic Tree House fans.
Sir Ladybug. Tabor, Corey R. (2022). New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers. Keywords: Graphic novels, ladybugs, insects, chickadees. Recommended grade level: 1-2. Fiction, graphic novel.
Corey R. Tabor, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winning author, brings us Sir Ladybug a modern and relatable graphic novel about a video-game playing knight ladybug and his friends, Pell, the roly-poly bug herald, and Sterling the snail squire. This story is about bravery in many forms, the power of kindness, overcoming obstacles, and making new friends. This graphic novel contains short chapters, with multiple pictures on one page with little text which makes it a fabulous book for reluctant readers. Because the story is set in the world of bugs, this would be a great Springtime read or a fun book looking at predator/prey relationships. Fans of the Fly Guy or Narwhal & Jelly series would enjoy this graphic novel.
Olympians: Athena, Green-Eyed Goddess. O’Connor, George. (2010). New York, NY. First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press. Keywords: Graphic novels, mythology, greek, goddesses. Recommended grade level: 5-8. Fiction, fantasy.
Athena, Green-Eyed Goddess, is a graphic novel from the Olympians series, of the Greek Goddess Athena’s origin story. The story of Athena’s birth, childhood and rise to greatness is told by the dark illustrations of George O’Connor. This graphic novel provides an interesting history of Athena for middle grade readers as told by the Spinners of Fate. This story also features a Greek God/Goddess family tree on the inside cover, notes on Greek History as presented in the book, along with other information about Athena, Perseus and Medusa, along with discussion questions and also other recommended reading. This book would be of interest to any young Greek Mythology buff, as well as fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.
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