Katie Monnin’s guide to teaching comics and graphic novels in the classroom is another example of just how far comics have advanced in social acceptance terms. More than half a century has passed, but there are still many people who cannot forget Fredric Wertham and the traumatic images of teachers and young children burning comic books in school yards.

What this book demonstrates is that Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels can be a valuable resource for the structured introduction of what is considered “the ninth art” to young students. The necessary decoding for interpretation of the combination of words and images (although there are also silent or wordless graphic novels such as the pioneering work of Ward and the modern stories coming out from the Norwegian artist Jason) is clearly explained by Dr. Monnin using the conceptual body of Scott McCloud´s seminal essays on the comics medium.

Showing and asking the students how to see and read are crucial steps for what can become later on a methodological framework of literary analysis (and graphic novels are indeed literature). The young mind is able to grasp notions that become building blocks towards the acquisition of valuable tools for the learning of other codes and, therefore, eases the path of, among other things, the learning of foreign languages.

The author of this book will probably not have much difficulty in awakening interest nor in maintaining it in the classroom. But, perhaps, obstacles could spring from school administrators or educational authorities who may not be completely convinced on the value of this method as a teaching aid. Let them read this work. The author is a teacher and knows both her job and the subject she teaches.

The text was made available through the Early Reviewers channel of Library Thing. The electronic format it came in could not be easily displayed either in a Kindle device or a personal computer. ( )

Teaching Early Reader Comics-and-Graphic Novels is an excellent resource for elementary school teachers and librarians who want to teach graphic novels to emerging and advanced readers. Dr. Monnin's premise is that graphic novels are an important genre to teach because they combine both words and images that must be decoded simultaneously. Because of this quality, graphic novels are uniquely situated to help make traditional readers out of children who are accustomed to interpreting images through visual and electronic media but have not yet bridged the literacy gap. In addition, she believes it is equally critical to teach a literacy that combines images and words given the real world communications that rely so heavily on being able to grasp both images and text.

The book introduces the basic elements and terminology of comics, covering both simple terms appropriate for K-1st grades (panel, gutter, balloons) and more advanced concepts for older grades, such as the seven types of panels (plot, character, setting, conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution) and Scott McCloud’s classification of transitions between images: moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, and aspect-to-aspect (excluding his more esoteric “non sequitor” category).

The book provides detailed teaching guides and lesson plans for emerging and striving readers in K-1st grade and 2-3rd grade, and for proficient and advanced readers 4th grade and up. Each chapter provides lists of graphic novels appropriate for the reading level; how they relate to the International Reading Association Standards for the English Language Arts (IRA/NCTE standards); and sample lessons plans and teaching exercises. Dr. Monnin includes a chapter on teaching multicultural graphic novels, including reading lists. I was not familiar with many of these titles, though some of the ones I was familiar with did not necessarily strike me as “multicultural” (The Essential Calvin & Hobbes; Diary of a Wimpy Kid; The Unsinkable Walker Bean). ( )

This is a very good resource for teaching comic books and graphic novels. Lessons are assessable to teachers and connected to new common core standards. This book focuses on teaching both written and visual literacy. Monnin stresses the important of teaching students using connected images and words as a new form of literary instruction. Graphic novels are also very popular with students right now. Monnin encourages teachers to use comics as literature in their classroom and explains the basic vocabulary students need to know. She doesn't just give lesson ideas she provides tools for teachers to create their own lessons using the Guided Reading lesson format. The only thing I found disappointing is that Grab Bag that provides book ideas does not change much between age groups. I would recommend this to teachers look to add extra excitement to their literacy program. ( )

Graphic novels were a huge hit in my 2nd grade class this year! Monnin's book is full of pictures, examples, and charts to make it practical and easy to use graphic novels and comics in the classroom. I especially like the organization of the book!

This teacher resource for using comics and graphic novels for early readers was a good introduction for educators who might be hesitant about choosing comics for their classroom. Its organization was easy to use, including recommended texts, and sample lessons and activities. If, however, you are already sold on the benefits of graphic novels to improve print-text literacy, this book does not offer much in the way of expansion. The specific definitions and kid-friendly examples of comic book vocabulary (like panel, gutter, etc.) was very helpful. Overall, a text worth having in a classroom or in a professional resource library.
* I received this as an ebook, and it did NOT format well for the Kindle. Caveat emptor. ( )