Week 5: Beginner Readers and Graphic Novels

Beginner Readers:

1. Hale, S., Hale, D., & Pham, L. (2019). The princess in black. (Pham, L. Illus.) Candlewick Press.

          Everyone knows that princesses don't wear black. Everyone, that is, but Princess Magnolia who by day is the glass slipper-wearing, tiara-toting picture perfectly pink monarch that her kingdom knows and loves, but once the monster alarm blares, turns into The Princess in Black. Young readers will be delighted as the P.I.B. defends her kingdom from the Monsters that come through the door to their realm to feast on her people's goats, hog ties them, and sends them back to the monster realm! They are sure to cheer her on as she tries to get back to the castle in time to stop the sneaky duchess from discovering her secret!

          Readers are sure to share in her triumph as they finish conquering the 14 chapters of this title. With it's large-type font, spacing, and comical illustrations, this transitional book is perfect for readers who are ready for a challenge after early readers, but aren't quite ready to jump into your typical chapter book. Speaking of Illustrations, Hale's comedic timing is perfectly mirrored in Hale's colorful scenes. From a sparkly unicorn shedding its disguise to turn into the black steed of the P.I.B.- to the wildly rainbow monsters that just want to eat some goats, readers will surely be as enraptured with the illustrations as they are with the story itself.

2. Pizzoli, G. (2019). The book hog. Disney Hyperion. 

          The library is for everyone! In this early reader by Greg Pizzoli, the Book Hog loves books. There is only one problem, he can't read them. So, he collects, and he collects, and he hogs, and he hogs, and he holds them, and smells them, and looks at all of the pictures, but he never gets to hear the stories. Until he visits the library. As the Book Hog is wandering the shelves gathering a comically large stack of books, a librarian offers to read with him, and slowly but surely introduces him to the wonderful world of reading books. This is a beautiful mirror for so many experiences at the library, whether you don't know how to read, or you don't know what books to choose, or you have never read on your own before, the library is for everyone, and the Book Hog learns this firsthand!

          Pizzoli has created a perfect introductory reader for those just learning to handle some longer sentences. The Book Hog has a large font and brightly colored pink and green illustrations that command each page, with the words taking a supporting role. There is an excellent mix of pages with less words (as little as 3 or 4 per page at times) and longer sentences & phrases some with 16-word sentences) to encourage and challenge beginner readers. 

3. Tabor, C. R. (2018). Fox the Tiger. HarperCollins Publishers.

How can a fox be a tiger, or a turtle be a racecar, or a rabbit be a robot? In Corey R. Tabor's Fox the Tiger all of these things happen with a little bit of paint & cardboard and a whole lot of imagination. In this "I Can Read: My First Read" title Fox dreams about becoming a tiger since they are so fast and sneaky and big. He paints stripes on himself and declares himself a tiger. This gives turtle and rabbit the idea that they can be new things as well! So, they all craft new identities until a rainstorm starts and crumples their cardboard and washes away their paint. Fox is sad to no longer be a tiger, until he sees Squirrel who is fascinated by Fox, and says he wishes he were a fox because they are big and fast and sneaky! 

This simple tale of three friends and their imaginations teaches not only reading concepts, but a bigger message of being proud of who you are. The repetitious sounds and phrases are excellent for early readers still sounding things out and depending on sight words. Phrases like "prowls and growls" and "zips and zooms" and "beep bop boops" are sure to delight young readers as they are repeated throughout the title. 

Graphic Novels:

1. Arnold, T., Hamilton, M., & Weiss, M. (2018). Noodleheads see the future (T. Arnold, Illus.). Holiday House.

Tedd Arnold somehow manages to perfectly join together the absurdity of middle school humor, with classical folktale tropes from around the world in a graphic novel. At first glance, the Noodleheads are simply two macaroni noodles without a braincell between them, bumbling through their day in a way sure to make young readers cackle.

Upon further inspection, (and a visit to the Author's Notes) readers see the utilization of several folktale motifs that are used in tales of fools. Not only will young readers be clutching their sides laughing at the antics of these well-meaning but foolish brothers, but they are also getting a chance to learn about story structure and motifs. 

The illustrations by Arnold are brightly colored and accessible, using a font akin to Comic Sans to convey the noodle brothers' lack of seriousness. But it is not all fun and games, Arnold astutely states in his notes that "Noodlehead stories make children aware of the problems that can be caused by being gullible". Though readers may laugh along with the noodles' mistakes, they also can learn from them along the way

2. Siegel, S. C. (2006). To dance: a ballerina’s graphic novel (M. Siegel, Ed.). Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

                        

What makes To dance truly special, is that it is a true story. Siegal portrays her journey as a ballerina throughout these pages with excellent illustrations that coney first her longing to dance and then her success as a ballerina in the School of American Ballet and in over 100 ballets at Lincoln Center. Through dancing in a chorus supporting Mikhail Baryshnikov, to performing for George Balanchine himself, Siegal's life is fascinating for any young reader, but to those who dance, to those who know these names and histories, this graphic novel is magic. 

     

Readers can follow Siena's journey through her first days of dance, to getting her first pointe shoes, to learning how to partner, and eventually her next adventure of college. Siena goes on to be in charge of the training programs for American Ballet Theatre proving that the path passions can take you down can look very different but are still beautiful and fulfilling.

3. Wang, J. (2019). Stargazing. First Second.

Fans of Turning Red will love this coming-of-age story about two young girls figuring out just what amount is "Asian enough" and how that makes them relate to each other. Christine is a straight A student, she speaks Chinese, and plays the violin. Moon doesn't have very good grades, she wears nail polish and likes to dance, she doesn't speak Chinese, and she's convinced that the celestial beings she sees in her visions will someday soon take her away back to her home planet. But when the "celestial beings" turn out to be caused by a tumor pressing on her brain, Moon must undergo surgery and Christine realizes she doesn't want her friend to lose all of the things that make her Moon. 

    

With colorful illustrations by Wang and Lark Pien, Stargazing addresses the ups and downs of middle school friendships in a way that is appealing to readers aged 8 and older. Though many would consider this middle grade fiction, it's themes of identity and friendship are poignant for any age group, and its graphic format and K-pop references make it accessible to even the most reluctant of readers.