Graphic novels for reluctant readers

We think they do. A child follows a plot, learns characters, reads dialogue and meets new words, and the pictures help them understand what the words mean. They are a good way in for a child who finds a page of text daunting. Many readers move to prose books later, but there is no need to rush them.

There is no single best. Funny, fast series such as Dog Man, Babymouse and Squish suit younger children, and Smile, New Kid and El Deafo suit older ones. The right book is the one your child picks and enjoys, so offer a few covers and let them choose. A series helps, since the next book is already chosen.

Let them choose, start with something funny, and keep the next book in the series ready so there is no gap. Read the first few pages together, and let them stop a book they do not like. Borrowing from a library lowers the risk. Pressure usually backfires, while a book they enjoy tends to lead to another.

Often, because pictures carry part of the story and pages are less dense. That does not make every graphic novel easy, since some, such as Amulet, are long and complex. Look through a copy to judge the reading level, and use the age bands on our pages as a rough guide.

That is fine. Finishing a whole series builds stamina and confidence. When they reach the end, offer something close to it, such as another funny series by the same author or in the same style. Our Comic Finder can show similar books by age and genre, and our Books like Dog Man page lists read-alikes.

Yes. The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel about a migrant’s journey. It is rated teen and older in our catalog, and there is no text to struggle with. Wordless books also suit readers learning English. Our Comic Finder can show picture-led books for younger children.