A Few Great Books I've Read Recently

Now I'm always reading a nice handful or 2 of books simultaneously.  And a few of them are always children's/teen titles.  I've read a few really amazing ones recently and here they are (we own all of these, but they're most likely checked out of our particular library because they're THAT good, but we can always order you a copy from another Allegheny County Library!):

The War That Saved my Life

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was just....lovely.  It was moving and informative and enlightening and charming.  While it didn't win the Newbery, it was a Newbery Honor Book.  And deservedly so.  To be honest, I listened to this book on CD and I looked forward every morning and every evening to my commute to and from work to find out what was happening with Ada and Jamie.  Two sort-of orphans in the midst of WWII who are shipped out of London and into the country as the city was under threat of bombs.  It's a discovering-the-self kind of book that I loved when I was young and still love!

The Story of Diva and Flea

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems and Tony Diterlizzi (is there a better duo out there?)  I was VERY excited to read this little book because of its powerhouse authors.  And it did not disappoint.  It's reminiscent of The Lady and the Tramp.  Two unlikely friends who set upon a number of adventures together.  It's a great easy reader if you're little one is just setting out to read on his/her own.

Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth

HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed To Earth by Judd Winick.  Let me first say that while I'm a huge HUGE fan of Judd Winick (do any of you remember him from The Real World: San Francisco?  The one with Puck?  And he's still married to Pam!  Swoon!) but I hadn't realized this was his book until I was nearly 1/2 way through (way to pay attention!)  I love comic books for the younger set and this book, they say and rightfully so, is Calvin and Hobbes meets Big Nate!  It's great fun!

The Wolf Wilder

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell was a very unexpected book.  It came highly recommended to me by a book-loving friend and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's 1917, and Feo and the wolves who love her embark on a rescue mission in the Russian wilderness.  It's a strange little plot but a gripping adventure that had me turning the pages and finishing the book in one night!

Comics and Literacy

Want a genre of books that combines pictures and text to create a KAPOW of literacy for your kids? Try comics.

Many of us read comics when we were younger, especially the Sunday funnies. These small bits of humor were the best part of getting a newspaper, if you asked 10-year-old me. But comics have started to grow up. Comic books (aka graphic novels) are a great one-two punch of textual literacy and visual literacy. A good comic book will create an engaging story and support early readers as they learn new words and reading skills.

Here's a few reasons to try out comics with your kids:

Encourage a Love of Reading.

“Comic book readers do at least as much reading as non-comic book readers, and the most recent research shows that they read more overall, read more books, and have more positive attitudes toward reading.” -Stephen Krashen, The Power of Reading

Add Vocabulary. 

While the number of words in a comic may be smaller, comic books tend to have more challenging vocabulary levels. Readers can use the pictures to give context clues to words they might not know. One study even noted that graphic novels written for teen and adults had a higher vocabulary level than the average college student.

Create Confidence. 

Comics are often recommended for struggling readers because the combination of images with text leads to easier comprehension which creates confidence in reading skills. Some of the most prolific thinkers, academics, and journalists who struggled with reading as children found comic books to be their gateway to successful reading. 

Develop a Sense of Sequence. 

As with prose books, reading comics develops the ability to keep track of and understand a sequence of events.

Improve Visual Literacy. 

Our world is filled with images that have specific meaning tied to them, and reading comics makes a child more familiar and comfortable with understanding these visual clues.

Develop an Appreciation of Art. 

Have a discussion with your child about the art and its importance in the telling of the story: Why did the artist choose those colors? That style? That shape and size for the panel? The art isn’t there to simplify the work, but rather to clarify.

Comic books aren't meant to replace reading, and most people - both children and adults - who enjoy reading comic books also find themselves enjoying a wide variety of other genres. We have a variety of graphic novels and comic books for all ages - some even have Accelerated Reader tests.

Check out one of these great comic books from the library today!