Reference and teen librarian in Brookline Public, website No Flying no tights URL at bottom of post, graphics review site. Published in any important publications and 2008 chair of great graphic novels for teens committee for ALA and YALSA.
Basic definitions:
format = comics
academic terms is sequential art (= panels, text + image)
Defending comics in collections
Definitions of literacy changing and evolving to include parsing diverse media. Literacy as a skill set for interpreting information. Comics require "reading between the panels". Learning to read these takes time. Beginners should start with a genre that you already like.
Comics include sound effects as well as image, so feel very cinematic. Panels used like a camera. US Comic symbols easily recognized. Speech bubble, thoughts, swearing, dead. Why do we know these? We have seen them. They are culturally unique to the US. For contrast, Japanese symbols death, sweat, joke (looks like a death symbols, but isn't). Sweat drops show state of mind.
Figuring out panel sequence and reading the panels very sophisticated skill. Establishing shot is starting point. Japanese use aspect-to-aspect transitions. Japanese fight scenes are particularly challenging.
Title research:
- read a few - find titles in a genre you already enjoy
- talk to fellow librarians
- journal reviews (ICv2 Guide - new and great source of statistics. They also have a website)
- check with local comic stores, library holdings
- check with your readers (Graphic novel Survivor - kids voted books off table)
- Marvel not useful
- Manga companies conservative ratings
- Tokyo Pop - strict list/criteria to their ratings
- Rating systems not universal
has reviews, recommendations, news, soon to be released titles
Links:
http://www.icvs.com
http://www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib
http://www.comiccon.com/pulse/
http://www.mangablog.net/
Lesson Plans:
http://www.teaching comics.org/
Comics in the Classroom -
http://comicsintheclassroom.net/
Teaching with Comics -
http://www.flummery.com/teaching/
Secret Origins of Good Readers -
http://www.night-flight.com/secretorigin/
Ideas for Comics Exercises:
symbolism, point of view, sound effects, vocabulary, character analysis, layout/measurement, comic story starters (give first and last panel and have kids fill in middle), chemical elements using superhero in comic to show chemical properties (flummery.com), compare/contrast different comics
Comic Life - use original digital photos, upload, and add text bubbles and actions. $250 per school site license. Includes teacher home license. Good for kids to generate their own.
Title recommendations:
(MS/HS) Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (biography); Fleming
Town of evening calm, County of Cherry Blossom; Kouno (history of Hiroshima, family)
WWII - genre
Maus
We are on our own; (memoir) Kattin
Barefoot Gen; (memoir) Nakazawa
The Wall; (memoir) Sis
Nonfiction titles (MS/HS):
The United States Constitution; Hennessey
Isadora Duncan; (bio) Jones - bio series
911 Report - approved by commission
Shakespeare adaptations (many):
Merchant of Venice; Gareth Hinds
British firm doing every play in 3 different versions
Fiction (K-5):
Jellaby; Soo
Amulet (older elementary)
Flight Explorer - anthologies on flight
Glister; Watson, Andi
Rapunzel's Revenge; Hale, Shannon* good presenter on this - does reader's theater
Coraline; Gaiman, Neil (graphic version, nice adaptation)
Salt Water Taffy; Loux, Matthew (set in Maine, strong boy appeal, older elementary, MS)
Minister Jade; (Chinese Imperial Court, super-hero, magical belt of jade, MS)
Atomic Robo; (robot design by Tesla in the 20s, physics jokes, action adventure)
Monster Zoo; TenNaple, Doug (a little creepy, older elementary MS)
Stuck in the Middle; Schrag, Ariel (MS, collection of short comics about what MS is really like)
War at Ellesmere; Hicks, Faith Erin (scholarship student at elite academy, older elementary, MS)
MS Manga - (Manga makes up 60% of the publishing market in Japan, started in '50s)
Shojo manga - girl manga
Shonen manga - boy manga
Sugar Sugar Rune; Anno, Moyoco (pair of witches who collect hearts, mystical)
Palette of 12 Secret Colors; Kusakawa
Shirley; Mori, Kaoru (Victorian England, 13 year old girl learning to be a servant)
HS Manga
Fever; Park, Hee Jung (HS)
High School Debut; Kawahara, Kazune (HS)
Fairy Tale; Mashima, Hiro (favorite with boys, magic, protagonist gets seasick)
Hikkatsu! Strike a blow to vivify!; Yagami, Yu (changing the world with appliance repair to readjust Earth's magnetic core)
Handouts:
http://www.noflyingnotights.com/confrences/msla2008
robin@noflyingnotights.com
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