A middle school teacher wants Leo Lionni books to teach her students how to make inferences. A historical preservationist is reinvigorated by Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House. Two teenagers flirt and read Wee Little Chick to one another. Picture books are not just for children anymore.

The graphic novel naissance—comics renaissance—has provided entry for a new way of seeing and engaging with picture books. The marriage of picture with text or picture with wordless narrative is no longer just the first step of the serious American reader. Illustrated books with and without words are accepted for all ages, thanks to the successes of the graphic novel. This brings us to the humble picture book and the ways in which graphic novels and picture books have been colliding and expanding and exploding conventions. When American Born Chinese, The Red Book, Zen Shorts, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and The Wall are award winners, we know there must be a sea-change.

I rediscovered picture books as a children’s librarian—no better way, perhaps. While I loved them as a child, I never thought of them as I traveled the typical reader’s trajectory: reading books for children, books for young adults and books for adults. I love children’s and young adult books because of my work. Most likely I would not have discovered their joys elsewhere. When people think of books—if they think of them at all—they adhere to a linear path linking human development and reading. Surely, reading picture books is regressing! Onward and upward, today Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, tomorrow Moby-Dick.

Like any range of literature, picture books can be gentle or challenging, in the terms of their language, themes, design, and images. Picture books can approach a difficult and complicated subject in a comforting and low-pressure way and they can provoke teen and adult readers to look deeply, intentionally, and closely at content that children might miss.

So what can result from interactions between teens and picture books? Teens can learn about book design in Black and White, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, and The Three Pigs; spirituality in Samsara Dog and The Three Questions; “wolves” in Wolves and The Woolves in the Sitee; animal biology (in rhyme!) in Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones; art elements in Hello, Fruit Face! The Paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Nina’s Book of Little Things, and Voices in the Park; war and violence in Patrol:An American Soldier in Vietnam, The Letter Home, The Butter Battle Book, and Rose Blanche; and death in Michael Rosen’s Sad Book and To Hell With Dying.

Librarians must educate patrons that the picture book is a format not always prescribed for very young children. This is a challenge when we are constantly asked for the 4-year old, 6-year old, and 12-year old sections and we dutifully point to picture books, easy readers, and chapter books. But we can inform parents and teachers of the myriad ways picture books can be used with teens. Picture books can be microcosmic in the multitudes contained in their brevity. Jon Muth’s books sometimes seem to teach us all we need to know about Buddhism.

Picture books can be used with reluctant readers and visual learners, they can be paired with novels or nonfiction works in history lessons, they can initiate art and design projects, draw on art historical connections and critical thinking strategies, and rekindle the personal experience with literature. As students begin deciphering textual meaning, they can use picture book connections to learn about character development, language, and theme. While we think of storytime as an essentially preschool activity, collaborative out loud engagement with text and image can be pursued with teens.

For the picture book to fulfill its programming potential, it would be ideal to cultivate a young adult collection of picture books. This may be a cataloging or administrative challenge, but as we see graphic novels collected in up to three locations in a building, a home for young adult picture books seems possible. While many children’s picture books can be used successfully with teens, avoiding redundancy is probably desired. There are many picture books that work more deeply and better with teens than with children and would probably get more love in a YA division. Some resources to check out include: http://readwritethink.org, http://vue.org, http://www.picturebookart.org, and http://www.wiredforyouth.com/books/index.cfm?booklist=picture

Titles mentioned

Brannen, Sarah. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding

Browne, Anthony. Voices From the Park

Burton, Virginia Lee. The Little House

Decker, Tim. The Letter Home

Gravett, Emily. Wolves

Haring, Keith. Nina’s Book of Little Things

Heller, Ruth. Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones

Innocenti, Roberto. Rose Blanche

Lionni, Leo.

Lehman, Barbara. The Red Book

Macaulay, David. Black and White

Manos, Helen and Julie Vivas. Samsara Dog

Muth, Jon. The Three Questions

Myers, Walter Dean. Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

Richardson, Justin. And Tango Makes Three

Rosen, Michael. Michael Rosen’s Sad Book

Scieska, Jon and Lane Smith. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Seuss, Dr. The Butter Battle Book

Sís, Peter. The Wall

Strand, Claudia. Hello, Fruit Face! The Paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Thompson, Lauren. Wee Little Chick

Walker, Alice. To Hell With Dying

Wiesner, David. Three Little Pigs

Wild, Margaret and Anne Spudvilas. Woolves in the Sitee

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese

A while ago I shared with you a review of It’s a Bird, from a graphic novel review newsletter I write for my library system called Getting Graphic.  It has been a little longer between reviews than I had planned, but today I am back with two more reviews for you.  The first review is a newer title that you should definitely be aware of and the second is an older title, and is perhaps my favorite graphic novel of all time.  I will continue to post more titles here each month or so, but if you want a little more please check out the newsletter itself and feel free to subscribe if you so desire.

The Plain Janes
By: Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

When Jane was knocked off her feet by a nearby terrorist attack in Metro City her parents decide it is time to leave.  The family moves a long way from the city to a suburban town called Kent Waters.  Jane hates it there, until she forms a secret club called People Loving Art In Neighborhoods, or simply P.L.A.I.N.   The group, which is made up of four less than popular girls, all named Jane, attempts to create meaning both for themselves and for their town by creating renegade art projects throughout the community.  While some folks seem to love the art provided by P.L.A.I.N. the community as a whole begins to fear it and starts to investigate these “crimes” very seriously.  The Plain Janes is the first of a variety of graphic novels put out by MINX, an imprint of D.C. comics that is aimed at teenage girls.  It is fun and quirky, and will certainly appeal to its intended audience, as well any adult, female or male, who can remember what it is like to be a teenager trying to find his or her way through life.

Blankets
By: Craig Thompson

At a very expansive 592 pages, Blankets has the space to cover a lot of material.  In this novel, the author relates his childhood, telling readers about his family, which consists of two very religious and strict parents as well as a younger brother who is at times the companion in his adventures but can also double as his mortal enemy.  His bizarre family life and childhood are the reasons that he often feels ostracized from his peers until he meets Raina, who soon becomes his first love. This is a coming of age tale, much akin in style to J.D. Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye.  Often, Heralded as one of the best ever graphic novels and as one of the first great examples of the genre, Blankets has a lot to live up to.  Readers will not, however, be disappointed in this choice, even if they go in with the highest of expectations.  This is one title that any graphic novel fan should be aware of, and is a great title for a first exposure to the genre.

Recently I stared writing a graphic novel reader’s newsletter for my library system called Getting Graphic. In it I usually mention about 5 or 6 titles, some of which are newer titles while others are past favorites that I feel everyone should be aware of. I will be posting one or two of these reviews here every month, but feel free to check out the newsletter, or subscribe to it, if you would like to read about the rest of the titles. For now I will leave you with today’s review, which falls under the category of older favorite everyone should be aware of.

It’s a Bird…
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artist: Teddy Kristiansen

This fascinating story about Superman depicts the Man of Steel in a whole new light. Seagle’s partially autobiographical story follows the life of a comic writer named Steve as he wrestles with the decision to start writing for Superman. This decision should not be hard as Superman is the Mecca of any comic writer’s world, however for Steve this is not the case. Steve is dealing with a dark family secret, which relates to his own mortality. His secret causes him to think Superman, with his infinite powers and near invincibility, is a ridiculous character that he can not relate to. This turmoil provides the basis for a very touching and real Superman story. Steve’s thoughts and actions throughout provide a wonderful insight into the world of comics and writing in general. Teddy Kristiansen’s understated art style also lends a wonderful touch to this must read story. This novel would be recommended for anyone who enjoys Superman stories, as well as those who simply enjoy a penetrating and personal graphic novel.