graphic novels – Page 5

I had a program! And people attended! Corona Comic Book Group Begins.

Posted on November 10, 2015November 10, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Now that I’ve had a month to settle into my daily routine here at my library, I’ve finally gotten some programming set. Today was my first Comic Book Club, an idea I’d been trying to get off the ground for over a year, but could never quite make happen at my previous library. Since the crowds here are pretty robust, and the kids are hungry for programming, I thought I’d give it a shot.

I kept it pretty laid back for our first meeting, since I’m still new here, myself. I had seven kids show up, all aging from 7-9 years old. They were excited to be talking about comic books, and the fact that I was wearing a Green Arrow t-shirt and comic book shoes, so that was a great conversation opener. We talked about what different TV shows and comics we like – Teen Titans and Steven Universe got huge props, which means I need to check out Steven Universe now. Plants vs. Zombies got some love, too.

We talked about what kind of comic book club we wanted to be. They were really enthusiastic about reading a graphic novel together and talking about it, and they wanted to learn more about comics that are on the shelves at the library. Babymouse, Owly, and Garfield are current favorites, and I’ve just ordered more books to put on the shelves, so maybe next week’s meeting will be an unveiling of the new stuff!

I used the comic book club as an excuse to talk about other programs the kids may want. Tabletop Gaming got some promising feedback, so that made my day. I’m thinking I may need to start a teen comic book club, too, because I had no idea how many younger kids would want in on this. They also want to watch movies, so I need to figure out the space situation (we’re tightly packed in this library) and make that happen.

My comic book store, Royal Collectibles in Forest Hills, generous donated some Halloween ComicFest copies of Grimmiss Island and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, so I was doubly thrilled. The kids in my library’s neighborhood don’t always have the disposable income for comics of their own, so this made their day.

I passed out some comic book templates that I found on Pinterest, and the kids went to work. I have to tell you, the creativity blew me away. Yeah, there was the one kid that made a new generation’s version of Spy vs. Spy, with one guy and another guy yelling “DIE!” and killing one another with explosions, but the other kids really sat and thought out their stories, even paging through the books I had on the table for ideas. We agreed that every week, I’ll give them more comic paper, and they can continue their stories (or write news ones), and create their own comic book.

It was a 45-minute program, with relatively no financial outlay thanks to the donation from Royal. It got the kids talking, I got to put names to some faces I see every day, and it helped me build a rapport with them. I’m already excited for next week!

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Steampunk

Tailwands – Epic Animal Fantasy for your younger readers!

Posted on July 8, 2015July 6, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I don’t normally review standalone comic book issues here at MomReadIt – that’s the purview of my WhatchaReading writing, really – but I had to talk about Tailwands, which is putting out its second issue shortly. It’s great animal fiction, it’s an epic tale, and it’s perfect for young readers who are in the mood for fun, clean, epic fantasy storytelling.

I’ve written reviews for both issue 1 and issue 2 over at WhatchaReading. There is a subscriber exclusive, if your kids like the books, so you don’t have to chase them down. Hand these books to your younger readers, and tuck in with them – you’re in for a great adventure.

Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Teen, Tween Reads

HowToons shows how makerspaces will save the world – A WhatchaReading Review!

Posted on February 25, 2015February 25, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Everyone’s talking about STEM these days – or STEAM, depending on which library or classroom you’re hanging out in. What’s STEM? It’s the new thing for education – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (with an “A” for Art, if you’re talking STEAM). It’s going beyond the three “Rs” to get kids ready for this crazy future we’re heading toward. It’s LEGO Robotics, it’s NASA mentors for kids, it’s teaching kids to code in languages like HTML, Python, and Ruby on Rails.

Beyond that, it’s starting with what’s around you. I had a duct tape crafting workshop at my library that the kids went berserk for. We made wallets, change pouches, even little mustaches on popsicle sticks. If you don’t have funky, leopard-spotted duct tape, you can still make stuff – show me one home that doesn’t have a roll of duct tape laying around, right? With that base, you can create.

And that is the idea that HowToons works with. HowToons is more than a comic, it’s a movement. It’s taking comics one step further and bringing kids into the adventure, by creating a story that shows kids how to create – using things around them – to save their own world.

Read the rest of my review over at WhatchaReading!

Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Uncategorized

Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch gives kids a new heroine to follow

Posted on September 28, 2014August 29, 2020 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Maddy Kettle, Book 1: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch, by Eric Orchard (Sept. 2014, Top Shelf Comics), $14.95, ISBN: 9781603090728

Recommended for ages 8-14

Maddy Kettle is an 11 year-old on a mission. Her parents have been turned into kangaroo rats by the Thimblewitch, so she sets out with her pet space toad, Ralph, to find the witch and get her to restore them. She will have to evade goblin spiders and scarecrow soldiers, and she’ll meet a bear and raccoon team of cloud cartographers who map the skies as she sets out on her journey.

This story is a great illustration of people’s perceptions, and how they can be so very wrong. It’s a great story for parents and kids to read together, and one that teachers should be using in the classroom, accompanied by a discussion on perception versus reality, and how we judge people by those perceptions.

Without getting too far into spoilery territory, Maddy learns that her thinking needs some adjustment as she meets these “bad” characters and learns what the real story is behind the bits and pieces she knows. She grows as a person, and heads off into new adventures – adventures, I hope, that will teach us new lessons as she goes on.

There is some great art in here; kids and adults alike will be drawn into the story by the retro-futuristic artwork and the quick pacing and resolution. It’s an all-around great intro to a new series that gives kids another positive female role model, who’s also a relatable kid (Zita the Spacegirl fans, are you with me?).

Maddy Kettle, Book 1: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch will be available this Tuesday. Check it out in stores, or order your digital copy on the Top Shelf website.

In the meantime, check out some more of the art, courtesy of Top Shelf’s website.

Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Graphic Novels

BirdCatDog: A graphic novel for beginners, with multiple points of view

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

BirdCatDog, by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch (Nov. 2014, Lerner Publishing Group). $25.26, ISBN: 9781467745222

Recommended for ages 5+

Three narratives, three separate points of view, all come together in this graphic novel by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch. A bird, a cat, and a dog all start their day with different achievement – the bird, to find freedom, the cat, to explore his world, and the dog, to defend his home. Each character meets and interacts with the others throughout the course of the book – the bird chases the cat, who ends up on the wrong side of the dog’s fence – and other character come into play to lead to more pandemonium.

The stories can be ready separately – each character’s narrative is color-coded – or as a whole. The pages are split into three panels, facilitating the individual narratives. The animals are cartoony, but not exaggeratedly so. They have expressive faces and body language, and the story is straightforward, making it perfect for new readers and even pre-readers, with the help of an adult or older sibling.

The split narratives make this book useful in many different ways across different ages. You can talk about perspective and point of view; you can read the individual narratives; you can encourage children to talk about what they see happening on the page in any number of combinations. It’s a great way to introduce sequential concepts in reading to kids.

Teen

Book Expo Approaches! What are you going to look for?

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I love BEA. I’ve been lucky enough to go to a few, having worked in publishing before my new career as a librarian, and I never tire of it. The books, the people that are so excited about books – readers, publishers, sellers, librarians – we all love books, and BEA is one big book party, with lots of little book parties going on simultaneously.

This year, BEA is really special and exciting for me, because it’s my first year as a librarian, so I’ll be there looking for children’s and middle grade books that I can bring to my patrons – my “kids”, and some YA that I can recommend to my counterpart, the YA librarian at Pomonok. And I’m also excited, because I’m going on a press pass! How cool is that? So let’s start the reporting now!

I received an e-mail from Capstone with some signings, and I’m excited, because Isobel Harrop will be there signing copies of her book, The Isobel Journal. I’ve got this on NetGalley, and have been looking forward to reading it. It’s on the list of things to read before BookExpo! It’s a graphic novel-ish type book, so it technically comes under my purview, even though it’s YA.

Capstone is also having a book giveaway for their September book, Katie Woo’s Big Idea Journal: A place for your best stories, drawings, doodles and plans, which I absolutely need to get because the Katie Woo books do gangbusters at my library! I may even have a book giveaway for the kids. I also just learned that the Capstone website has Katie Woo printables, which is PERFECT – my kids love coloring in the library, and I think they’re getting tired of my usual printables.

Capstone is also announcing their new YA imprint, Switch Press, at BEA, so I want to see what that’s all about. I notice that they’re including graphic novels under the imprint, so I’m hoping I can bring back some news and maybe a couple of giveaways for our teens.

What’s everyone else doing at BookExpo? I have a planner to fill!

Graphic Novels

The YALSA Great Graphic Novels List is Out – Dark Horse Has Six Books!

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

This is great news – YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association has a great list of books and graphic novels, chosen by librarians, every year. This year, Dark Horse landed six books on the YALSA list, thus assuring that I’ll be able to stock my tweens’ and teens’ shelves with graphic novels aplenty. Great work to all the writers and artists who make these books happen!

“Dark Horse has always considered librarians to be essential to the cause of bringing graphic novels to a broader audience, just as we feel visionary writers and artists push the boundaries of the medium,” said Dark Horse’s VP of book trade sales, Michael Martens. “With the selections of these titles to the 2014 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, the boundaries will be pushed and the audience broadened! Thanks to both YALSA and our authors for making this happen!”

Read the rest of my post and get the link to YALSA’s full list at WhatchaReading.com!