Can Graphic Novels Help Build Stronger Readers?

A parent recently asked me a thoughtful question: “Do you like graphic novels?”

My answer was yes.

As a Title I reading teacher and tutor, I have seen graphic novels capture the attention of students who rarely choose books on their own. I have watched hesitant readers finish an entire book, look for the next one in the series, and proudly talk about the characters and events.

That matters.

However, I do not believe graphic novels should replace every other kind of reading. Students also need traditional novels, nonfiction, poetry, informational passages, and books with rich descriptive language.

The question, then, should not be whether graphic novels are good or bad. A better question is:

How can parents and educators use graphic novels to help children become stronger, more confident readers?

The research suggests that graphic novels can be valuable. They can increase motivation, support comprehension, develop visual literacy, and provide access to complex stories. At the same time, they should be part of a balanced reading life that includes explicit reading instruction and many different types of text.

Graphic Novels Are More Than “Just Comic Books”

Some adults hear the term graphic novel and picture a simple comic book with very few words. Modern graphic novels are much broader than that.

They include realistic fiction, fantasy, history, biography, science, mystery, memoir, and adaptations of classic literature. Some tell lighthearted stories, while others explore serious topics such as friendship, identity, war, disability, prejudice, grief, and belonging.

Graphic novels also require readers to gather meaning from several places at once. Students must read the dialogue and narration while also examining facial expressions, body language, backgrounds, panel order, and changes in color or perspective.

The American Library Association explains that graphic novels require readers to make meaning from both words and images. The format can help children develop visual literacy while also exploring traditional literary elements such as character, setting, plot, mood, and conflict.

A reader may need to notice that a character looks worried even though the text never says, “She was worried.” The reader must infer that emotion from the character’s expression and the events surrounding it.

That is real comprehension work.

What Does the Science of Reading Say?

The Science of Reading is not a single program, curriculum, or teaching method. It is a large body of research from fields such as education, psychology, neuroscience, and language development.

One well-known framework within reading research is the Simple View of Reading. It explains that reading comprehension depends on two broad abilities:

1. Recognizing and reading the words on the page

2. Understanding the language and ideas those words communicate

In other words, children need both word recognition and language comprehension.

Graphic novels cannot replace explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, decoding, or fluency. A child who has difficulty reading words still needs direct, systematic instruction in those foundational skills.

This point is important.

Enjoying graphic novels does not remove the need to teach children how the written language system works.

However, graphic novels can support several parts of language comprehension. They may help students develop vocabulary, background knowledge, inferencing, story structure, verbal reasoning, and an understanding of how ideas connect.

That means graphic novels should not be viewed as a substitute for evidence-based reading instruction. Instead, they can be one of the tools used alongside that instruction.

Graphic Novels Can Increase Motivation

Motivation alone does not teach a child to read. Still, motivation matters because students need opportunities to practice the skills they are learning.

Children are more likely to practice reading when they find books that interest them.

Scholastic’s research into children’s reading habits has repeatedly shown the importance of access, enjoyment, and choice. In one report, 93 percent of children said their favorite books were the ones they selected themselves, and 92 percent said they were more likely to finish a book they had chosen.

For a reluctant reader, a graphic novel can feel less intimidating than a page filled with several long paragraphs. The pictures provide a place to begin, while the shorter sections of text make progress visible.

The student reads a page. Then another. Before long, the student has finished a chapter or perhaps an entire book.

That success can change how a child sees reading.

Instead of thinking, I am not a reader, the student begins to think, Maybe I can do this.

They Can Strengthen Comprehension

Graphic novels do not always explain every action directly. Events frequently occur in the spaces between panels, sometimes called the “gutters.”

Readers must determine what happened between one picture and the next. They may need to infer that time has passed, a character has moved, a decision has been made, or an event occurred off the page.

Research into visual narratives shows that readers must combine information from words and pictures to follow the complete story. Neither the words nor the images always provide enough information on their own.

As students read graphic novels, they may practice:

· Making predictions

· Drawing conclusions

· Identifying cause and effect

· Sequencing events

· Interpreting emotions

· Comparing characters

· Recognizing themes

· Using background details as evidence

· Connecting dialogue with visual information

These skills also appear in traditional novels, nonfiction, and classroom assessments.

A teacher can deepen this thinking by asking questions such as:

· What do you notice in the picture that the author did not state?

· How do you know what the character is feeling?

· What probably happened between these two panels?

· Which details support your answer?

· How would this scene be different in a traditional novel?

Those questions help students move beyond simply looking at the pictures.

They May Support Struggling Readers

Graphic novels may be especially helpful for students who find traditional books overwhelming.

A study published in Reading Horizons examined the use of graphic novels during Tier 2 reading intervention. The researchers reported that graphic novels provided opportunities to work on decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension while helping students engage with the reading material.

This does not mean that graphic novels are a complete intervention program. They are not.

The students still need instruction matched to their specific reading needs. However, graphic novels may provide meaningful text through which students can apply the skills they are being taught.

For example, a teacher might explicitly teach a phonics pattern and then help the student find and read words containing that pattern within a graphic novel. A student could also reread dialogue with expression to practice phrasing and fluency.

The book becomes a place to apply instruction, not a replacement for instruction.

Graphic Novels Can Build Vocabulary

Another common belief is that graphic novels contain only simple words.

That is not always true.

Reading researcher Timothy Shanahan has noted that graphic novels can provide worthwhile word-reading practice and may include vocabulary that is as sophisticated as, or more sophisticated than, vocabulary in comparable children’s books.

The illustrations can help students determine what an unfamiliar word may mean. A reader can examine the action, expression, and setting while considering how the word is being used.

This type of context can be helpful, but students should still learn how to confirm a word’s meaning. They might reread the sentence, examine word parts, use a glossary, ask an adult, or look the word up.

Pictures offer clues. They should not become the only strategy students use.

Visual Literacy Is an Important Skill

Students today encounter information through books, websites, charts, diagrams, advertisements, videos, and social media. They need to understand how visual choices communicate meaning.

Graphic novels give students practice interpreting:

· Facial expressions

· Body language

· Symbols

· Color

· Point of view

· Panel size

· Lettering

· Sound effects

· Changes in setting and time

The American Library Association describes visual literacy as an important part of understanding graphic novels because readers must interpret images and fill in information that is not stated directly.

This skill is useful beyond literature. Students also need visual literacy when reading science diagrams, maps, graphs, timelines, and online information.

Are There Disadvantages?

Graphic novels have many possible benefits, but there are also reasonable concerns.

They May Provide Less Practice With Dense Text

Graphic novels often contain less continuous text than traditional novels. Students who read only graphic novels may not develop the stamina needed to work through long paragraphs, textbook chapters, or detailed informational passages.

Reading stamina is important, especially as children move into middle and high school.

Students need experience staying focused when illustrations are limited and the author develops an idea over several pages.

They May Include Less Complex Syntax

Much of the text in a graphic novel appears as dialogue. Dialogue can be rich and meaningful, but it is often written in shorter sentences than the narration found in traditional literature.

Students also need exposure to:

· Complex sentence structures

· Detailed descriptions

· Figurative language

· Academic vocabulary

· Longer explanations

· Varied writing styles

These features help students grow as readers and writers.

The Pictures May Do Some of the Visualizing

When children read a traditional novel, they must create mental images from the author’s words.

Graphic novels provide much of that visual information. This can support comprehension, but it may reduce the amount of independent visualization a student must do.

That does not mean the reader stops thinking. Graphic novel readers still interpret and infer. However, children should also read texts that require them to imagine the characters, settings, and events without pictures.

Students May Choose Books That Are Too Easy

There is nothing wrong with occasionally reading a comfortable or humorous book. Adults do this too.

However, students need a mixture of comfortable reading and appropriately challenging reading. If a child continually selects only books with very little text or limited vocabulary, an adult may need to help broaden the child’s choices.

The goal is not to take away the books a child loves. It is to build outward from those interests.

Quality and Content Vary

A graphic novel is a format, not a guarantee of quality.

Some graphic novels offer complex characters, strong vocabulary, meaningful themes, and beautiful artwork. Others are written mainly for quick entertainment.

Parents and teachers should consider the child’s age, interests, reading ability, maturity, and the content of the book. The American Library Association publishes annual lists to help families, educators, and librarians locate high-quality graphic novels for children.

A Bridge to Classic Literature

One of my favorite ways to use graphic novels is to pair them with traditional literature.

Many classic books are available as graphic adaptations, including:

· The Call of the Wild

· Treasure Island

· The Secret Garden

· A Christmas Carol

· The Odyssey

· Beowulf

· Frankenstein

· The Hobbit

· The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

· The Time Machine

These adaptations can help students understand the setting, characters, historical context, and major plot events before they begin the original text.

Consider The Call of the Wild by Jack London. The original novel contains rich language, long descriptions, unfamiliar vocabulary, and ideas that may be challenging for some students.

A student could begin by reading a graphic adaptation. After gaining a basic understanding of Buck’s journey and the harsh Yukon setting, the student could read selected chapters from the original novel.

The two books can then be compared.

· What details did the graphic adaptation include or leave out?

· How did Jack London describe the setting?

· How did the illustrator represent that description?

· Which version made Buck’s emotions clearer?

· What language from the original could not be fully captured in pictures?

In this situation, the graphic novel does not replace the classic.

It creates a bridge to it.

Graphic Novels Families Can Explore

Public libraries are an excellent place to begin because families can try different authors, topics, and series without purchasing every book. Many libraries also participate in interlibrary loan programs when a particular title is not available locally.

Paperback copies, used bookstores, library sales, and boxed sets can also make graphic novels more affordable.

Beginning and Early Readers

· Narwhal and Jelly by Ben Clanton

· Pizza and Taco by Stephen Shaskan

· Owly by Andy Runton

· Pea, Bee & Jay by Brian “Smitty” Smith

· Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli

Elementary Readers

· Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

· Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey

· The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

· InvestiGators by John Patrick Green

· Lunch Lady by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

· Hilo by Judd Winick

· Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Upper Elementary and Middle School Readers

· Smile, Sisters, and Guts by Raina Telgemeier

· New Kid and Class Act by Jerry Craft

· El Deafo by Cece Bell

· Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

· The Crossover: The Graphic Novel by Kwame Alexander and Dawud Anyabwile

· Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

· When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Not every title will be the right fit for every reader. Families should review age recommendations and content descriptions, especially when selecting books for younger children.

How Parents Can Get More Learning From a Graphic Novel

Parents do not need to turn every book into an assignment. Reading should still be enjoyable.

A few natural questions, though, can encourage deeper thinking:

· Who is your favorite character, and why?

· What did you learn from the pictures that was not stated in the words?

· Which part surprised you?

· What do you think will happen next?

· What problem is the character trying to solve?

· Did the character change during the story?

· What unfamiliar word did you notice?

· Would this story work as well without illustrations?

A child could also retell one chapter, write a new ending, create an additional panel, or compare the graphic novel with another version of the same story.

These activities help connect enjoyment with comprehension.

Finding the Right Balance

I do not believe children need to “earn” the right to read graphic novels by first finishing a traditional novel.

I also do not believe that children should read graphic novels exclusively.

A healthy reading life includes variety.

A student might read a graphic novel independently, listen to a more complex novel read aloud, study an informational article in class, and explore poetry or nonfiction at home.

Each experience contributes something different.

Graphic novels can offer motivation, accessibility, visual literacy, vocabulary, and opportunities for inferencing. Traditional novels can provide extended language, detailed description, complex syntax, and independent visualization. Informational texts build knowledge and introduce the structures students encounter in school and everyday life.

Strong readers need all of these experiences.

My Final Thoughts as a Teacher and Tutor

Graphic novels are not a shortcut around reading.

They are a different way of reading.

Students must combine language and images, follow a sequence, make inferences, recognize emotions, and connect details across pages. For some children, graphic novels are also the first books that make reading feel enjoyable and possible.

At the same time, graphic novels should not be expected to do everything. They do not replace explicit instruction in phonics, decoding, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension. They should not become a child’s only experience with written language.

They belong within a balanced approach.

As educators and parents, our goal should not be to force every child down one narrow path toward reading. Our goal should be to provide several strong pathways while still teaching the essential skills every reader needs.

Sometimes a graphic novel is the book that opens the door.

Once that door is open, we can invite the child to explore everything else the world of reading has to offer.

References and Further Reading

American Library Association. Best Graphic Novels Reading Lists.

American Library Association. Graphic Novels for Early Readers.

American Library Association. It’s Elementary! Graphic Novels for the K–6 Classroom.

Institute of Education Sciences. The Importance of Comprehension in the Science of Reading.

Institute of Education Sciences. The “Not So Simple” View of Reading.

Reading Rockets. Graphic Novels for Young Kids.

Shanahan, T. My Child Will Only Read Graphic Novels. Help! Reading Rockets.

Scholastic. Kids & Family Reading Report.

Smetana, L., Odelson, D., Burns, H., and Grisham, D. “Using Graphic Novels in the High School Classroom: Engaging Deaf Students With a New Genre.” Related graphic-novel intervention research published in Reading Horizons.

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