Children’s Graphic Novels
Have you caught the graphic novel bug yet? It’s one of the fastest growing genres in children’s fiction and it’s no surprise why. Graphic novels for kids have brought books to whole new audience of children. Children who may otherwise not engage with books.
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Graphic Novel Releases 2024
This blog post will share with you some of the wonderful graphic novels for kids we’ve been exploring in 2024. The majority will be new titles with the odd occasional one we may have been late to the party with and only just discovered.
Blog Post Contents
Golden Age of Graphic Novels for Kids
We truly are in a golden age for graphic novels for kids. There’s lots of wonderful choice with books suitable for everyone. My daughter Floss loves drawing and so for her graphic novels are her ideal book as she gets to explore the incredible illustrations. There’s often draw-along sections at the back of some books too. We love the The Phoenix Comic and they have a fab skills hub that can be accessed for free here.
Graphic Novels for All
Graphic novels can also give children who find reading more challenging a real sense of accomplishment. Often these books can have lots of pages. The number of pages could be something unrealistic for some children to manage in a traditional chapter book yet in these children feel a sense of achievement and become more confident readers.
Cautions
One thing to be mindful of is that some graphic novels can be written in capital letters and others can have a mixture of capitals and lowercase in the same word. This can make it tricky for children who are still learning to decode the alphabet to read books with this mix. Another thing to be mindful of is how the text and images are laid out on each spread.
Some books have very separate text which makes for an easier read. Other books have a more blended style which can make it harder for visually impaired readers and those who need more clear text. I’ll add example spreads so you can see what each book is like.
Graphic Novels Featured in this Blog Post
Bumble and Snug and the Jealous Giants by Mark Bradley
One of our most anticipated releases for 2024. Bumble & Snug are just the most delightful of friends who have wonderful adventures. This time it’s Bumble and Snug and the Jealous Giants. Released on the 4th July devoured by Floss in minutes. This series are perfect for children who adore drawing as they have how to draw… section at the back.
Suitable for early readers 5+. Majority of the text is lowercase with the occasional capital letter words and sentences for impact. The majority of the text is in speech bubbles. There is some text that is black and on different coloured backgrounds. The text isn’t obscured by images but some of the backgrounds may not have enough contrast for visually impaired; the black on purple can be tricky to read.
Bunny Vs Monkey by Jamie Smart
The Impossible Pig! by Jamie Smart
Avid Bunny Vs Monkey fans may well have already read The Impossible Pig when it came out in hardback November 2023; we did – we had it on pre-order! Summer 2024 sees the paperback edition released and we were kindly sent a copy from David Fickling Books. This latest Bunny Vs Monkey installment is just a fantastically bonkers as the rest.
I’d recommend for 6/7 years +. The text is in capital letters so having good decoding skills for capital letters is essential. Most text is usually in clearly defined speech bubbles.
The Great Big Glitch! by Jamie Smart and other Awesome Releases
Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc by Joe Todd-Stanton
Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc by Joe Todd-Stanton is sublime! Now out in paperback and just shy of A4 in size. There’s action and adventure, a strong story in graphic novel style and the most powerful message of kindness and being there for others. Flying Eye Books are really championing graphic novels right now.
Recommended reading age from around 5+ years. The text is lowercase and not obscured by illustrations. There’s dark on light background text and vice-versa. The writing is smaller than some other graphic novels.
Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces Paperback by Carlos Sánchez
Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces Paperback by Carlos Sánchez is another glorious title from Flying Eye Books. For a slightly older graphic novel audience around 8+ years we’ve got darkness, magic and friendship. A Deaf protagonist who wears hearing aids, lip reads and signs. There’s also a secondary LGBTQ+ storyline.
Quick Review:
✏️🎨Graphic novel 🧏♀️Deaf protagonist, signing, lip reading🐲Fantasy/ Mythical 🪄Magic adventure 🏠Orphanage 👹Monsters 📙Folklore 🍳Cooking 🏳️🌈LGBTQ+
Agent Harrier: This Book Will Self Destruct by Ben Sanders
A brilliant graphic novel read is Agent Harrier: This Book Will Self Destruct. A pacy, brilliant read with a great retro feel. Find inside images and my thoughts on this title here.
Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman
Top Pick – Unicorn Boy – totally brilliant. Brian is an ordinary, shy boy until one day he begins to grow a unicorn horn. Brian doesn’t want the attention that comes with it – especially not the evil forces it attracts! Find inside images and my review here.
Dog Man The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey is book 12 in this epic series of graphic novel books for kids. You can read these books in any order and if you’re a fan of these book then do give Cat Kid a whirl too. Find inside images and our thoughts here.
Cactus Kid The Battle for Star Rock Mountain by Emmanuel Guerrero
Cactus Kid The Battle for Star Rock Mountain by Emmanuel Guerrero is a wonderfully moody and slightly darker graphic novel for kids. We love it. Check out inside images and our thoughts here.
Narwhal’s Otter Friend by Ben Clanton
Not a new release. Originally published back in 2020 we finally got a second hand copy of this series. This is book number four in the Narwhal and Jelly series – Narwhal’s Otter Friend. The latest title in the series – Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth – is due for release 29 August 2024 and available for pre-order. Find out more and inside images here.
Poetry Comics by Grant Snider
Poetry Comic by Grant Snider is pure genius. It brings together both graphic novel comic style with poetry. Find lots of inside images and my review here.
Peanut, Butter and Crackers: River Rescue by Paige Braddock
Peanut, Butter and Crackers: River Rescue by Paige Braddock has been a super sweeet treat of a read. We’ve only just discovered these books. There’s three so far in the series and we’re very much hoping for more. They’re super cute and perfect for early independent readers who like a gentle tale full of warmth.
You’ll have to see if a particular spread in the book makes you think of the film The Titanic! Had me chuckling.
Quick Review:
🐕🐈Cute animal characters 💗Friendship 🤣Humour ⛺Camping 🌊River adventure peril
Looshkin Honk If You See It! by Jamie Smart
Looshkin Honk If You See It! by the comic legend Jamie Smart released on the 4th of April 2024. We ordered it on pre-order and Floss devoured it in one sitting when it arrived. Yet another romp of Looshkin capers! Perfect for fans of Bunny Vs Monkey.
Bad United Just For Kicks by Louise Forshaw
Bad United Just For Kicks by Louise Forshaw was a new release on the 9th May 2024 that we were sent by Little Tiger Press. It’s a black and white graphic novel. This would be ideal for children intimidated by high levels of text and has a strong message about being true to yourself and finding your people.
Quick Review:
🤷Feelings of not fitting in 🧑🤝🧑Finding YOUR right team 🤝Working together ⭐ Using your unique skills ⚽Football ✏️🎨Graphic novel 🏁Black and white ✍️🎨High image to text ratio – great for sense of achievement 🦄Mythical and real animal characters
Agents of S.U.I.T.: From Badger to Worse by John Patrick Green
An Investigators spin off series Agents of S.U.I.T.: From Badger to Worse book 2 released on the 4th April. We requested it from the library and Floss gives it a big thumbs up. The first one in the series published last year Agents of S.U.I.T..
Monti and Leo: A Newcomer in Pocketville by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Monti and Leo: A Newcomer in Pocketville by Sylvie Kantorovitz. It promised strong values of friendship and gentleness in this graphic novel for early independent readers and it absolutely delivered. We loved the muted palette and adorable characters. Ideal for early readers. Lowercase, simple text not obstructed by illustrations.
Happy Hills Attack of the Giant Danger Kittens by Sophy Henn
Delighted to see Sophy Henn (who we love) bring us a graphic novel. What a title – Happy Hills Attack of the Giant Danger Kittens! Totally hilarious and a romp of a read.
Max & Chaffy by Jamie Smart
Max & Chaffy from the legendary Jamie Smart are a series for very young readers. Highly illustrated with a heavy weighting on images to text ratio. Floss loves the spotting games in these books.
Batcat Sink or Swim! by Meggie Ramm
Batcat Sink or Swim! by Meggie Ramm is the second book in this fun-filled series. Published on the 23rd of May 2024 it’s the second book in this series; Batcat was the first in the series. Love the colour palette in these books and the stories are superb.
Garbage Night by Benji Lee
Garbage Night by Benji Lee The Complete Edition is Flying Eye Books’ Young Adult (YA) graphic novel. I can’t wait to read this one and will report back soon.
Quick Review:
🧑🤝🧑Friendship ☠️Survival 💣Post-apocalyptic ✏️🎨Graphic novel 🦝Raccoon 🦌Deer
Check back for more updates in the world of kids graphic novels. If you’d like any recommendations on further graphic novels or ideas of what to choose depending upon the interests of your child feel free to drop me a comment and I’ll do my best.