Why Struggling Readers Need Graphic Novels
Graphic novels are a great way to encourage kids who struggle with reading, to enjoy books. Despite having an author as their mother, both of my children struggled to read during their early primary school years.
Our house was filled with books. I read to the boys most nights (which now as tweens they still love) and they both had wonderful teachers. But, they just weren’t progressing or enjoying reading for themselves like many of their peers. Both boys were later diagnosed with dyslexia, which I soon discovered is much more common than I had expected.
As struggling readers, my children were easily intimidated by large blocks of text. This made them hesitant to pick up chapter books and novels. Interestingly though, they were not afraid to choose graphic novels, no matter how long the page count. This is most likely because graphic novels present text in small manageable chunks (often speech bubbles) making these stories much more approachable for struggling readers. The chunked text also helps them keep their place on the page, reducing the chance of frustration due to losing which line they’re up to.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard a parent in a store telling their child not to choose a book with illustrations, ‘because they should be challenging themselves and reading up a level’. This infuriates me! Kids endure enough difficult reading at school, and I believe, should be allowed to read any book that piques their interest when reading for pleasure. Books with illustrations engage kids visually, often add humour, provide context and show characters’ emotions. And for our struggling readers, graphic novels allow the story to be told in far less words than novels. This makes finishing a book possible which affords the reader a sense of achievement. And when this happens, their reading confidence grows.
After seeing the impact graphic novels had on my children, I was driven to create a graphic novel myself. I have recently released my eleventh publication and the first in a new series, KEV AND TREV, SNOT FUNNY SEA STORIES. This book is about making a book! It’s also about embracing who you are and living your best adventurous and creative life. The book-within-a-book format features several funny short stories written by Kev, illustrated by Trev then edited and stapled together by (their editor) Mr Happy. Some readers may read the entire book. Others may prefer their adults to read the graphic novel pages but feel confident enough to read the short stories themselves.
As the designer of Kev and Trev, I paid particular attention to the text design. I carefully spaced words, letters and lines to allow maximum readability. One of the main characters mixes up words and letters when she is reading. Many kids will relate to Trev’s reading struggles and (I hope) feel understood as they see themselves represented on the page.
Compared with other book formats, graphic novels can be extremely time consuming to create but for me, the hard work is worth it. I receive many letters of appreciation from parents of struggling readers, who have finally found the right book for them! And as the mother of similar children, I know all too well what an incredible difference it can make when a child discovers a joy of reading though being given the right book. And that book may just be a graphic novel.
Kylie Howarth is an award-winning internationally published author and illustrator of several best-selling children’s books. She is the 2024 recipient of the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards – Writer’s Fellowship.
KEV AND TREV, SNOT FUNNY SEA STORIES by Kylie Howarth.
Kev and Trev are best friends living their best lives on the high seas. There’s just one thing they need … money to fix their crumbling houseboat! Luckily Kev and Trev have a plan. They’re going to write a book so they can get rich and famous. With the help of a grumpy squid called My Happy, the pair land a book deal. The only catch? Their publisher is actually a PUG-lisher, and she insists they write a story about a merpug. If Kev and Trev want to make their dreams come true, they’ll have to sail to new waters and find some elusive merpugs.
www.kyliehowarth.com