Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers
NOTE: All the ideas shared last week for wordless books can be applied to wordless graphic novels as well, though, as graphic novels tend to be longer, writing a complete story to go along with the pictures could be a bigger project. Perhaps just pick a section of the story if you choose to put words to the pictures for a graphic novel or just have readers summarize the story in written words.
- Observation vs Inferences: I just thought of this further exercise that wordless graphic novels and wordless books. Science classes tend to be the ones that need to teach the differences between observations and inferences. Wordless books are perfect for practicing this, because when we read them we take what we observe (i.e. a giraffe whose eyebrows are slanted inward and mouth is curved downward, has a bump on it’s head and who is facing a rock.) and make inferences about them (the giraffe is glaring angrily at the rock because it hit him in the head) to make the story come alive. Wordless graphic novels usually require some very careful observations, perhaps even multiple readings to put together inferences.
- Making Predictions & Revising Predictions: Good readers are constantly making predictions and trying to figure out what is going on in a story. Wordless graphic novels, especially imaginative ones require frequent hypothesis formulation and revisions as to what is going on in the story. (Leaf by Ma is especially good for exercising this reading skill.)
- Making Connections: Wordless graphic novels also provide a great opportunity to exercise another reading skill, making connections between what you know and what is going on in the story. If we didn’t make connections between what we knew and the story the book is trying to tell, the authors would find their job super hard. The Arrival by Tan is a great one to use to illustrate making connections between previous knowledge and the world you live in to understand the strange world the man in the story finds himself in.
- Not Just for Kids: I mentioned last week that wordless books are great at being timeless and appeal to a wide variety of ages. I want to reinforce that again, and point out that many of the titles below have subtle and intricate plot points that will totally go over the heads of little ones. These aren’t just for kids, and frequently, they are best appreciated by teens and adults who can follow the sophisticated plot flow. In other words, wordless graphic novels are for everyone. Go on out there and give them a shot.
- Read Books by Foreign Authors/Illustrators: If you want to expand your reading horizons and experience what some authors from other countries have to offer, one of the easiest ways to venture into the foreign book world is when language isn’t an issue. Of the author/illustrators below, Ma and Guojing are from China, Ponzi and Sanna are from Italy, Tan is Australian, Tofield is British, and Varon and Runton are American.
Leaf by Daishu Ma
A man finds a strange leaf that glows. He tries to track down where it came from, and in the process discovers it may be the key to restoring his drab city.
This graphic novel featuring a multicultural city is brand new from Chinese illustrator Daishu Ma. It is wordless, but that doesn't mean it is simple. I actually had to read it twice to make sure I understood what was going on. Even now, I think I know, but some of it is open to interpretation. It appears to be a dystopian world missing natural light and the leaf discovery helps change that. That was my understanding, but perhaps other readers will discover something I missed. The illustrations are incredible. Color is spare, mostly shades of grey with touches of yellow on some pages and touches of blue on other pages (the color seems to be significant to understanding the story flow). I know it seems strange to suggest a wordless book for a book club, but this one could generate a lot of conversations starting with #1, what readers understand is going on.
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
A man leaves his daughter and wife to find a place for them in a new land. The new country has strange words, strange food and is horribly confusing and daunting for the man. But eventually he starts to find some work, make friends, and figure out what some words mean and what foods to eat. And one glorious day his daughter and wife are finally able to join him.
This is definitely my favorite wordless graphic novel for a number of reasons. It beautifully illustrates - both in art and emotions - the plights of an immigrant coming to a strange new country without a single word. I think it is even more powerful in that the land the man comes to is strange and alien to anyone on Earth. It is a fantasy world, the language is nonsense, the food is bizarre, and the transportation methods are incredible. So readers at first will likely be just as confused as the man, but there are enough clues to help them figure out what is going on. One of the reasons I love this is that I totally understand this man’s confusion on coming to a strange land with a new language and culture. I’m an expat in a foreign country and work at an international school full of students who also identify with this experience. I am grateful that it helps readers step into the shoes of expats, immigrants, and refugees in a creative and eye-catching way.
The Journey of the Penguin by Emiliano Ponzi
A lonely penguin makes his way from Antarctica to England, where he lands himself a role as the trademark for a publishing company.
A charmingly illustrated book that pretty much tells the tale entirely through illustrations. There's one poster with words and photos with people's names below them, but that's it for the story. I was afraid a book made in tribute to a publishing company might be cheesy (it was made for Penguin Books 80th), but this was fun and enjoyable, and didn't feel forced. It could stand on it's own without the back story. Of course, that could just be the penguin lover in me talking. Only one thing about the book bothered me. There's a polar bear in Antarctica at the beginning. It must have been very, very, very lost.
A small child is on their own and decides to go visit Grandma. The child is lost on the way, and befriends an elk (or deer) who takes the child on an amazing adventure before helping the little one find home again.
According to the author's note, this wordless story was inspired by the personal experience of the author when she was young in China. She talks about the loneliness of being an only child in China, and a time when she got lost on her way to her Grandmother's that all show up in this story. The illustrations in this are incredibly warm and full of heart. They look soft enough to pet. The story is tender, imaginative, and beautiful. It also provides an interesting insider's perspective of implications of the One Child Policy.
The River by Alessandro Sanna
A mostly wordless picture book (there are just four pages introducing the seasonal sections with words) that looks into life along a river in older Italy throughout one year.
An impressive amount of artistic work went into making this book. I'm glad for the intro to each section as otherwise some of the pictures would be a little harder to interpret due to the illustration style.
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Dog makes a robot friend for himself and takes him on a beach vacation. They both have fun until robot gets stuck laying on the beach after the water fun. Dog can't budge the robot, so he has to leave him. So we get to see what happens to the robot over the course of a year, and when things aren't really happening, what the robot daydreams happens. Meanwhile, the dog is doing his best to get the robot back, but circumstances are definitely against him.
I had heard a lot of good stuff about this graphic novel, but in all the stuff I heard about it, I did not hear that it was practically wordless. The story is almost entirely told through pictures. This is a cute story, and surprisingly doesn't quite end the way I expected it to. Some readers may like it, others may be disappointed it isn’t quite the happy ending they would have written. One thing is sure, readers will have opinions about the way Varon ended this story.
Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer (Owly, #1) by Andy Runton
Owly is a bird with a big heart. In the first story of this graphic novel, Owly saves a little worm and then helps him find his family. In the second tale, Owly and Wormy use their garden to make new friends, two hummingbirds.
These tales are almost wordless. But there are a couple pages at the end of “The Bittersweet Summer” that use words to explain what is going on. Still, kids of all ages should be able to "read" the story and get the gist of it whether they can grasp all of the words included or not. The story is sophisticated enough that middle grade readers will probably also enjoy Owly's adventures. A great pick for kids who love animals and graphic novels. Owly has several books of adventures out and just about all of them are wordless. Some kids may be disappointed that most of the Owly books are just black and white though.
Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield
The antics of a cat who finds all sorts of domestic adventures.
Ok, I know. This isn't technically a graphic novel it is a collection of short comic strips, but I couldn't resist throwing it in here. Simon's Cat started as short, wordless animated cartoons on YouTube. This book is a print collection of those stories. They are still wordless and are quite humorous. And they are very popular with students here. Anyone who has a cat will appreciate the humor of these comics because Mr Tofield obviously understands cats. There are now numerous books out, and of course, you can enjoy the videos online too. Mr Tofield also does a good job of sharing about the animating process and pet care on the Simon's Cat YouTube channel as well.
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