Teaching with Graphic Novels
In our readings this week, we dug into two amazing graphic novels! One novel being, "Stargazing", which was both written and illustrated by Jen Wang is a beautifully illustrated and hear-warming text. The other, "New Shoes", written and amazingly illustrated by Sara Varon. Both of these graphic novels drew me in the second I opened them up with their detail in the illustrations, their story lines, and most of all, their characters.
Stargazing
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Written and Illustrated by:
Jen Wang
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Colored by:
Lark Pien
New Shoes
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Written and Illustrated by:
Sara Varon
What are these graphic novels about?
Stargazing is a beautiful story about two young girls who come from very different backgrounds, but become very close and learn from each other. The main character, Christine, is a Asian-American young girl who comes from a well respected family and religion. Right from the beginning of the novel, you can tell she is a very shy, timid girl. One day, she sees her parents cleaning out their extra unit in order to rent it to a mother and daughter who were going through a difficult time. The daughter, Moon, is the same age as Christine and is very energetic and outgoing. When Christine first meets Moon, she is very shy, but the more they bond and see each other, Christine is learning to become more like herself and confident. Christine even writes about Moon after they first meet. This led me to believe that maybe Christine wants to be just like Moon. They are the best of friends and even set goals to accomplish, like attending the talent show together. Moon soon becomes like family to Christine and her family and even sticks up for Vivian, Christine's younger sister, when she gets bullied. Even though Christine and Moon are not able to be in the talent show like originally planned, they stick together and become better versions of themselves because of each other.
Stargazing Pg. 47
New Shoes by Sara Varon is great graphic novel that I know will draw in any student that picks this book up. This was one of those graphic novels that I did not want to put down even after I finished reading it. It kept me on my toes the entire time because of its mysterious adventures the characters had to go on! This book takes place in Guyana and all of the characters are different animals one might see in a village. The main character, Francis, is the best shoe maker there is and animals come from all over to purchase shoes made by Francis. The key component Francis used to make all of his shoes came from special fibers called wild tiger grass. He would purchase tiger grass from his friend, Nigel, who would travel deep into the jungle to collect wild grass for Francis. One day, Francis received a special order from Miss Manatee, "The River Queen". He couldn't wait to meet Nigel for fresh tiger grass and start creating her shoes. However, when Nigel goes missing, Francis sets out to find him deep in the jungle with his friend Rhoda. Francis has never been in the jungle, so him and Rhoda are up for an adventure while they look for their friend. They meet numerous different animals while searching for Nigel. Some good, some not so good!
About the Authors
Jen Wang is a New York Times best selling graphic novelists. She is an author, cartoonists, and illustrator of several children's graphic novels. She wrote Stargazing as a fictional book, but many of the events in this story are real events from her life. When she was 6 years old she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, just like Moon. In the Afterword of the graphic novel, she even included personal images from her time being in the hospital.
Don't forget to read this interview from Jen Wang: Jen Wang Draws From Reality
Lark Pien is a cartoonist who also colors. She colored this graphic novel, Stargazing. She has won awards such as, a Harvey award, and has been nominated for an Eisner.
Sara Varon is a print maker, graphic novelist, and children's book author/illustrator living in Brooklyn. She has written several children's graphic novels and was a was a recipient of the Maurice Sendak Fellowship. Her novel, New Shoes, was based on a trip she took to Guyana. She used several photos from her time there as references to the book! She even included her personal photos she took on her trip in the back of the graphic novel, New Shoes!
My Thoughts!
In both of these graphic novels, I felt the authors did such an amazing job in making me feel like a supported reader. For example, the detail in the illustrations helped me better understand what the characters were not only saying, but feeling as well. Sara Varon in, New Shoes, also did a great job supporting her readers because she incorporated labels throughout her book. For example, she would put labels on unfamiliar, new fruits as well as, new animals being introduced in the book.
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Spread from pages 40/41: Stargazing
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Spread from pages 101/102: New Shoes
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In these spreads from each of the graphic novels, I loved how detailed the illustrations are. It helps the reader understand how the characters are feeling. For example, the detail on Christine's face shows she is nervous and sweating because of it. Her face is red and her shoulders are shrugged like she is timid. However, in Moon's face you can tell she if confident and ready to help Christine learn! When looking at the spreads from New Shoes, you can see how sad Nigel looks when he is sitting at the tree and how worried Francis and Rhoda are for him. Francis's eye brows are downward giving him that worried look and Rhoda has his hand over his mouth where he gasps! On page 102, you can look at the new characters who captured Nigel and how mean they look because of their serious faces!
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While reading Stargazing, I couldn't help but notice the difference between the two cultures being discussed throughout the novel. At one point, towards the beginning of the book, Christine and Moon are both dancing, having what looked to be a good time when Christine's father walks in. Christine immediately stops and looks embarrassed and her father looks very shocked. Later, the girls paint their toenails and Christine's father become very upset by it. "I'm glad you two are friends. But juts because Moon does something doesn't mean it's right for you, too, okay?" (115). Moon says towards the beginning that she is a Buddhist. I feel like this quote from Christine's father stuck with me because it really shows that even though people have different religions and beliefs, it's okay to still be yourself and the best of friends. I also noticed a lot about food being discussed in this book. Moon talks about how she doesn't eat meat because of her religion but doesn't mind if Christine does. They even try new foods together like, Christine trying Dan Dan that is with mushrooms instead of meat.
Book Comparison Chart: From Laminack and Kelly
In this weeks reading in, Reading to Make a Difference, was all about honoring others. In a quote from Fred Rogers, he states,
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"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing expression" (116).
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After reading the two graphic novels this week and the readings from, Reading to Make a Difference, I feel it is even more important to help students to understand that being different from one another is what makes us who we are. As talked about on page 120 of the textbook, guiding questions should spark reflection from the book read. Thinking about the graphic novels I discussed this week, I would like to use these guiding questions they mentioned in the textbook to my students' thoughts. The questions I may ask would be: (pg. 120)
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How do you see yourself in these books?
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How did your thoughts and feeling change?
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Who changed the most in the story(s)?
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How are you different now that you have read these books?
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Challenge
How would you help your students understand that having their own differences and cultural backgrounds is okay and unique?
Resources
Laminack, L. L., & Kelly, K. (2019). Reading to make a difference: Using literature to
help students speak freely, think deeply, and take action. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann