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| Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch. Copyright 2017 by First Second. Ages 9-13; Lexile level 820. |
How many of us in library work have witnessed a child pick out a graphic novel, only for a parent to tell them they need to pick out a “real book?” Thankfully, these adults seem to be the exception nowadays, and every year graphic novels are more accepted and celebrated by librarians and educators. And their popularity among readers of all ages certainly can’t be denied! Given their appeal, it’s almost surprising that non-fiction hasn’t turned to graphic novels sooner; non-fiction often relies on visual aids to support the text, so why not use a medium that is completely visual and can seamlessly integrate text and images?
Launched in 2016 by publisher First Second (the company behind Mighty Jack, Zita the Spacegirl, and The Prince and the Dressmaker), Science Comics is a series of non-fiction graphic novels that stands as an exemplary model of what can be done with the medium.
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| Science Comics currently has seventeen titles, with three announced for the immediate future. |
One of Science Comic’s titles is Dogs: From Predator to Protector. Set in a loose narrative of a day at the park with “his person,” Dogs is an otherwise expository work in which a terrier named Rudy is the reader’s guide through the journey of the dog, from wolves at the dawn of civilization to the pets of today.
As a graphic novel, the quality of the visuals may be just as important as the information they depict - how else would it get the attention of a prospective reader? Fortunately, the graphics of Dogs are as bold, colorful, and expressive as they are informative.
And are they ever informative! Dozens of scientific concepts are touched on along the way, from Mendelian genetics to behavior modification - concepts that most adults didn’t begin learning until junior high, if not high school. Yet these concepts are absolutely explained in ways that middle grade readers can understand, and much of that is due to how the pictures are used: readers are given constant visual examples of what the text discusses, sometimes in the form of actual diagrams, such as Punnett squares. In all honesty, this may not be the right book for those who are only casually interested in the main topic - but for those who get intense about their interests, the intense amount of information here is the perfect fit.
Dogs: From Predator to Protector is an information-rich resource for middle grade readers (and up!) who never stopped asking “why?” If Dogs is representative of the rest of the Science Comics series, I eagerly look forward to exploring more.
Graphic novels have come a long way since Superman, I am starting to see more and more nonfiction options for graphic novel readers. I am always looking for more graphic novels that step out of the box and First Second Publishing has been doing a great job a pushing out unique content to the graphic novel readers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this book! I put it on hold at my public library to delve more in to. :)
ReplyDeleteThe school library I work at is lacking in nonfiction graphic novels, but this series would be a great place to change all that! The graphic novels shelf is almost always cleared out during the year, so introducing nonfiction graphic novels to students would be a sure hit, I'm sure! One other science graphic novel I've come across is Zombies and Forces of Motion, by Mark Weakland, which is would definitely intrigue hesitant readers!