Book Talk Tuesday: I Love Toon Books!

We have a complete collection of Toon books in our library. These graphic books, written for emerging  and beginning readers, are a great solution for youngsters who want to read comics but aren't ready for the longer graphic novels.

The publisher has a fantastic website with read-alongs of each title. For those new to graphics, this is a great way to learn how to read the speech bubbles. Most children seem to do this naturally, but non comic-reading grown ups may find it a more time-intensive way of reading. 

Here are a couple of popular titles:

Little Mouse Gets Ready, by Jeff Smith

Short and sweet, this graphic book uses whole-page illustrations and large speech bubbles to help emerging readers navigate the combination of text and pictures. 

Our main character, Little Mouse, faces a challenge common for youngsters: he needs to get dressed in time to join Mama Mouse on a trip with his older siblings. As we watch him struggle with his underpants, pant legs, left and right shoes, and buttons we're cheering him on, hoping he's ready in time. Imagine his surprise (and ours) when Mama reminds him, "Mice don't wear clothes!"

The fun ending will be something our little ones can relate to!

From Little Mouse Gets Ready

Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework, by Nadja Spiefleman & Trade Loeffler

Zig is a kind of boy/squirrel/octopus creature and his friend, Wikki, is a walking, talking screen. While the two buddies are blasting around outer space, Zig gets a call from his teacher reminding him to turn in his homework: a class pet. 

Unfortunately, the pair gets lost. They end up on Earth, encounter many bizarre creatures, and decide to try to catch one for the homework assignment.

Easier said than done, however, since flies, frogs, and dragonflies are quick to evade the two aliens. Will Zig be able to complete the task? And will they find their way back home?

This imaginative comic suits beginning readers. Its layout is more complex than Little Mouse, and the vocabulary is slightly more sophisticated. A good choice for students who are ready to move on but not ready for Bone and other longer graphics.

From Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework