Coraline: The Graphic Novel

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman
adapted & illustrated by P. Craig Russell (2008)

2009 Eisner Award Winner (Best Publication for Teens)

          In this graphic novel adaptation of the juvenile fiction novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, a young girl finds a door to an alternate world that proves to be very unsettling. Although I have not read the novel, I feel this story nicely lends itself to the graphic novel format. Russell's illustrations look like they are out of a graphic novel for adults, proving that just because a book is for children the quality does not need to be lower nor does the art have to look more childish -- probably the reason he won the Eisner Award for this book. However, because of the realistic quality of the artwork, the book becomes even more frightening -- even for an adult reading it! As for the story itself, I like how the reality of the alternate universe is never quite explained. Coraline spent most of her days before discovering "the door" talking to her parents about her boredom so the validity of her adventure seems to be in question. It can be a fantasy book (which I know it is) -- but it can also be viewed as a child's over-active imagination and love for exploration filling in for her boredom.
          In the classroom this book could be used in upper grades for a unit on graphic novels as narrative form. Students could use the text to look for recurring symbols (disguises and naming), how action is shown, and how the world is created through art, dialogue, and other elements. Graphic novels might be difficult to read as a class, so I would probably offer this as a choice novel for independent exploration. As a class acting could be incorporated into lessons about graphic novels, as there use of visual action and dialogue lends itself nicely to drama. Students could also do a comparative analysis between the graphic novel form of the book and its original format, or do a comparison between this graphic novel and another. Coraline uses text to describe a lot of Coraline's internal thoughts and feelings, as well as what is happening in some frames of the book -- which is quite different than books that only show outward action and dialogue, for example. A lesson on teaching literary devices with comics can be found here.

Who's Got Game?

Who's Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper?

by Toni & Slade Morrison (2003)

         Who's Got Game offers a very contemporary take on Aesop's Fables, while also offering a more complex view of the one dimensional moral from the original story. The ant is involved in summer fun with the grasshopper in this version of the story, and recognizes the importance of the art that they create together -- but still decides to turn the grasshopper out in the end. But the grasshopper himself is not looking for simple handouts, but respect. The Morrisons use colorful slang and a rhyming hip-hop style to pose their questions and illustrator Pascal Lemaitre uses an inexact cartoon style to convey the somewhat ambiguous message, giving the entire text a very modern feel.
        I believe this text could be used in a literature or writing unit that focuses on adaptations of classic texts. This book completely changes the emotion of the original fable and complicates the moral, but maintains major plot elements that make it clear that it is a reworking of another text. Modern versions of fairy tales, fables, and classic stories offer a variety of perspectives that can be examined and analyzed. I personally am interested in how songs are changed when they are covered by different artists, and this could be another element of the exploration. What do authors and artists choose to keep the same? What do they change? How does this affect the story? How can you tell it is still based on the original? All of these are questions that can be raised for any format of adaptation.

The Storm in the Barn

The Storm in the Barn
by Matt Phelan (2009)

2010 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

         The Storm in the Barn is an unusual combination of Dust Bowl history, American folklore, and fantasy. Most of the story is told through the illustrations that follow the main character Jack -- and most of the frames lack text. A majority of the artwork uses light washes in browns and grays that is evocative of the past, while the fables told within the book are told in vibrant colors. The juxtaposition of colors and style seem to represent the difference between the harsh reality and the beauty of escape. This opposition is furthered through Jack's sister Dorothy's story -- as she escapes her illness by becoming "the other Dorothy" in the Land of Oz.  The fantasy elements in the text are a little abstract for me, but they offer a creative outlet in the midst of what some students may consider a dry piece of historical fiction.
         I would use this book in a classroom to introduce social studies history concepts like the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. This book shows a number of the difficulties families faced during this terrible time in American history. This book could also be an introduction for students into the art of the graphic novel -- where students could analyze what elements the believe are important in books like this. They could consider what they would improve in the story and try writing their own graphic novel or adapting a previously written story into this illustrated format. The epigraph at the beginning of the book is well-chosen yet unusual ("Every theory of the course of events in nature is necessarily based on some process of simplification of the phenomena and is to some extent therefore a fairy tale" Sir Napier Shaw, Manual of Meterology) -- and could be used to discuss how this element is used in literature to further the story or encourage a certain viewpoint.