title: The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens
author: David S. Serchay
description: Serchay's manual seeks to guide librarians in what can be seen as a daunting task. Chapters cover definitions, descriptions, and background information on comic books, graphic novels, and manga and other foreign comics. Subsequent sections offer practical suggestions for purchasing, selecting, cataloging, and shelving age-appropriate material in this format. A rationale for classroom inclusion of these books provides support for librarians working with teachers. The concluding chapter discusses potential problems that can arise when adding them to the library's holdings. The strength of this book lies in the historical and background information that accompanies most sections. Topics such as superheroes, manga, diversity, and censorship are placed within the context of time and place. The author uses anecdotes and research-based documentation to support his findings. Individual chapters include endnotes and references. Helpful appendixes include a 75-page book list organized by title, series, and character(s). It is surprising that such a guide to graphic format is bereft of sequential panel art examples. This omission is particularly evident in the How to Read Graphic Novels segment. Lengthy paragraphs describe comic panels and theorize on how readers might interpret them. Illustrations might have helped convey this volume's key concepts in a much clearer and more concise fashion. Youth-services librarians looking for historical background in addition to practical advice will find this volume helpful.<i>Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  [![CoverImage](images/9780316348454_c.jpg)](toc.xhtml#toc-welcome)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [**Begin Reading**](chapter001.xhtml)
  
  
  [Table of Contents](toc.xhtml)
  
  
  [Newsletters](newsletterSignup.xhtml)
  
  
  [Copyright Page](copyright.xhtml)
  
  
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  _For Dad_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # [Lady Kluck](toc.xhtml#toc-chapter001)
  
  
  Why is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the go-to small talk we
  make with children? “Hello, child. As I have run out of compliments to pay y