As reading scores for U.S. students steadily decline, the children and young adult consultant of the Connecticut State Library said she has seen parents’ anxiety about the growing popularity of graphic novels firsthand.
“Sometimes I'll have parents or caregivers or grown-ups come to me and say ‘This is the only thing that he really reads. I'm glad that you have these. Do you think eventually they'll transition into traditional books?’” librarian Kym Powe said.
Working with families at West Haven Public Library, Powe understands the appeal of graphic novels for kids, and the concerns of parents – especially with one well-known series.
“The kids would come in and they'd say, ‘Do you have any ‘Baby-Sitters Club’ books?’” Powe said.
She lit up, because she grew up reading “The Baby-Sitters Club” and is a fan of the chapter book series that launched in 1986.
“I'd say, ‘Oh, are you looking for, like, the narrative ‘Baby-sitters Club’? Or are you looking for the graphic novel?’ And they'd say graphic novel every single time,” Powe said.
A part of her felt disappointed.
“As someone who grew up on the narrative version of the story, I was like, ‘Oh, no, you don't wanna read these. Why?’” Powe said.
While it’s understandable that adults can feel let down when young readers pass on their favorite book for the new shiny release, there is a reason the kids in their lives gravitate to graphic novels.
Fewer words, more literacy?
There are almost two dozen “Baby-Sitters Club” graphic novels, with more on the way. Kids are loving the colorful new adaptations. So much so that 10-year-old Harshita Swaminath attended a “Baby-Sitters Club” 40th anniversary party at Barney Library in Farmington earlier this year.
Harshita decorated her own kid kit, just like the club members bring on their sitter jobs. She filled hers with snacks, fidget toys, and coloring pages.
Harshita said she loves coloring, about as much as she loves these new “Baby-Sitters Club” books.
“Because graphic novels, you can see them, and it also has less words, which means it will be a little easier to read,” Harshita said.
Ten-year-old Vivian Madsen agreed.
“I just like the pictures, and a lot less words, because when I read a lot, sometimes it tires my brain,” Vivian said.
But reading fewer words – that part seems to make the parents nervous.
“Chapter books, we develop the imagination, right?” said Harshita’s mom, Priya Swaminath. “But comics already, there is a shape for our imagination, so I prefer chapter books, but the kids have the other way.”
But Powe said she sees graphic novels as adding to a story, rather than taking words away.
“Part of the concern is reading comprehension,” Powe said. “But there are different opportunities for that within a story. Those opportunities haven't disappeared.”
Powe said much of the magic in reading graphic novels or classic novels is that readers can imagine themselves as characters in the book – even after they finish reading. She said they can also develop literacy skills, including visual literacy.
“With graphic novels, you can almost read them twice, right?” she said. “What people are beginning to understand is that less words don't mean less information and don't mean less knowledge.”
Researchers have found that readers’ brain activity is similar when they read chapter books and graphic novels. It just feels different looking for clues in a sentence versus in an image.
Seeing the value
Ten-year-old Vivian’s mom, Lily Madsen, also had some reservations about graphic novels.
“I do definitely think that I think there's probably a little more value in chapter books, but they're both great,” Madsen said.
Parents also had concerns over the value of the original ‘Baby-sitters Club’ series because the chapter books weren’t considered classic literature, but that changed over time.
“I hope that as she gets a little bit older and starts to appreciate longer stories, that she'll get into chapter books more,” Madsen said.
"Of course they will," Powe said.
In the same way the chapter book series got Powe into reading as a kid, she sees graphic novels as a stepping stone for today’s young readers.
“I think that graphic novels are a great gateway,” Powe said. “Allowing kids to find and pull what gravitates to them, what speaks to them, is really the way to building a love of reading and not just making it like a chore.”
Learn more
“Generation: Baby-Sitters Club” is the third season of the Connecticut Public podcast series “Generation: The media we love & how it shapes us.” Over five episodes, we ask how these novels shaped children’s publishing and literacy, and inspired future leaders of writer’s rooms, boardrooms and beyond.
New episodes of “Generation: Baby Sitters Club” drop on your favorite podcast feed each Tuesday in October. Episode 3 is out now.
Follow wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss our conversation with series author Ann M. Martin in our season finale dropping on Oct. 27!
