Nothing to Declare

more you read graphic novels, the slower you should become at reading them (before possibly speeding up again later!). This is because from a very young age we have trained our brains to prioritise the written word and we tend to therefore skim over pictures; as you adapt and develop the skill of reading pictures and words simultaneously your reading speed should actually slow down and reading graphic novels becomes even more enjoyable! Though graphic novels are becoming less stigmatised there remains an impression amongst some that they are a less appropriate or less literary choice than a text-only book. Interestingly graphic novels first became demonised in large part due to one man, Dr. Fredric Wertham, who in the 1950’s published highly exaggerated and debatably falsified data linking comic books with juvenile delinquency and illiteracy, the damage done carries on to this day. The contrasting truth is that graphic novels can increase reader vocabulary by using words at a demonstrably higher level of reader proficiency due to using pictures for meaning making. In addition, in a world where we increasingly use graphs, tables, charts, infographics and social media and screen and in one where viewers expect to see events summed up in a picture, being able to proficiently analyse meaning from pictures can be considered a valuable skill! Teddies Library has a wide collection of graphic novels including both fiction and non-fiction, stand-alone stories and stories spanning multiple books. The collection includes biographies and graphic novels adapted from well-known books such as To Kill a Mockingbird or Noughts and Crosses for example. There are over 180 manga books to peruse and even books on how to write and draw your own graphic novel! The section is well worth checking out and can be found at the quad end of the Oxley Library.