A question that we often receive as youth librarians is, “How do I encourage my child to read real books instead of graphic novels?” These questions usually come from well-intentioned parents and caregivers who want to ensure their children are reading proficiently and not falling behind developmentally. There can be a ton of pressure on caregivers and kids to succeed in an academically rigorous and high-achieving community like Pullman. We at the library hear your concerns, but would also ask you to hear us out (at least until the end of this column) and not write off graphic novels for your children (or yourself) just yet.

In Youth Services at the library, our goal is to make all children lifelong readers. A great way to encourage children to read and read often is to let them read what interests them, and if they want to read graphic novels, that’s OK. Of course, we always encourage all patrons to read diversely and to try new things, but especially for reluctant readers, trying to control what they read may end up driving them away from reading completely. The best way to get better at reading is by reading more, so in our opinion, whatever type of book accomplishes that goal can be just as beneficial as other “educational” books.

Graphic novels can offer the same reading and complex storytelling quality as other print books, and a study from the University of Oregon found that graphic novels often contain a higher level of vocabulary than print-only books of the same level. Why are graphic novels so much more complex? Graphic novels are able to introduce more complex words to young readers because the illustrations help kids decode the meaning of unfamiliar words. By engaging more of a child’s brain through inference and synthesis of both words and pictures, graphic novels can boost comprehension over text alone. Today, modern literacy requires fluency in more than just text. Information is shared in a variety of ways, including videos and images.