My First Graphic Novels - great books for kids beginning to read (ages 5 - 8)

Students in our library love, love, love graphic novels. They draw them in with their bright pictures dynamic stories. Kids who are new to reading also love graphic novels, and the series My First Graphic Novel has some wonderful titles perfectly suited for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders who are learning to read on their own. Clues in the Attic and Bus Ride Bully have been particularly popular in our school library. Both available as paperbacks for your home library.

Clues in the Attic
by Cari Meister
illustrated by Remy Simard
My First Graphic Novel series
MN: Stone Arch Books, 2010
ages 5 - 8
available on Amazon and at your local library

Clues in the Attic and Bus Ride Bully are written by Cari Meister, known for her Tiny series of early readers, about Tiny the dog who is not so tiny after all (Tiny Goes to the Library, Puffin, 2000). In Clues in the Attic, Ben is worried about strange noises he hears coming from the attic. When he investigates, he is sure there are bats in the attic. Finally, his sister helps him discover that it’s really just her missing snake. In Bus Ride Bully, Gavin hates riding the bus because Max is always being mean to him. But when Max is hurt and can’t come to school, Gavin starts to worry.

The Lost Lunch
by Lori Mortensen
illustrated by Remy Simard
My First Graphic Novel series
MN: Stone Arch Books, 2010
ages 5 - 8
available on Amazon and at your local library

When Andrew's lunch goes missing in The Lost Lunch, he can’t think where he might have left it. With the help of his friend Dylan, he looks on the playground and in the classroom, until he finally thinks to look in the lost and found. Kids like this early mystery, as Dylan searches all the places in his school where he thinks his lunch might be. It's successful because kids can relate to the very same thing happening to them.

This series provides fun, appealing early readers for children who enjoy comics and graphic novels. The bright illustrations, short sentences with controlled vocabulary, and text that is supported by closely matching art helps early readers enjoy these independently. Look at this example from Google Books to get a sense of how bright their illustrations are, and how they use simple sentences and vocabulary.


Do you have a favorite graphic novel for your new reader? We also enjoy the Toon Books, like Benny and Penny. I'm curious about the Balloon Toon books, like Rick and Rack and the Great Outdoors. If you've read this, let us know what you think of it!

The review books were kindly sent by the publisher. If you make a purchase on Amazon using the links on this site, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!