Did you know July 17 is World Emoji Day?
No, I’m not sure what that means either… but it’s got me thinking about how much communication has changed without most of us really noticing. A kid today can hold an entire conversation in nothing but tiny pictures, and somehow it lands exactly right. That’s not a lesser kind of literacy. It’s just a different one, but it’s one I don’t think we’re honoring when we talk about reading.
It’s got me thinking back to a scene that used to play out at my library desk fairly often. A kid would come up thrilled, clutching their chosen book like it was treasure. But then, behind them, a teacher or parent would appear and say “don’t you think it’s time to try a REAL book?” Turns out that treasure was just a comic, and all too often, those books “don’t count.”
Look, I get it. We all care for these kids, and that care can easily turn into genuine worry about them “falling behind.”
But why did we ever decide that a graphic novel is the easy way out?
Do Graphic Novels Count as “Real” Reading?
It isn’t the easy way out.
The comprehension work in a good graphic novel is just as real. Kids still have to track a plot, infer emotion, hold multiple characters in their heads. They’re just doing it through image and text together instead of text alone. For a lot of readers, that combination doesn’t lower the bar, it’s what lets them clear it. It’s often more demanding in a different way, not less.
Why Graphic Novels Work for Reluctant and EAL Readers
I started Kibi’s Bridging Reads collection thinking mostly about multilingual learners. Kids who could speak confidently in English but hit a wall the second they opened a novel written for a native speaker their age. I wanted books that respected where they were intellectually, without punishing them for still building their English.
But it didn’t take long before I realized something else.
It was never only about English learners.
Reluctant readers. Kids with dyslexia. And a whole generation of kids who’ve grown up swiping and tapping before they ever sat down with a chapter book. Kids who are sharp at reading images and screens, and are still building the stamina for long, unbroken stretches of plain text. All of them were hitting the same wall, just from different directions.
A graphic novel that trusts a reader’s intelligence while easing the language load isn’t a workaround for one type of kid. It’s just good design for every kid navigating that gap between how mature their thinking is and how much decoding they can comfortably do, whether that gap comes from a new language, a learning difference, or just a childhood spent more on screens than in books.
What Makes a Book a “Bridging Read”?
That’s the whole idea behind Bridging Reads. Not simplified. Not “easy.” Just accessible.
It’s such a tricky line to walk, isn’t it? You want to hand a kid something that respects them, not something that feels like a consolation prize. The graphic novels on our Bridging Reads shelf aren’t there because they’re less of a book. They’re there because, for a lot of readers, they’re the realest book in the room.
Let’s stop deciding for our kids what “real reading” looks like, and start noticing the reading they’re already doing — one emoji at a time.
Kibi Quick Picks
Two graphic novels that prove “accessible” was never a downgrade.
T.S. Hullabaloo by Zack Rosenberg and Victor Fust
Jack Daring just wants to blend in, but his life is upended when a mischievous, cat-like entity known as a Hullabaloo latches onto him.
… A major asset for the classroom is the use of a dyslexia-friendly font, which reduces visual stress for struggling readers.
Schoolbot 9000 by Sam Hepburn
This story follows James as he joins forces with an unlikely partner to save the school from a full robotic takeover. Specifically aimed at readers between ages nine and twelve, the book is a fantastic option for students who find long chapters intimidating.
How You Can Help Kibi Grow
We can’t build this collection without you.
- Tell us: What’s a graphic novel that hooked a reluctant reader in your classroom? Share it in the comments below — we’d love to feature it.
- Recommend: Know a title that deserves a spot on the Bridging Reads shelf? Use the recommendation form on the site.
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