Read With Conina

This spring, I had the chance to attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, Italy. It was a truly wonderful experience. While at the fair, I went to a few panels that really spoke to me. Over the next few days, I will be sharing what I learned at these panels, as well as my thoughts.

Global Growth in Graphic Novels

Panel included:
Peter Warwick, CEO, Scholastic
Renata Gorgani, CEO and Publisher, Editrice II Castoro
Moderator: Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly

Tuesday, I hoped to start my morning with a workshop, however I learned a week before we went that it was sold out. I found a replacement that sounded like I’d enjoy – Global Growth in Graphic Novels. Peter, who is the CEO of Scholastic, talked about their imprint, Graphix. According  to their biannual reports, 22% of kids claimed they read graphic novels in 2018; as of their most recent report, the number has increased to 37%. I was glad to see that number went up, as there has always been a stigma against comics and graphic novels, as some parents, teachers, and librarians think reading books with pictures is “cheating’ or that they won’t provide as much education as ‘real books.’

This way of thinking is wrong, though, for multiple reasons that they discussed. Peter went on to talk about how graphic novels are great for reluctant readers. Whenever an early reader makes it through a book, they have so much pride in themselves, which in turn boosts their confidence to where they feel capable and excited to read more. Since graphics go quicker, there is more opportunity for kids to get an abundance of that confidence. Peter talked about another great aspect of graphics, which is that they can be about any subject. Dinosaurs, space, biographies, fantasy; graphics can take kids anywhere.

The way Renata combats graphic novel naysayers is explaining that graphic aren’t less, they’re more. Instead of just reading, kids get to learn through two languages: art and words.  There is no shortage to learning with graphics. And today’s generation is a visual one; they’ve grown up on YouTube, Tiktok, and video games. This means that graphic novels have a higher chance to resonate with them, especially with all the media tie-ins in recent graphic novels.

The panel brought up lots of great points, but what I loved most was hearing how graphic novel sales are currently growing in most English-speaking countries, as well as in Asia. Hopefully, this keeps happening. With more graphic novels produced worldwide, there are also more opportunities for translations. Soon, graphic novels can be shared all over the world.