One of the great side effects of the growth of the library's comic collection is the availability of titles for even the youngest patron. Beyond the widespread superhero readers, here are some books that can be enjoyed by beginning readers:
Dragon Puncher: Don't discount the abilities of the Dragon Puncher simply because he's an adorable kitten; armed with his giant battle suit, he is ready to take out evil dragons with his fists while his sidekick Spoony-E uses a wooden spoon. This hilarious title uses a fun, eye-catching mix of simple cartooning and photography to engage little ones.
Owly: Andy Runton's adorable character will enchant readers with his sweet and simply drawn nature. In these two nearly wordless stories, expressive lines evoke an emotional reaction when Owly saves Wormy during a thunderstorm, and when he and Wormy befriend hummingbirds flying south for the winter. A good primer for reading with pictures.
Hamster and Cheese: If a mystery is more your speed, you may enjoy these adorable pet-shop private eye comics featuring the reluctant guinea pig detective Sasspants. In this first story, he is enlisted by his hamster friend Hamisher to investigate who is stealing sandwiches from the pet shop, and these two small pets continue to work together to solve other pet shop problems throughout this gentle series.
Start your kids on comics early, and they'll grasp sophisticated techniques of reading text and illustrations together that are important in our modern world—and they'll have fun.
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