5 Great Graphic Novels for Toddlers and Preschoolers

My previous post focused on reading wordless graphic novels with your toddler or preschooler. This time we are diving into the rest of them. Be fairly warned, there are tons! I will warn you that there is probably a bit of bias in the list below, because these are books my kids love to read and hear, and so do I!

You, as a parent, teacher, or anyone who reads with kids, can really choose any graphic novel you think your little one will sit through. My hope is to introduce you to some great series or independent stories that I believe are ideal for toddlers and preschoolers.

So what's my criteria? I only have a few for this post where I am classifying toddler and preschooler behavior in a general way. (You could have a little one with an outstanding attention span, my daughter could sit and listen to books for an hour or so when she was three and four, so this list may not be what you are looking for. Stay tuned for more lists and book reviews and I bet you'll find some great graphic novels.)
1. Short dialogues in each panel.
2. Simple stories that can be followed at this age.
3. Characters that appeal to this age.

Elephant and Piggie
I started with a potential riot starter.... Some people (no names will be mentioned) do not like classifying Elephant and Piggie books as graphic novel/comics. The only reason I can see is that each page is a panel, as opposed to having various panels per page. But putting all that aside, these books (there are over a dozen) are completely delightful! Each book has it's own "dilemma" and you get to follow Elephant and Piggie as they problem solve. Seriously, these are awesome. These are books I don't mind reading over and over and over. 

Binky
 We have very recently discovered Binky at our library. We have checked out Binky the Space Cat and Binky to the Rescue. Both are hilarious and page turners. Essentially Binky is a house cat with higher ambitions than Garfield ever had. He dreams of leaving his space station (house) to explore outer space (outside). I have found myself asking our pre-k-er, "Hey, you wanna read Binky?" whenever we are just hanging around. I'm not afraid to admit it, because it is that fun.

Phonics Comics (Level 1 or 2)

There is quite a variety of stories in the Phonics Comics series. Each book typically has a couple of different stories that are fun, easy to understand, and are not too long either. Phonics Comics have three levels of reading difficulty, so to stick to my easy to understand rule I suggest levels 1 and 2, but if a story stands out that's a level 3 go for, and take a chance.

Toon Books
There are quite a few titles in the Toon Books collection including Benny and Penny, Benjamin Bear, Little Mouse, Lilly, and Nina, to name a few. While we haven't read most of them, we have read most. These books have great stories that have a great lesson to be learned by all. I am particularly fond of Benjamin Bear, and I can't really say why. The stories are just fun, silly, and great to snuggle up on the couch with.

Johnny Boo
Johnny Boo reminds me a bit of Owly, not that it is a wordless book, but because of how Johnny is always expressing his emotions in an easily identifiable way, even for kids. The illustrations are attractive for kids (and adults) and the this little guy is seriously cute. I'm not wanting to give away too much of the stories in the descriptions. I'm not a fan of spoilers.

So here are a few titles/series to get you started. There are plenty more out there that may become family favorites for your little ones. I'm just sticking to the basics. Feel free to share your families favorites in the comment section. I'm always ready for new adventures with new books.

As always... Stay nerdy, my friends.