Teaching with Graphic Novels

Believe it or not, many librarians definitely believe that graphic novels really do count as reading and they are not just "comic books!" But this article published in ALA last month (October 2011) talks about how graphic novels can provide more than great reading, but also can be used to teach with. In one example about immigration, the author discusses how the graphic novel "creates a layered experience that affords the opportunity to expand the emotional understanding of the subject" in the way it's images create emotion and understanding. As the author says, it does this in a way no textbook chapter on immigration can do.