Graphic Novel: Bink & Gollie

Title: Bink & Gollie
Author: Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Publication: 2010

I really enjoyed reading my graphic novel and could definitely see myself reading more of these type of books. I think it's a great bridge between wordless books and regular novels because graphic novels offer both pictures and text. I found them easier to read than wordless books but more interesting than just regular books. Since I'm a photographer in my spare time, and very much a visual learner, these type of books definitely speak to me. I will definitely use these to teach in my classroom because I can see a wide variety of students liking this type of literature: those who may be struggling to learn to read, those who like comic books, and those like me, who love photos. I believe graphic novels will appeal to a large variety of students and therefore am super excited to use them in my classroom!!

The storyline of Bink and Gollie was so cute it just made you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Bink and Gollie go on adventures together and encounter difficulties with each other. They must compromise in order to reach both of their goals. By the end, they both learn the true meaning of friendship and what it means to have someone stick by your side. By the end of the book, I felt like I was cozied up by the fire place, hot chocolate in hand, watching my favorite Christmas movie with my family. It definitely was one of those feel good books.

Bink & Gollie was an easy read overall and a good book for children to be introduced to the genre of graphic novels. One could easily follow the flow of the book with each page having a limited number of photos and text. For students who are struggling to learn to read, this book could be very helpful. They could look at the photos for context clues on what the text says. Not only are these books helpful to the learning process, they are also fun to read!! Because of the graphic features, it could ease apprehensive readers into loving reading.