6 GREAT COMICS IN GERMAN FOR THE RELUCTANT BILINGUAL READER
Once your bilingual kid starts reading himself, it can be hard to find the right book. Reading in the minority language can be a struggle, due to lacking vocabulary or just practice. Or maybe your daughter or son can manage early beginner books, but those are much to babyish for them by now. There is a remedy for that: Comics and graphic novels. The images help provide context, there is less text, but the story is advanced and your child will still build vocabulary... while enjoying it! And luckily there are lots of great comics and graphic novels out there by now.
And if you are hesitant and think, comics and graphic novels are not that challenging and real books are to be preferred, here is some research on it for you to read: https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/blog/research-behind-graphic-novels-and-young-learners
or in German: https://www.wirlesen.org/artikel/was-lesen/kinder-jugendmedien/comics/lesefoerderung-mit-comics
Here are some great graphic novels or comics (all but one of them series) available in German.
One step up are what Germans call Comicromane, in the vain of GREG'S DIARY, you can find an overview of some of those here.
Patrick Wirbelweit / Uwe Heidschötter
KISTE
KISTE is a very popular series, perfect for the beginning reader, but also for older kids, as it offers suspense and humor.
The boy Mattis is a tinkerer who befriends a magical box, that is a tinkerer, too! How wonderful. Together they experience great adventures - though the box isn't the smartest and its motor skills could be better, too. So they sometimes end up in a spot. Luckily the boxes owner, the magician, can help them out.
6 years and up
5 volumes available
Volker Schmitt / Mariam Ben-Arab
ZACK!
Bonny is moving to a new place with her parents and baby sister. The house is empty and slightly spooky, but she still chooses to sleep in her room by herself. When she can't sleep, she tries to befriend a cat outside - and falls off the tree right on the beach. Stranded there is a bearded man with one leg who doesn't remember his name, nor much else. Convinced he must be a pirate, she makes him a leg, a float and gives him a name: ZACK! And they set out to find his ship...
This is a fun, joyful comic that depicts a refreshingly diverse and modern family and has a strong female protagonist. It is also the perfect book for the beginning reader: big letters, short words, not too much text.
6 years and up
Marguerite Abouet / Mathieu Sapin
AKISSI
Wherever the girl Akissi shows up, she causes mayhem. The little girl, who lives in a town in Africa, is confident and sometimes daring: she has a monkey who is up to no good, she goes to the movies with the older boys or plays soccer with them, she puts her friend's hair on fire by mistake and so much more. She gets herself into trouble, but she is not to be put down. Great stories, exaggerated and still fun, that give a glimpse into everyday life of a childhood on the Ivory Coast. But they are perfectly relatable for anybody anywhere in the world.
6 years and up
4 volumes available
Luke Pearson
HILDA UND DER TROLL
You may well know this British comics thanks to Netflix (or the English original, of course): Hilda is a little girl in Norway. She lives in the hills of Trolberg: she is an outdoorsy, independent girl who likes to sleeps outdoors in her tent at night, no matter the rain. Trolberg, as the name implies, is full of mystical little creatures, that Hilda encounters in her 5 adventures. The art is beautiful, creating a universe of its own.
6 years and up
Philip Waechter
TONI UND ALLES NUR WEGEN RENATO FLASH
Toni is a boy who lives with his single mom. he loves soccer and is convinced the flashy new soccer shoes the ads are promoting will help his own skills. Unfortunately his commerce adverse mother does not agree and has decided: no Christmas gifts this year! So if he wants to get them, he has to earn some money. He tries, he gets various mini-jobs, but they don't always pan out as foreseen, but offer lessons in friendship and more instead.
A great story, that you as an adult will love, too.
It is a little more taxing language wise, than the others, but will appeal to teenagers, as well.
6 years and up
2 volumes available
Dav Pilker
DOG MAN. DER NEUE SUPERHELD LEGT LOS
There is probably no need to introduce you to DOG MAN, the American bestseller series about a police officer, with the head of a dog and the body of a human who chases robbers, crooks and squirrels. It is hugely popular with elementary school kids, particularly boys, because it is hilariously funny, has a super hero and adventures.
7 years and up
9 volumes available in German
Sabine Lemire / Rasmus Bregnhøi
MIRA.
For preteen girls this is an amazing series: Mira, who lives with her slightly crazy single mom, wants to be cool, not a childish kid. But is not always easy to know what is what and what line to draw with friends, who are not cool yet. She still has a princess room, but also desperately wishes to fall in love - her mother seems to fall in love all the time - she writes a diary and posts on Instagram, she is a girl of our times...
8 years and up
5 volumes available
Kazu Kibushi
AMULETT - DIE STEINHUETERIN
After a bad accident, Emily and Navin's mother decides to restart their lives and moves to an old, ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere, that has belonged to her family for several generations. But it is not a quaint little house, there are all kinds creatures lurking behind the doors and a giant octopus kidnaps their mother. Emily also finds an amulet, and it looks like it might help them save their mother.
Combining amazing art work, with drama, suspense and fantasy, this dark and fast paced, award winning series is hard to put down.
9 years and up
8 volumes available
