Because experienced graphic novel readers may take their literacy in sequential narrative for granted, it can be easy to forget that reading comics is not always the most intuitive process. Enter the Ready-to-Read Graphics program from Simon & Shuster!
Books in the Ready-to-Read Graphics line include pages that help readers understand how to interpret comics conventions, opening up limitless reading opportunities. Take a look at this page from the Ready-to-Read section of Geraldine Pu and Her Lunchbox, Too!:
Each of these four series includes pages like this one, to help new readers to comics acclimate to the medium we all love so much! Which one do you find most intriguing? The Beat want to hear from you! Let us know, either here in the comment section or over on social media @comicsbeat.
Geraldine Pu and Her Lunchbox, Too! (Level 3)
In the currently-available Geraldine Pu and Her Lunchbox, Too! by Maggie P. Chang, the eponymous protagonist faces off against a bully and makes a new friend! Plus, as you can tell from the title, this story features Geraldine Pu’s favorite part of school, lunch.
And in Geraldine Pu and Her Cat Hat, Too!, which is scheduled for publication on January 18th, 2022, Geraldine will have to grapple with her school’s no hats on picture day rule. How will she manage without her beloved cat hat, Mao Maotz?
A Fun Day at Fun Park (Level 1)
Readers will be introduced to the deliciously sweet duo Sprinkles and Swirls in A Fun Day at the Fun Park by Lola M. Schaefer and Savannah Allen. This pair of cupcakes are visiting Fun Park, where they’ll have tons of tasty fun! This book is available beginning today, December 14th, 2021!
And in A Cool Day at the Pool, which will be available in May 2022, Spinkles and Swirls head to their next delicious adventure… and as is appropriate for the summer release date, they’ll be visiting a water park!
Nugget and Dog (Level 2)
There are two books available now in the Nugget and Dog series by Jason Tharp: All Ketchup, No Mustard! and Yum Fest is the Best! This series features a chicken nugget named Nugget and a hot dog named Dog who live in the town of Gastropolis.
In All Ketchup, No Mustard!, the duo meets Dijon Mustard, a spicy mustard packet, tries to make everyone grumpy, they form the K.E.T.C.H.U.P. club (that’s “Kind, Empathetic, Thoughtful, Courageous, Helpful, Unique, and Powerful”).
And in Yum Fest is the Best!, the K.E.T.C.H.U.P. club will have to help when a unicorn-puppy attempts to spoil the coolest fair around.
Plus, in May 2022, S’More Than Meets the Eye! is scheduled to arrive, which will see the pair heading to camp (and in this book, Dijon Mustard will see his cousin, Honey Mustard).
Red Titan and the Runaway Robot (Level 1)
Finally, Red Titan and the Runaway Robot by Ryan Kaji and Patrick Spaziante, the first book in the Red Titan graphic novel series, is available enow. The Red Titan is super-heroic alter ego of Kaji, the star of the YouTube channel Ryan’s World. In the first book, he must deal with a gigantic dancing robot!
Plus, the second book in the series, Red Titan and the Never-Ending Maze, is also available now, beginning today! In this story, the Red Titan an his friends must navigate a mysterious box fort maze.
And these books will be joined by Red Titan and the Floor of Lava in May 2022, which will see the Red Titan dealing with an issue that we all face from time to time: the floor being lava!
Many of these books are available now at your local bookstore and/or public library, and the rest will be there soon.
You can find more titles in the Ready-to-Read line from Simon & Schuster at ReadytoRead.com!
