CCSS-aligned Teachers' GuidesOur FREE Common Core Guides have been customized for every TOON Book to provide teachers with easy-to-use tools that support standards-based instruction in the classroom. All Guides include a Lesson Plan and Student Activity Sheet and most Guides also include the ELA Common Core Standards (by popular demand, we are in the process of adding this tool to all guides). Our Guides were created by a team of passionate literacy experts who specialize in classroom instruction in grades K-3 for the TOON Books, and grades 4 and up for the TOON Graphics.
We hope these tools are helpful to you. Please get in touch to share your experiences and feedback! |
First Comics for Brand-New ReadersINTEREST LEVEL: Age 3+
READING LEVEL: Grades K-1
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TITLE | AUTHOR | F&P | Lexile Level | Guided Reading Level | Word Count | Subject | CCSS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Birdsong: A Story in Pictures | James Sturm | WB | N/A | WB | N/A | Wordless Storytelling | ✓ |
Chick and Chickie | Claude Ponti | F | BR | E | 109 | Drawing Inspiration From a Book | ✓ |
A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse | Frank Viva | I | BR | E | 239 | Research for a Book | ✓ |
Hearts | Thereza Rowe | J | BR | G | 70 | Description and Interpretation | ✓ |
Jack and the Box | Art Spiegelman | J | GN/100 | G | 373 | Theme of a Book | ✓ |
Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons | Agnes Rosenstiehl | J | BR | E | 166 | Visualization | ✓ |
Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? | Agnes Rosenstiehl | J | BR | E | 295 | Sequential Order in Stories | ✓ |
Little Mouse Gets Ready | Jeff Smith | K | GN/160 | F | 261 | Comic Transitions and Story Progression | ✓ |
The Real Poop on Pigeons | Kevin McCloskey | K | 430L | K | 327 | Identifying and Observing Birds | ✓ |
Tippy and the Night Parade | Lilli Carré | K | GN/240L | J | 205 | Tracking a Sequence of Events | ✓ |
Barry's Best Buddy | Renée French | L | GN/60 | J | 267 | Plot and Subplot | ✓ |
We Dig Worms! | Kevin McCloskey | M | 340L | L | 249 | Fun with Drawing | ✓ |
A Goofy Guide to Penguins | Jean-Luc & Philippe Coudray | N | 390L | N | 324 | Visual and Verbal Narrative Elements | ✓ |
INTEREST LEVEL: Age 4+
READING LEVEL: Grades 1-2
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TITLE | AUTHOR | F&P | Lexile Level | Guided Reading Level | Word Count | Subject | CCSS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benjamin Bear in Brain Storms! | Philippe Coudray | J | 190L | N | 319 | Make Your Own Comic | ✓ |
Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas | Philippe Coudray | J | BR | M | 375 | Reader’s Theatre | ✓ |
Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking | Philippe Coudray | J | GN/20 | J | 454 | Humor and Story Sequencing | ✓ |
Benny and Penny in Just Pretend | Geoffrey Hayes | K | GN/90 | G | 346 | Comic Drawing for Visualization | ✓ |
Benny and Penny in Lights Out | Geoffrey Hayes | K | GN/170 | H | 526 | Comic Elements | ✓ |
Benny and Penny in Lost and Found | Geoffrey Hayes | K | GN/190 | K | 543 | Relating to Characters | ✓ |
Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! | Geoffrey Hayes | K | GN/30 | H | 584 | Inference about Characters | ✓ |
Benny And Penny in The Toy Breaker | Geoffrey Hayes | K | BR | H | 597 | Character Study and Development | ✓ |
Luke on the Loose | Harry Bliss | K | GN/170 | J | 336 | Reader’s Theatre | ✓ |
Stinky | Eleanor Davis | K | GN/170 | J | 826 | Emotions in Dialogue | ✓ |
Maya Makes a Mess | Rutu Modan | L | GN/240 | J | 435 | Panels of Many Sizes | ✓ |
Nina in That Makes Me Mad | Hilary Knight | L | GN/160 | J | 684 | Reading Facial Expressions | ✓ |
The Big Wet Balloon | Liniers | M | GN/190 | J | N/A | Character Relationships | ✓ |
Patrick Eats His Peas and Other Stories | Geoffrey Hayes | M | GN/160 | K | N/A | Comparing Stories and Writing Opinion Pieces | ✓ |
Patrick in A Teddy Bear's Picnic | Geoffrey Hayes | M | GN/50 | J | 682 | Directions in Comic Panels | ✓ |
INTEREST LEVEL: Age 5+
READING LEVEL: Grades 2-3
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TITLE | AUTHOR | F&P | Lexile Level | Guided Reading Level | Word Count | Subject | CCSS |
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Flop to the Top! | Eleanor Davis and Drew Weing | M | 130L | O | 470 | Character Development and Analysis | ✓ |
Otto's Backwards Day | Frank Cammuso with Jay Lynch | M | GN/180 | M | 974 | Vocabulary | ✓ |
Otto's Orange Day | Jay Lynch and Frank Cammuso | M | GN/230 | K | 1030 | Retelling a Story | ✓ |
Zig And Wikki in Something Ate My Homework | Nadja Spiegelman and Trade Loeffler | M | GN/230 | K | 829 | Identifying Story Elements | ✓ |
Zig and Wikki in The Cow | Nadja Spiegelman and Trade Loeffler | M | GN/270 | P | 1003 | Story Arcs and Conflict/Resolution | ✓ |
Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever | Jay Lynch and Dean Haspiel | N | GN/240 | L | 1055 | Heroes, Villains, and Conflict | ✓ |
Written and Drawn by Henrietta | Liniers | N | 290L | P | 545 | Characters, Symbols and Storytelling | ✓ |
The Shark King | R. Kikuo Johnson | R | GN/150 | N | 570 | Setting and Research for a Story | ✓ |
First Graphic Novels for Independent ReadersINTEREST LEVEL: Age 6+
READING LEVEL: Grade 3+ |
TITLE | AUTHOR | F&P | Lexile Level | Word Count | Subject | CCSS |
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The Secret of the Stone Frog | David Nytra | N | 220L | Constructing a Dream World | ✓ | |
Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure | Fred | T | GN/240L | 2375 | Travel Devices | ✓ |
The Suspended Castle: A Philemon Adventure | Fred | T | 250L | 3204 | Playing with Size and Color | ✓ |
The Wild Piano: A Philemon Adventure | Fred | X | 390L | 875 | Logic and Absurdism | ✓ |
Windmill Dragons: A Leah and Alan Adventure | David Nytra | U | 430L | 2959 | Symbols and Morals in Fairy Tales | ✓ |
Little Nemo's Big New Dreams | Edited by Josh O'Neill, Andrew Carl, and Chris Stevens | Z | 450L | 24833 | Reinventing and Reviving Classic Stories | ✓ |
Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny | Yvan Pommaux | Z | 730L | 2528 | Actions and Consequences | ✓ |
Sea Change | Frank Viva | W | 740L | 24833 | Social Relationships and Differences | ✓ |
Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure | Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio García Sánchez | N/A | 820L | 2037 | Character Development | ✓ |
Orpheus in the Underworld | Yvan Pommaux | W | 830L | 1796 | Love and Death | ✓ |
Theseus and the Minotaur | Yvan Pommaux | V | 870L | 3093 | Gods and Fate in Myths | ✓ |
Hansel and Gretel | Neil Gaiman & Lorenzo Mattotti | R | 1030L | 3916 | Visual Metaphor | ✓ |
TOON Graphic Mythologies
The Philemon Adventures
The Leah and Alan Adventures
Prize-Winning TOON Graphics
Little Nemo's Big New Dreams
edited by Josh O'Neill, Andrew Carl, and Chris Stevens Winsor McCay’s legendary comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland, has inspired today’s foremost cartoonists to craft their own dreamlands. From the original broadsheet-sized edition, we have selected more than thirty glorious, unforgettable, or even silly dreams. Join Nemo on his journey out of 1905 and, dream by dream, explore the wild and wonderful world of today’s most imaginative dreamers! |
Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure
by Nadja Spiegelman & Sergio García Sánchez Pablo’s first day in a New York City school quickly goes off the rails during a field trip to the Empire State Building. Pablo accidentally gets on the wrong train, but with help from a new friend and from the city itself, he soon is on the fast track to becoming a local. This story—which features maps, archival photos, and fascinating facts—will help readers explore the subway without leaving their seats. It brings all the bustle and beauty of NYC to young readers around the world. |
Hansel & Gretel
by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti both remember the horror and fascination with which they read the Grimm Brothers' "Hansel and Gretel." The writer and the artist now join forces for a brilliant reimagining of one of humanity's most enduring tales. Be brave, be bold, and keep your wits about you--Gaiman and Mattotti are welcoming you into the woods. |
Sea Change
by Frank Viva One summer can change your whole life. As soon as school lets out, Eliot’s parents send him to the very edge of the world: a fishing village in a remote part of Nova Scotia. And what does the small town of Point Aconi have to offer? Maggots, bullies, and grumpy old men. But along the way, Eliot discovers much more – a hidden library, starry nights, and a mysterious girl named Mary Beth. Critically acclaimed author and artist Frank Viva (Along a Long Road) brings us this warm, funny, and innovatively designed coming-of-age story. See Point Aconi through Eliot’s eyes, as he finds that this place he never wanted to visit is becoming a home he doesn’t want to leave. |