FYI, the American Library Association’s “Core Titles” list of good comics for kids. Intimidatingly comprehensive but indispensable. Love how it pays attention to Western and manga titles, to stuff aimed at boys and stuff aimed at girls. Also love that there’s a section called “hybrids,” books with too much text to be traditional graphic novels but with illustrations that are central to the storytelling.

Incidentally, I rave about Rapunzel’s Revenge to anyone who will listen — Josie looooooved it, and darn skippy. Way back in the pleistocene era, my college thesis was on Eudora Welty’s The Robber Bridegroom and how it quilts together snippets of old stories in new and empowering ways. Rapunzel’s Revenge does this even more delightfully, incorporating fairy tales and Wild West lore into a brand new story in a much more exuberantly feminist way than Welty’s work does. Plus the visual punchy graphic awesomeness of those wildly swinging red braids! DELISH!

But there are a ton of intriguing titles on this list (some unfamiliar to me) — I’m sure there’s something to appeal to every kid at every age and reading level.