Stitches

Graphic novels have taken the literary world by storm, and they're become increasingly popular among the young adult set. The emphasis on the visual and use of text only when it's necessary can make these novels especially appealing to young adults with reading problems. When you first pick one up, your reaction may be "But this is just a comic book." You would be wrong, oh so wrong. I still haven't read as many graphic novels as I would like, mostly because that misconception jumps out of my brain, slaps the graphic novel out of my hand, and points me to something more like a "real book." However, the graphic novels I have taken a chance on have impressed me with their content, which in no way resembles that of an Archie or Bat Man comic.  Yes, the comics are out there, but like everything else, we need to be judicious consumers. Pick up Persepolis or American Born Chinese, and I defy you to compare them to comic books. Today, I add to that list Stitches, by David Small.

Stitches came to my attention because it was one of ten books that won this year's Alex Awards. Awarded by the American Library Association, the Alex Awards are given annually to books written for adults that have special appeal for children, age 12 to 18. Each spring and summer I try to read my way through the most important of the children's book awards, which help guide me when buying books for school or selecting books for individual young adults.  Of course, it's also just plain fun. I try to get through as many of the Alex Awards as possible because they usually provide me with good choices for our higher skilled readers; in general, they hold appeal because young adults can relate to the themes or the characters, but the language is more sophisticated. 

Stitches is a memoir of illustrators David Small, recipient of the Caldecott Medal, the Christopher Medal, and the E.B. White Award for his work in picture books, including Imogene's Antlers, So, You Want to Be President, and The Gardener, one of my favorite children's books. Stitches is a dark book. Small grew up in an angry family with a cold and authoritarian mother and a distant father who lived for his work. As a child, David suffered from respiratory problems. His father, a doctor, believed he could treat David with heavy doses of radiation. Years later, David developed a growth in his throat. His parents delayed getting him to a doctor, but one day he woke up from an operation to find that he had stitches across his throat and could no longer speak. Even though David was horribly scarred and mute, his parents hid his cancer (probably caused by the radiation) from him until became old enough to figure it out for himself. Stitches is a coming-of-age story that follows David's childhood struggles with his parents and health issues, his transition to an adolescent who runs away from home to escape, his journey to becoming an artist, and ultimately coming to grips with his family's past.

Stitches opened my eyes to yet another way images can be used to tell a story. It was quick read for me (I read it in an hour before bed), which makes me think it would be a reasonable book for a young adult with difficulty reading. The use of text is limited, but the print is fairly large and in capital letters, which makes it easy on the eyes. For the struggling or reluctant reader, it also offers the advantages of being an adult book (much easier than trying to sell a high school kid on a 4th grade novel) and being a true story, which many of my students appreciate. Small's story is grim-bordering-on-gothic, but he rises above his troubled childhood to become a successful illustrator so it also has elements of triumph and success. You may want to pick up a few of his children's books so that you can see the contrast between the images in Stitches.  If you need a good memoir, or you want to try a graphic novel for the first time, or you have a little time to while away, give Stitches a try; you can't lose.