Gownley, Jimmy. Amelia Rules! What Makes You Happy. New York: ibooks, 2004. 168 pp.

by Thomas W. Stewart, Jr.

Graphic novels and comics share a method of presentation that unites dialogue and illustration in such a way that each medium amplifies or elucidates the contribution of the other. Far from using pictures as mere support (training-wheels, as it were) to the reading of printed text, comics and graphic novels are designed as multimedia projects from the start. The growing influence and acceptability of comics storytelling can be witnessed in many quarters, from recognition by the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/ala/booklist/speciallists/speciallistsandfeatures3/referenceonweb/graphicnovels.htm) to a range of commentary essays and news items on graphic novels, including news of their use as literature in the classroom, not only for beginning readers, but also, and especially, for more mature students, e.g.: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2005-05-03-educational-comics_x.htm.