Wondering how to find the right graphic novel gift for a child? Or maybe even an adult?
We’ve got you covered with this roundup of books by KCU members that truly run the gamut of genres and formats!
Below is a handy-dandy guide to graphic novels and other cool, creative products by members of our community. We’ve organized it by category. Click on a link below to jump to that section of the guide:
- Online Shop
- Picture Books
- Early Readers
- Early Middle Grade
- Middle Grade
- Young Adult / New Adult
- Adult
Don’t miss this chance to discover new favorites and support independent creators! Have fun perusing!
Online Shop
Katie Risor’s Shop (Prints, Stickers, Mugs)
Add a splash of color to your morning coffee or tea ritual: meet Wallace, on a mug! He prefers hot chocolate.
These ceramic mugs not only have a beautiful design on them, but also a colorful rim, handle, and inside, so the mug is bound to spice up your mug rack.
https://www.katierisor.com/store
Preorder Welcome to the Forest: The Harvest Party (August 2025)
Picture Books
Unicycle Dad by Alicia Schwab
Picture Book | Ages 3-7
Sarah knows her unicycle-riding dad is special–even as Sarah cooks, takes care of her brother, and does homework on her own. When her dad finally graduates from high school, gets a second job, and eventually lands a promotion, Sarah realizes there’s so much more that’s special about him. Unicycle Dad shares the inherent struggles and quiet joys of a single-parent, impoverished household.
https://www.aliciaschwab.com
I Miss You Most, written by Charlotte Cheng & illustrated by Xindi Yan
Picture Book | Ages 4-8
The memories of a beloved grandpa bring sadness but also solace to the young girl in this glowing and nourishing book. We see the close and lively relationship they shared and all the ways she has been enriched by knowing him—the ways he will always be there for her. This book is just right for starting necessary conversations about grief, and for paying tribute to the loved ones we’ve lost.
https://charlotte.art/books
Elinor’s Glad-To-Be-Together Family, illustrated by Diana Ting Delosh & written by Susan Layne
Picture Book | Ages 4-8
Three-year-old Elinor waits and watches. Grandma and Grandpa will soon arrive on an airplane for a great-day adventure at the seashore, where Grandma buys food for too-many-quacking ducks and pushes Elinor high and fast, back and forth, in a piecefell-off swing. At the end of the day, sleepy Elinor is carried to bed to dream of sailboats and ferries, joy and laughter.
https://dianadelosh.com
Rock Star Recess, illustrated by Emily Mullock & written by Patrick Baggatta
Picture Book | Ages 3-5
Elsie’s music class has played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star too many times, and she wants to try something new. When her music teacher suggests she “rock on her own time,” Elsie devises a plan. It’s recess, and the playground will make a great venue. Soon she and her best friends are setting up a stage. In true rock-star fashion, their band enlists classmates to help with hair and makeup, special effects, and security. They even host a press conference and an autograph session! Elsie has thought of everything to throw the most epic of recess rock concerts . . . or has she?
https://www.emilymullock.com
A Voice of Hope: The Myrlie Evers-Williams Story written by Nadia Salomon & illustrated by London Ladd
Picture Book | Ages 4-8
Myrlie Evers-Williams’ voice is gentle yet strong, soft yet powerful. But her voice didn’t start out that way. She was born into the segregated South and the beautiful brown color of her skin made her a target for hate. It meant she didn’t have the same opportunities as white children, and that meant her dream of playing music onstage one day would be harder to achieve. But this didn’t stop Myrlie. As she grew, she marched for equal rights, fought against Jim Crow laws, became the chair of the NAACP, and finally realized her dream of performing at Carnegie Hall. After that, Myrlie spoke at President Obama’s second inauguration, inspiring a nation.
https://www.nadiasalomon.com/a-voice-of-hope.html
Early Readers
Pencil & Eraser: We Have a Dull-Emma! by Jenny Alvarado
Early Reader Graphic Novel | Ages 5-8
It’s the start of a new school year, and Pencil and Eraser are ready for anything. Except when Pencil notices her point has dulled. That’s never happened before and she feels…pointless. Stella can’t write with a dull pencil. So what can Pencil do?
The only answer is to leave the comfort of their desk behind and venture out to find a sharpener. But if Pencil is going on an adventure, she’ll need to bring her (reluctant) bestie Eraser along for the ride. Together they’ll have to traverse the classroom, scale a mountain-sized desk, enter uncharted territory of the school hallway, and avoid being caught by the janitor. Can Pencil and Eraser manage all that before Stella and her classmates return from recess?
https://www.jennyabooks.com/
Super Pancake and the Mini Muffin Mayhem written by Megan Wagner Lloyd & illustrated by Abhi Alwar
Early Reader Graphic Novel Series | Ages 7-10
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a . . . pancake? The syrupy superhero of Breakfast Town, Peggy Pancake, is now up against her toughest, scariest obstacle yet: babysitting.
Bumble Brothers: Crazy for Comics written by Steve Metzger, illustrated by Brian Schatell
Graphic Novel | Ages 7-10
Meet Walter and Christopher: the Bumble Brothers. These nine-year-old twins MUST have the latest comic book featuring their favorite superhero, Frabbit (½ frog & ½ rabbit). But Harold the neighborhood bully stands in their way. Featuring wacky misunderstandings, riddles that nobody gets, goofy puns, and silly fantasy sequences, this graphic novel series will have early elementary school kids laughing non-stop!
The Bug Zapper by Tom Eaton
Graphic Novel Series | Ages 6-10
In a town full of bug villains, it’s up to one superhero to keep everyone in line! In this funny, lighthearted graphic novel series for kids, our hero and school reporters Robert and Amber contend with Mean Mosquito, Bumblebeezy, and many more. Learn how the Bug Zapper got his powers as a kid, and watch him thwart diabolical plans at the annual bug villain barbecue.
Early Middle Grade
Wagnificent by Bethanie Murguia
Early MG Graphic Novel Series | Ages 6-10
Though Thunder wants to be good for Sage, she’s having a ruff time stopping herself from doing things she knows are wrong – like barking, digging, and chasing suspicious furballs around the yard. She’s shocked when her inner Wolf appears and reveals the truth behind these irresistible impulses. It’s all because dogs are really wolves! (That is, they’re descended from them.) The big question is: Will Thunder choose to be a loyal pet to Sage, or embrace the wild animal within?
https://www.aquapup.com/books
Lumi: The Big Score by Joshua Harper and Nicolas Rivero
Graphic Novel | Ages 7-10
Lumi is chased through town by Animal Control, staying one step ahead with the help of his mysterious powers. Fellow stray Cheddar takes the curious kitten under his wing and together they hatch a plan to swipe The Big Score.
Kid Beowulf by Lex Fajardo
Graphic Novel Series | Ages 7-10
“What Rick Riordan did for the Greek gods, Fajardo has done for ‘Beowulf’. Magnificent.” – Kirkus, starred review
This is the origin story of twins Beowulf and Grendel, separated at birth and reunited by an extraordinary family: their grandfather, the imperious King Hrothgar; their monstrous (but loving) mother, Gertrude; their fire-ghost of a father, and their other grandfather – the towering, one-eyed Dragon whose bloodline links them all. Oh yeah, there’s also a pig and a talking sword!
https://kidbeowulf.com/shop/
Freya by John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs
Graphic Novel | Ages 9-10
When Freya’s father dies, she stands to become clan chief, but her wicked cousin Ranald wants the position for himself! Can Freya escape the angry mob – and legendary underwater monster – and get to freedom?
Back matter allows children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall.
Switches and Peeps: Man’s Best Friends by Sarah Giles
Chapter Book | Ages 6-8
Peeps the cat likes having the house and the family all to herself. When a shiny new houseguest arrives, Peeps is determined to prove that SHE is the best pet, not the new robot, Switches.
And after he accidentally smashes her precious cat fort, Peeps decides that this robot has got to go! But her plan doesn’t go quite as expected.
Who Is Tibet’s Exiled Leader?: The 14th Dalai Lama written by Teresa Robeson, illustrated by Angela Poon
Graphic Novel | Ages 8-12
Follow the Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s harrowing escape to India in 1959, as he fled Chinese suppression of a national uprising in Tibet. A story of risk and political tension, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves in the incredible story of the Tibetan spiritual and political leader — brought to life by gripping narrative and vivid full-color illustrations that jump off the page.
Middle Grade
Goblin: The Wolf and the Well (Vol 2) by Eric Grissom & Will Perkins
Graphic Novel Series | Ages 8-12
What would you sacrifice to protect the one you love? One dark and stormy night, Rikt meets a mysterious fortune teller in the woods. When she foresees his best friend, a wolf named Fish-breath, is in mortal danger, he is overcome with the fear of losing her. When an opportunity to protect her presents itself, Rikt trades the freedom of the wild for the protection of Underwood—an orphanage for monster children and a sanctuary for wolves. Was his bargain worth the price? And what fate awaits the children who live there? The Wolf and the Well is perfect for fans of fantasy adventure graphic novels like Amulet and Lightfall.
https://www.ericgrissom.com/books/
A Tiger’s Tale (Vol 1) by Patrick Lugo
Graphic Novel Series | Middle Grade
All Kan ever wanted was to live in his forest as a tiger should. But when his mother adopted two human foundlings, Kan’s jealousy cost him his family and home. Exiled, Kan blames humans for his troubles. If he’s to make a home for himself in that distant forest, he and his brothers must journey beyond the natural world into the realm of myth, deities and Dragons.
A Tiger’s Tale is a graphic novel in the grand tradition of A Journey to the West, Usagi Yojimbo, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Cicadapocalypse by Roger McMullan
Graphic Novel | Ages 8-12
Fixated on preparing for the winter, squirrel Fae drags her brother Cyrus out to forage. But when Fae leaves to hide an acorn, Cyrus comes face to face with a raven and a warning.
In the dead of a warm and rainy night, millions of periodical cicadas emerge from the ground. Fleeing for their lives, Cyrus and Fae try everything to defeat them. An illustrated epilogue, hosted by a cicada nymph, reviews the facts you learned along the way.
Three Bee Honey by Desi and Jon St. Amant
Graphic Novel | Ages Middle Grade
Claire’s hive is in trouble! She and her sisters haven’t foraged enough food to survive the coming winter. Now Claire, a lonely worker bee, has to keep up with the increasing work demands or risk starvation.
As if that wasn’t enough, she must also avoid the neighboring hive’s pesky drones, bee-hunting predators, and Nia, the queen’s bossy hive deputy. When Claire begins Forager training with her two sisters, Hannah and Abi, the pressures only increase. But it’s through these struggles that Claire discovers what she’s capable of.
Mendel the Mess-Up by Terry LaBan
Graphic Novel | Ages 8-12
Twelve-year-old Mendel can’t do anything right. When he tries to herd goats, they get out. When he tries to chop wood, he breaks the ax. He’s so clumsy that he can’t even stand to read aloud without destroying the classroom. Nobody expects Mendel to keep out of trouble… least of all himself.
But when the Cossacks invade Mendel’s village of Lintvint (famous for Lintvint kvatch, made from a very special ingredient), Mendel’s not the only one in trouble. When he slips away from the villagers’ hiding spot, he discovers an unexpected opportunity to save the day.
Young Adult / New Adult
Hickory Stag by Bailey Culver
Graphic Novel Mini Comic | New Adult
How many shots does it take to kill a deer? When a man’s fascination turns to obsession, he will stop at nothing to claim his trophy buck even if he defies the will of nature itself.
Initiative by Teare Thomas
Mini Comic Zine | Young Adult
Initiative is a cute comic about dealing with a high school crush.
Jessie’s friend Rayah threatens to stop tutoring them unless they do the impossible… talk to their crush. Will Jessie overcome their embarrassment to save their GPA, or are they doomed to watch longingly from afar as their math grade tanks?
Phoenix Song by LD Green
Memoir Prose & Poetry | New Adult
PHOENIX SONG has many recurring themes—non-binary gender, queer and bi+ sexuality, and childhood and psychiatric trauma. As the traumas resonate within the speaker, we understand them as the root of mental health struggles—rather than clinical, problematic psychiatric “diagnosis.” As the speaker moves from lyrical embodiment of deep feeling to the clarity of prose, they are set free and return, renewed by flame, to the joys of pleasure and their song. This collection offers an incantation, a wisdom synthesized by both mind and body.
https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/phoenix-song/
Queer Drunk Punk Romance by Gibson Twist
Graphic Novel | New Adult
You haven’t read Queer Drunk Punk Romance yet? You should! It’s good comics! Three queer punks of colour, Justin, Ammy, and Simi get drunk and stumble around looking for romance! Also, a cat! Jokes and jokes and jokes!
Adult
Daggers Drawn: 35 Years of Kal Cartoons in The Economist by Kevin Kallaugher
This is a large (10x12in) beautifully printed retrospective collection of Kal’s distinctive artwork from The Economist. In a celebrated career with the magazine, he has created over 4000 cartoons and 140 covers. This 196 page coffee table book has over 300 of his best works along with essays discussing his work with The Economist. This is a must for any cartoon enthusiast, history buff or art lover.
One Bite At A Time by Ryan Claytor
Art Book | Adult
From a young age watching Mr. Rogers’ factory visits, I’ve always enjoyed understanding process and seeing how people do what they do. This book, in addition to outlining my 20-year growth as an artist, is an outgrowth of my interest in sharing artistic process.
After 20 years working as an artist and university educator, I’ve incorporated that curiosity into my life’s work where I’ve been able to share methods of creating art with thousands of students.
