Easy Reader Series Series: I Can Read! Comics: Fish and Wave

Got developing readers who love graphic novels but maybe aren’t ready for really thick books? Pick up the I Can Read! Comics graphic easy readers, the level 1 “Fish and Wave” and “Fish and Sun” by Sergio Ruzzier, the creator behind Fox and Chick

In Fish and Wave–which was a 2023 Geisel honor–a little pink fish has a conversation with a wave he meets in the ocean. The wave grows and grows and at first, the fish doesn’t understand why his friend is changing, but then the wave uses this change to take them both for a fun ride. This is a really simple Level 1 easy reader—one sentence, a few words in each bubble—coupled with gorgeous water color illustration styles.

This is a great starter graphic novel because it’s pretty, picture-book adjacent, and a cute but non-stressful story. It’s funny, but requires a little bit of advanced humor, including an understanding of the ocean, but not too intensive of an educational background.

in Fish and Sun, the sequel (also Level 1), Fish is bored, and tells his mother he wants to play. When he goes to the edge (top?) of the ocean, he mets the sun and they talk in the usual, shorter comic style bubbles. In beautiful, beautiful watercolor illustrations, we see Fish’s confusion as the sun sets, the sky and water change, etc. It’s really beautiful!

In both books, it’s fun to see kids learning to read a slightly different way, and also to think about how they are “smarter” than the Fish as they understand natural elements. They know what sunsets are! They know how waves work!

Overall, this is a cute series. I can’t wait to see what natural moments Ruzzier explores next. Maybe we’ll be seeing Fish and Moon? Fish and Kelp? Fish and Climate Change?