Best Fantasy Graphic Novels for Kids

Reading children’s books is fun. Reading children’s graphic novels is even more fun. A major benefit of having kids (or nieces and nephews) is that you get to enjoy all sorts of things that you’re supposedly too old for: eating cotton candy, telling knock-knock jokes, playing Pac-Man, coloring, dressing up for Halloween. What, you already do all those things? Great, then you’ll have absolutely no shame in enjoying all these great fantasy graphic novels for kids. I MEAN, buying them for the kids in your life. Sometimes you just want a break from the intensity of adult books though, you know what I mean? When the sex, violence, and tragedy of Watchmen is getting to be too much for you, pick up one of these and let the childhood nostalgia wash over you as you get lost in a safer, happier world.

Hildafolk 

The adventures of the intrepid blue-haired Hilda begin in Hilda and the Troll, the first Miyazaki-esque adventure graphic novel from award-winning artist and author Luke Pearson. From the charming map of her world on the very first page, you’ll be drawn into a place that’s both familiar and strange - ordinariness with a spine-tingling twist, all drawn in vivid, haunting full color. There’s no pretense in Hilda’s story - she simply encounters, as children do, the wondrous world around her, befriending enchanting creatures like a lonely wooden man, a water spirit, and a talking crow. Hilda lives in a Norse world clearly brought forth from a long tradition of Icelandic and Norwegian folktales; the author has also stated that he based Hilda’s character on “Little My” from the Moomin series. Hildafolk is a deliciously odd choice for children ages five and up. If you loveHilda and the Troll, keep reading in Hilda and the Midnight Giant, Hilda and the Bird Parade, Hilda and the Black Hound, and Hilda and the Stone Forest.

The Secret of the Stone Frog 

You don’t always need color to imagine a breathtakingly dreamy otherworld. In The Secret of the Stone Frog, a Hansel and Gretel tale of sorts, two children must find their way home through the forest; its setting and accompanying characters are soulfully rendered in pen and ink drawings so detailed it’s hard to imagine a brush small enough to have created them. Fuzzy pet bees, fish men, giant rabbits, reptilian paving stones, crumbling ruins, foppish lions and the eponymous stone frogs dot the rich, eerie landscape. It’s a tale for the very young with no real dangers at hand, and one is almost tempted to leap into its pages for a pastoral nap. While black and white may at first seem unappealing to the young 21st century reader, I promise that if you crack this open and start reading aloud, you’ll soon find it disappearing for solo journeys into Nytra’s lush world.

Hereville 

The tagline for Hereville says “Yet Another Troll-Fighting 11-Year-Old Orthodox Jewish Girl.” Mirka, the aforementioned heroine, just wants to fight dragons. But her isolated Orthodox community doesn’t get a lot of fire-breathing visitors, and her large, traditional family wants her to wield knitting needles, not swords. Still, she finds ways to practice her skills, standing up to the bullies, battling a great big talking pig that menaces the village, and finally accepting a mysterious alien witch’s challenge - the last leads her one step closer to getting her very own weapon, albeit from a GIANT troll. The brilliance of Hereville is in its blatant genre-smashing. Its fantasy, adventure, preteen drama, and peek into a different world of cultural traditions have real staying power. You’ll learn lots of Yiddish and Hebrew expressions while having a blast with Mirka on her adventures. The illustrations are a warm orange and cream monochrome for daytime scenes switching to cool lavender and blue at night. This is one fun, down-to-earth fantasy graphic novel for kids over 8 that you won’t want to miss.

The Unsinkable Walker Beam 

Think Tintin, Treasure Island, and Harry Potter all mixed together in a high-seas pirate adventure with an unlikely hero, and you’ve got The Unsinkable Walker Beam, a fun and breathless story from author and illustrator Aaron Renier. The titular character is a pudgy, four-eyed, mild-mannered geek who likes inventing things in the safety of his grandfather’s workshop. But when an ancient curse strikes his grandfather, Walker’s got to take a cursed pearl skull back to some seriously scary deep-sea crustacean witches. Enter a dazzling cavalcade of lovable pirates, magical machines, blazing ships, cannonfire, a red-pigtailed sidekick, messages in a bottle, and more. Suspend your disbelief for humorous details like an onboard citrus garden and even pirates composting and some anachronistic issues like matches before their time, and you’ll be ready to enjoy a swashbuckling tale of skullduggery.

Amulet

When a drooling, tentacled beast kidnaps Emily and Navin’s mother from the basement of a strange, sinister house they’ve just inherited, they follow her into a dark, underground world. Here be man-eating demons, giant robots, flying ships, an armored, walking house, a talking fox, a mechanical rabbit, and a magic amulet that just might help them get their mother back. Are you thinking of Stranger Things? Yeah, me too. Kazu Kibuishi is an established star of the graphic novel world and the Amuletseries is no exception. This isn’t for the youngest kids - it’s pretty terrifying and anxiety-producing at times, since the kids are left on their own and things get worse and worse for them - but stick with it for slightly older children and they’ll be glad they did. The battle between good and evil is at its best in this fantasy and adventure graphic novel about being brave and persevering.

Bad Island

Bad Island is about two rebellious sons and their fathers from very different times and places. In a far-away, long-ago galaxy, one set faces an ancient enemy, but our main focus is on Reese, a kid who can’t imagine anything more boring than a boating vacation with his mom, dad, and younger sister. The trip turns terrifying when the family is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by dangerous creatures. WIth few resources, they’ve got to come together if they want to make it off alive - and they do. The best part of the story here isn’t the fantasy (though that’s fun) but watching Reese and his family step up and stop whining when they realize they’ve got to depend on an help each other to survive. The story is full of intrigue and danger, but it’s got plenty of humor and good-natured fun as well. TenNapel’s art is gritty, real, intense, and some say it borders on the insane; though nothing really bad ever actually happens to Reese and his family, it feels like danger is always lurking just around the corner.