Beginning with the assertion that educators can effectively use comics and graphic novels to develop readers’ critical literacy and empathy, De Hart explores the use of graphic novels across grade levels in a wide range of topics and themes. Taking When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed as a recurring focal text, De Hart argues that critical conversations can be opened up through well-chosen graphic novels. The book features recommended titles, insights from graphic novel authors and creators, and lesson ideas. Topics include:
- Anti-Bias and Anti-Bullying
- Autobiographical and Biographical Stories
- Gender Representation
- Diverse Abilities
- Black Joy, Black Lives Matter, and Antiracist Pedagogy
- Stories of (Im)migration and Removal
- Indigenous Peoples/First Nations Stories
- Mental Health and Grief
Om författaren
Jason D. De Hart has been reading comics since he was seven years old. His first issue was Batman: Annual #12. Since 2007, De Hart has worked as an educator, first in middle grades and then at the university level. He currently works with high school students in North Carolina. He earned a Ph D in literacy studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2019, and his research has appeared in The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, English Journal, and The Reading Teacher among other places. De Hart is a regular contributor at Edutopia and Middleweb, and he has a number of edited and coedited books from Routledge, including Connecting Theory and Practice in Middle School Literacy: Critical Conversations with Carla Meyer and Katie Walker, Teaching Challenged and Challenging Topics in Diverse and Inclusive Literature: Addressing the Taboo in the English Classroom with Rachelle S. Savitz and Leslie Roberts, and a forthcoming two-volume project focused on arts-based research methods in education with Peaches Hash. De Hart has also edited work from IGI Global about film in the classroom, instruction with comics and graphic novels, phenomenological studies, religious diversity and equity, and digital literacy. He continues to highlight educators, authors, and creators on his podcast Words, Images & Worlds.