Hidden: A Graphic Novel That's Not "Just for Fun"

Hidden

Written by: Loic Dauvillier

Illustrated by: Marc Lizano

Translated by: Alexis Siegel

First Second Books

On Bookshelves April 1, 2014

Review ecopy accesses granted by publisher

In the age of data and accountability, text characteristics in a digestible progression, class time is for practicing reading skills in a book from the bin with your letter. Now, after you’ve practiced from your leveled text at home for a half hour, of course you can read one of those books from the “just for fun” bin. 

When graphic novels are classified “just for fun,” kids get the message loud and clear: Warning: Contains No Educational Value. Kids get it. I harmlessly asked Jake what he was reading. His response, “I’m almost finished with Hard Luck but I’m really reading…” And for many of the Jakes out there the books in the “just for fun” bin are the only healthy relationship with text that they have. 

Hidden is a milestone in the fight to legitimize graphic novels in the elementary school setting. Delivering a powerful story through thought provoking images and delicate text, Hidden manages to make the events surrounding the holocaust accessible to young readers. Told by a grandmother to her granddaughter, the relationship assures young readers they are in considerate hands. The structure also enables breaks for commentary, both from the elder perspective and from the child inexperienced in such cruelty. Dauvillier and Lizano present the Nazi occupation of France thorough a lens of such innocence that the story feels as personal as diary. Except that Hidden’s most powerful moments are communicated through images. Scenes so powerful that it’s impossible not to infer, predict, ask questions, and analyze the situation. You know, all of those thinking skills we want our students to apply to their texts?

The common core is focused on the essential skills students need to develop into strong readers. Students in third grade classes were enthralled by this opening section. It was clear from the outset that they had very little knowledge of how to interpret a graphic novel and the variety of stories that could be told in this format. Classes sat with rapt attention as the book was projected onto a screen. They engaged with each other without prompting, pointing out subtleties such as the change in color tone between scenes. One student commented, “You can feel everything she’s going through.” Several asked when we would have a copies in.

One of the most memorable scenes takes place in the panels below. We see from the text bubble that Dounia arrives home in the middle of a discussion. The panel provides the perfect opportunity to model how we don’t immediately understand the meaning of the line, “We’ll do as I said.” Keeping true the authentic observations of a child, Dounia simply observes that her father was home from work early. While her father explains the star as an honor, it’s the imagery on the next page that informs the reader something’s amiss. A succession of heart-wrenching discrimination scenes finally provides kids with the star’s context. Just as expected, students asked to return to the panel when Dounia returns home where they immediately offered their theories about the context of the conversation not pictured. Some pretty sophisticated inferencing from third graders. 

Hidden, both through artistic style and a relatable perspective, capitalizes on our underlying sense of right and wrong. When students are stimulated and engaged moving them towards more abstract thinking becomes infinitely easier. Graphic novels are the perfect vehicle for students to practice complex thinking by offloading some of the strain associated with decoding. Especially for students who struggle with reading, they offer a forum for kids to feel the success and pride that comes from deep comprehension of difficult content. It’s a lot easier to ask students to close read straight text when all they have to do is transpose the skills they’re already fluent with. Hidden is a thoroughly compelling story pitch perfect in format. Upper elementary school teachers looking for a text that will elevate the level of discussion, provide a backdrop for character building, while building a sense of shared beliefs in their classroom community should be clamoring to get their hands on a copy.