30 Best Graphic Novels for Elementary Students (K-6)

By now, you must know how I feel about graphic novels, but this list of the best graphic novels for elementary students (or young graphic novels) has been on my mind for months. I’ve read several of the “younger” books on this list and they’re just so funny! Early graphic novels are what chapter books are for middle grade non-graphic novels. They’re shorter, easier to read and follow, and often super silly — written to make you giggle. What could be better?

Because kids can read a step or two above their grade level, I’ve also included some simpler middle grade style graphic novels for more voracious elementary readers. I’ve arranged these graphic novels from “youngest” to “oldest” reading levels. You’ll find the recommended reading age at the bottom of each book cover.

Best Graphic Novels for Elementary Students (K-6)

Here are 30 of the best graphic novels for elementary students (K-6):

Narwhal & Jelly: Unicorn of the Sea

Reading age 6-9 years

Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do they love waffles, parties and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the whole wide ocean together.

A wonderfully silly early graphic novel series featuring three stories. In the first, Jelly learns that Narwhal is a really good friend. Then Narwhal and Jelly form their own pod of awesomeness with their ocean friends. And finally, Narwhal and Jelly read the best book ever — even though it doesn’t have any words…or pictures!
Ben Clanton showcases the joys of friendship, the benefits of working together and the power of imagination in the delightful Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea.

We Have a Playdate

Reading age 6-9 years

The slide. The swings. The monkey bars. The seesaw.

Tuna, Noodle, and Margo each head for their favorite spots, like always. But today, there is a bear on the slide, and—gasp!—they won’t come down.

Together, this ragtag group of pals must tackle the playground, navigate friendships old and new, make it through bizarre mishaps, and sometimes get a little . . . kooky.

Pepper & Boo: A Cat Surprise

Reading age 6-10 years

Meet Pepper and Boo. They are two dogs who do not know much about cats. (Who does?) They wonder why the cat sleeps so much (in their beds!), licks itself so much, what the cat is thinking, and what makes the cat happy.

Luckily, the cat can explain. The cat knows a lot about being a cat. They know a cat will sleep anywhere (a box, a keyboard, a sink, and Boo’s bed) and any time of day. They know what cats like and do not like to eat. They also know that although they are different, they’re happy to have housemates like Pepper and Boo.
Harper cleverly shifts point-of-view between the cat and two dogs, creating laugh-out-loud moments through her text and art that younger readers will want to return to again and again.

Mad About Meatloaf (Weenie Featuring Frank and Beans Book #1)

Reading age 6-9 years

Weenie loves his human, Bob. He loves his guinea pig friend Beans and his cat friend Frank. He loves naps, adventures and sharing. In fact, Weenie loves pretty much everything (except the mail carrier).

But the thing Weenie loves and desires more than anything else in the world is meatloaf. And he’ll do anything to get it.

Bink & Gollie

Reading age 6-9 years

Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. Full of quick-witted repartee, this brainchild of Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and award-winning author Alison McGhee is a hilarious ode to exuberance and camaraderie, imagination and adventure, brought to life through the delightfully kinetic images of Tony Fucile.

Little Robot

When a little girl finds an adorable robot in the woods, she presses a button and accidentally activates him for the first time. Now, she finally has a friend. But the big, bad robots are coming to collect the little guy for nefarious purposes, and it’s all up to a five-year-old armed only with a wrench and a fierce loyalty to her mechanical friend to save the day!

Reading age 6-9 years

Baloney and Friends (Baloney & Friends, 1)

Meet Baloney! He’s the star of this book, along with his best buddies: empathetic Peanut the horse, sensible Bizz the bumblebee, and grumpy Krabbit—he’d rather not be here, but what can you do?  In this graphic novel for newly independent readers, Baloney and friends step into the spotlight and embody all the charm of childhood in three short tales and three mini-comics that invite readers to join the fun! Giggle with Baloney as he performs some questionable magic, give him a boost when a case of the blues gets him down, cheer him on as he braves the swimming pool, and at the end, learn to draw all the characters with clear step-by-step instructions!

The Casagrandes #1: We’re All Familia

Reading age 7-12 years

When Lincoln Loud’s close friend Ronnie Anne and her brother Bobby Santiago moved away from Royal Oaks to the Big City, they had no idea that they were about to start an exciting new chapter in their lives, while living in an apartment above their abuelo’s Mercado. Together with their mom, Maria, they are adapting from going to a family of three in Royal Oaks to living with their whole extended family, headed by the kids’ abuelos, Hector and Rosa, in the big city.

Now, The Casagrandes are starring in their own popular animated series on Nickelodeon! Collecting The Casagrandes’s greatest comic stories from the hit The Loud House graphic novel series. It’s full of action (The Mercado is robbed!), adventure (A city-sprawling epic as Ronnie Anne must find Carlitos and Sergio!), and intrigue (What does Carl use to keep his hair so perfect?). Featuring stories from the creative team of the hit Nickelodeon shows The Loud House and The Casagrandes!

Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths

Peter and Ernesto are sloths. Peter and Ernesto are friends. But Peter and Ernesto are nothing alike. Peter loves their tree and never wants to leave, while Ernesto loves the sky and wants to see it from every place on Earth. When Ernesto leaves to have a grand adventure, Peter stays behind and frets. The two friends grow even closer in separation, as Peter the homebody expands his horizons and Ernesto the wanderer learns the value of home. With ridiculously cute art and simple, funny text, their reunion is even more adorable than you are imagining.

Tiny Titans

Reading age 7-10 years

You’ll see what life is like for the very young heroes of Sidekick Elementary and learn what could go wrong when the kids of Sidekick Elementary spend an afternoon in the Batcave in this new graphic novel.

These all ages tales from the DC Universe, beautifully written and illustrated by Art Baltazar and Franco, will entertain new readers and seasoned fans of comics. Collects issues #1-6

The Flying Beaver Brothers And The Evil Penguin Plan

Reading age 6-9 years

Meet Ace and Bub, the flying beaver brothers! Ace loves extreme sports and is always looking for a new adventure. Bub loves napping and, well, napping. But when penguins threaten to freeze Beaver Island for “resort and polar-style living,” the brothers put their talents to work saving their tropical island paradise. Can they save Beaver Island from environmental destruction? And can they do it in time to still win the annual Beaver Island Surfing Competition?

Pea, Bee, & Jay #1: Stuck Together

Like all peas, Pea loves to roll. So when a no-good strawberry dares him to roll all the way off the farm, he swears he can do it—eazy me-zee!

But along the way, a powerful thunderstorm strikes and bounces Pea off course…and right into two unlikely new buds: a bee named Bee who thinks she knows it all, and a bird named Jay who can’t figure out how to fly.

On their own they may not look like much, but if this trio can stick together, they just might help Pea find his way back home!

Giants Beware

Reading age 7-10 years

Make way for Claudette the giant slayer in this delightful, fantastical adventure!Claudette’s fondest wish is to slay a giant.But her village is so safe and quiet! What’s a future giant slayer to do?With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant—without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home? 

Donut Feed the Squirrels (Norma and Belly #1)

Norma and Belly would really really really really really like a donut.

With a burned breakfast and a cranky donut seller at the local food truck, they may be stuck with only nuts to eat . . . unless they can steal the biggest, most delicious donut of their tiny lives!

Mika Song gives readers something to laugh at as these squirrels try their hardest to get some donuts while just about everything goes wrong. A fun “donut caper” graphic novel that focuses on madcap action, problem-solving, and the power of working together.

Bird & Squirrel On Ice

Reading age 7-10 years

Bird and Squirrel are back and ready for adventure!After Bird and Squirrel crash land in the South Pole during a raging blizzard, a penguin named Sakari thinks Bird has come to rid her village of a hungry Killer Whale. But when Squirrel finds out that Bird will actually be fed to the Killer Whale as a sacrifice, they hatch a crazy plan to escape. With good timing, a little luck, and help from Sakari, they just might make it out alive. Or they might end up as whale food!

Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds (Arlo & Pips, 1)

Like most crows, Arlo has a big brain. But Arlo has something else: a little pal who’s not afraid to tell him when he’s being insufferable!

In the first of three episodes, a battle of the brains and bird-to-bird banter soon turns into an unexpected friendship. Arlo and Pips’ adventures include a visit the big city and the beach on their hunt for shiny things and French fries. Cool crow facts are included throughout the book.

Everyone’s crowing about Arlo & Pips, with Kirkus praising it as “a perfect match for newly independent readers”!

Owly, Vol. 1: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer

Reading age 7-10 years

Owly is a kind, yet lonely, little owl who’s always on the lookout for new friends and adventure. The first graphic novel in the series contains two enchanting novellas, “The Way Home” & “The Bittersweet Summer,” wherein Owly discovers the meaning of friendship, and that saying goodbye doesn’t always mean forever.

Binky to the Rescue (A Binky Adventure)

Reading 7-10 years

While in hot pursuit of an alien invader (a bug), Binky accidentally falls out the space station porthole (bathroom window) and finds himself in outer space (outside) for the very first time. But just as Binky begins to explore, he discovers that his copilot, Ted (stuffed mousie), is trapped beneath an enemy warship (wasps’ nest)! Binky must rescue Ted from the clutches of these evil aliens. Will he be able to save his best friend? Can Ted survive his ordeal? Does Binky still suffer from space gas? This book will delight graphic novel readers of all ages.

The 13-Story Treehouse: Monkey Mayhem!

Reading 6-10 years

Andy and Terry live in a treehouse. But it’s not just any old treehouse, it’s the most amazing treehouse in the world!

This treehouse has thirteen stories, a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a secret underground laboratory, and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and automatically shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you are hungry.

Life would be perfect for Andy and Terry if it wasn’t for the fact that they have to write their next book, which is almost impossible because there are just so many distractions, including thirteen flying cats, giant bananas, mermaids, a sea monsters pretending to be mermaids, enormous gorillas, and dangerous burp gas-bubblegum bubbles!

Catstronaunts

Reading age 6-10 years

When the world is thrust into darkness due to a global energy shortage, the Worlds Best Scientist comes up with a bold plan to set up a solar power plant on the moon. But someone has to go up there to set it up, and that adventure falls to the CatStronauts, the best space cats on the planet! Meet the fearless commander Major Meowser, brave-but-hungry pilot Waffles, genius technician and inventor Blanket, and quick thinking science officer Pom Pom on their most important mission yet!

Gabby and Gator

Reading age 6 and up!

Gator has just never seemed to fit in with the other neighborhood pets…probably because he has a nasty habit of eating the other neighborhood pets. Flushed down the toilet as a little snapper, Gator spends his days alone in the sewers…

On the streets above, little Gabby has never seemed to fit in with the other kids in town. She’d rather collect bottles and practice her tuba than gossip with the girls down at the pool, but it does get lonely being the only vegetarian on the block…

When Gabby and Gator meet, their fun and adventures prove that the best friends are those who accept you as you are, teeth and all!

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

Reading age 7-10 years

Serving justice . . . and lunch!

Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered about their school lunch lady. What does she do when she isn’t dishing out the daily special? Where does she live? Does she have a lot of cats at home? Little do they know, Lunch Lady doesn’t just serve sloppy joes—she serves justice! Whatever danger lies ahead, it’s no match for LUNCH LADY!

Babymouse: Queen of the World

Reading age 7-10 years

With multiple Children’s Choice Awards and over 1.8 million books sold, kids, parents, and teachers agree that Babymouse is perfect for fans of Junie B. Jones, Ivy and Bean, Bad Kitty, and Dork Diaries!

Meet Babymouse—Her dreams are big! Her imagination is wild! Her whiskers are ALWAYS a mess! In her mind, she’s Queen of the World! In real life…she’s not even Queen of the lunch table.

Zita the Space Girl

Reading 8-12 years

Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye.

When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don’t even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita’s quest.

Zita the Spacegirl is a fun, captivating tale of friendship and redemption from Flight veteran Ben Hatke. It also has more whimsical, eye-catching, Miyazaki-esque monsters than you can shake a stick at.

Squish: Super Amoeba

Reading age 8-12 years

It’s SQUISH—a graphic novel series about a comic book-loving, twinkie-eating grade school AMOEBA trying to find his place in the world (or at least trying to make it through a school day). Inspired by his favorite comic book hero, SUPER AMOEBA!, Squish has to navigate school (bullies! detention! Principal Planaria!), family (dad: Hates to wear a tie. Secretly listens to heavy metal in the car), and friends (Peggy-rainbows! happy all the time! and Pod . . . who’s . . . well, you just have to meet him). Can Squish save the world—and his friends—from the forces of evil lurking in the hallways? Find out in Squish: Super Amoeba—saving the world, one cell at a time!

Dog Man #1

Reading age 7-9 years

George and Harold have created a new breed of justice. With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound digs into deception, claws after crooks, rolls over robbers, and scampers after squirrels. Will he be able to resist the call of the wild to answer the call of duty?Dav Pilkey’s wildly popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of being true to one’s self.

Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible

Reading age 8-12 years

Harriet Hamsterbone is not your typical princess. She may be quite stunning in the rodent realm (you’ll have to trust her on this one), but she is not so great at trailing around the palace looking ethereal or sighing a lot. She finds the royal life rather . . . dull. One day, though, Harriet’s parents tell her of the curse that a rat placed on her at birth, dooming her to prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she’s twelve and fall into a deep sleep. For Harriet, this is most wonderful news: It means she’s invincible until she’s twelve! After all, no good curse goes to waste. And so begins a grand life of adventure with her trusty riding quail, Mumfrey…until her twelfth birthday arrives and the curse manifests in a most unexpected way.

Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth

Reading age 8-12 years

BOOM! CLANG! CRASH! D.J. and Gina are totally ordinary kids. But Hilo isn’t! Hilo just fell out of the sky and doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth. (Or why going to school in only your underwear is a BAD idea!) . . . But UH-OH, what if Hilo wasn’t the only thing to fall to our planet? Can the trio unlock the secrets of Hilo’s past? Can Hilo survive a day at school? Find out in HILO-a laugh-out-loud, epic story of friendship! Adventure! (And the occasionaly mutant space robot).

Knights of the Lunch Table: No. 1 (The Dodgeball Chronicles)

Reading age 8-10 years

In this funny new series from Eisner Award nominee Frank Cammuso, the Arthurian legend is reborn–in a funny, average-joe, middle-school boy and his pals.Artie King just wants to ease into life at Camelot Middle School. He’s got new lunch buddies, Percy and Wayne, and his science teacher, Mr. Merlyn, is pretty cool. But then there’s scary Principal Dagger and big bad Joe and The Horde, a bunch of brawny bullies who rule the school

There they are: 30 of the best graphic novels for elementary students (K-6). These are some of the best graphic novels to hand to younger kids. I’d love to hear your go-to recommendations! If you’re looking for graphic novels for an older crowd, you’ll find 52 of my best graphic novels for middle schoolers here.

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