Gabby & Gator

This graphic novel told the story of a friendship that emerges between a little girl named Gabby and an alligator named Gator. Gabby was called a freak by everyone she met. She did not talk to anyone and did not have any friends. Gabby had weird hobbies like recycling and playing the tuba. She just did not fit in! Gator, on the other hand, was an alligator that lived in the sewer. He was flushed down the toilet when he was little so he grew to be scared of water. Gator had a little problem. When he was hungry, he would leave the sewer and eat people’s pets in the neighborhood. One day, a bully was picking on Gabby. Gator say this and decided that he could help. He scared the bully away and from then on Gabby and him became the best of friends. They began to do everything together: play the tuba, draw, and collect recyclables. Gator and Gabby really got along until the bully got scared by Gator again. The bully decided to tell animal control that Gator had eaten a little girl. So Floyd went on a mission to capture Gator. Meanwhile, the bully told Gabby that he told animal control about the monster gator that ate little girls. Gabby, tired of being picked on, stood up for herself before going to animal control to save Gator. Gator and Gabby escaped from Floyd. From then on, Gator and Gabby took on the world together: Gabby found someone who accepted her for who she is and Gator found someone to help him get over his fear of water and help his control his eating problems.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. This was the first graphic novel I have ever read and I thought that it was funny and entertaining. I can see why this genre is becoming more and more popular with students. The visuals combined with the language and dialogue make the book easy to read. This particular novel is one that I can see relating to students of all elementary ages. Children of all ages struggle with fitting in and finding a friend that best fits them. This story talks about bullies and this struggle of always finding someone who accepts you. It also teaches students how to stand up for yourself. Something I really liked about this book is how realistic it is for a cartoon. There are a lot of different themes that make the story realistic and a good book to learn lessons from. I also think this would be a good novel to look at about judging people by what they look like. Even though Gator seemed scary and was an alligator, Gabby did not let that bother her and she got to know Gator for who he was. After reading this novel, I can also see how graphic novels can help ESL/ELL students. The novels are a quick read and because of the visuals, the students do not have to focus as much on the words and sentences. They can develop their own meaning of the story from the visuals. I am definitely going to have a graphic novel section in my own classroom library one day and I really want to read more of them. They will become a part of my classroom and be used for my students who struggle with reading or dislike reading. Graphic novels are a great addition to the classroom and I now see why they are so popular among students of all ages today.

Gabby & Gator

Author: James Burks

Year Published: 2010