Sfar, J. (2008). Little Vampire. New York: First Second.
1596432330
Originally published as child-friendly individual comics, Little Vampire includes three of those comics as chapters in this graphic novel. In the old mansion, Little Vampire surprises all the ghosts and other creatures of the night by declaring that he wants to go to school. Of course there's a problem—classes are held in the daytime and Little Vampire can only venture to school in the night. Not giving up on his desire to learn, Little Vampire begins doing the homework from one of the daytime students' notebooks. That boy, an orphan named Michael, and Little Vampire begin a discussion through that homework notebook. As their friendship develops, the two have many fun adventures.
Through Michael's interactions with the various characters, there's a surprising amount of religious discussions, questioning of faith, consideration of good and evil and the Holocaust.
While fun, each of the stories does include potential lessons that a teacher or parent could draw out if they so chose.
Activities to Do with the Book:
Since the first story included in this graphic novel shows Little Vampire's desire to go to school. This book can be used to encourage students to want to do the same.
A the same time, in the first book, Little Vampire goes to school for the first time, uncertain of what to expect. All he has is his own cultural background of being a creature of the night—in which dusty old tombs are used as paper, and proper ink is a bottle of blood. The fact that Little Vampire is perceived as different by Michale (and vice versa) could serve as a metaphorical trigger for elementary age students to be accommodating of other students from a different background than their own.
If a teacher had just finished reading The Graveyard Book to a class or literature circle, this would be a great recommendation to a reluctant reader who enjoyed hearing that Newbery winner. (A graphic novel pairing could also be made with Jeff Smith's Bone series. This could also be paired with a children's version of The Flying Dutchman story (which could then lead to either a special Friday viewing of The Pirates of the Caribbean.
These would also be a natural recommendation for students who like the Addams Family movies (or tv show!) since they have a similar dark humor to them.
Favorite Quotes:
“It was a night just like any other night at the old mansion. The dead stepped out, dressed in their Sunday best” (p. 3).
“Vampires are free as the wind. They can fly; they can turn themselves into rats, wolves, or bats; they can even bite little girls till they bleed, without even getting into trouble with their parents.”
“So, really, Little Vampire...”
“Don't you have something better to do than go to school?”
“No” (p. 4).
“I should bring a present for the teacher.”
“Poop is always sure to please.”
“Maybe you're a burglar who loves math.”
“Don't do this at home. If your dog isn't magical, you shouldn't climb on him.”
“It was a night just like any other night at the old mansion. The dead stepped out, dressed in their Sunday best” (p. 3).
“Vampires are free as the wind. They can fly; they can turn themselves into rats, wolves, or bats; they can even bite little girls till they bleed, without even getting into trouble with their parents.”
“So, really, Little Vampire...”
“Don't you have something better to do than go to school?”
“No” (p. 4).
“I should bring a present for the teacher.”
“Poop is always sure to please.”
“Maybe you're a burglar who loves math.”
“Don't do this at home. If your dog isn't magical, you shouldn't climb on him.”
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