Bayou Vol. 1 by Jeremy Love

Genre: Graphic Novel

Honors: None Found

Review:The murky, eerie, yet beautiful illustrations in Bayou foretell of the somber and unusual story to follow.  Lee, a sharecropper's daughter in 1930's Mississippi, spends time with her white friend Lily.  Lily and Lee go to the bog one day based on Lily's insistence but against Lee's wishes.  Right in front of Lee's eyes Lily is gobbled up by "Bog", a large supernatural being that lives in the bayou.  Lee's father is accused of being responsible for Lily's disappearance and Lee fears he will be lynched like other black men and women in the past.  Lee knows the only way to save her father is to find Lily. She travels down to the creepy bog by herself and enters a murky world of supernatural beings and unusual dangers. 

Opinion: The illustrations are a great match to the story.  They add atmosphere and put the reader in the right mood for the somber tale being told.   I like that the story is a mix of historical fiction and fantasy. Bayou realistically portrays the plight of African-Americans in the south during this time era and adds both wonder and horror to this history through the supernatural characters and the eerie situations occurring around the bayou.   Volume One ends abruptly and I am looking forward to Volume 2, which is scheduled to be released in January.
Ideas: It would be very interesting to have students in Social Studies classes create a comic strip portraying a historical situation being studied in class. I have had my students make autobiographical comic strips using Microsoft Word and it is quite easy; no need for extra technology skills.  Students doing this project can be very true to facts or if the teacher is willing, have students add their fantastical twist to the historical event.