Best Graphic Novels for 7-8 Year Olds

Half dog, half cop, entirely ridiculous — Dav Pilkey's Dog Man is the easiest sell on this list if he's already read (or watched) anything Captain Underpants. It's genuinely funny enough that it doesn't read as "easy" even at the older end of this age range. First of 15 books, so there's a long runway if it lands.

The original, in an edition that adds a brand-new 32-page Dog Man comic at the back — worth knowing if he's already read the standalone Dog Man books and you don't want total overlap. The reading age spans 6-10, one of the widest ranges on this list.

Spy alligators who travel by toilet — as over-the-top as that sounds, and a common next pick for Dog Man fans specifically (it's the book The New York Times names for exactly that handoff). Reading age 6-9 is a close match, and it's the first of 10 in the series.

A different structure from Pilkey's other series — it follows a class of baby frogs learning to make their own comics, with their in-progress mini-comics shown in different art styles throughout the book. A good pick specifically if he's shown any interest in drawing his own comics, not just reading them.

Now a DreamWorks movie, which can cut either way as a gift — some kids want the book after seeing the film, others feel like they already know the story. Reading age 6-8 is a tight match for this list, and at 144 pages it's one of the faster reads here.

More comic-strip than graphic-novel in format — panels styled like a newspaper strip rather than full-page illustrated scenes — worth knowing if he already has a favorite between the two styles. Reading age runs 8-10, so it's a good pick specifically for the older end of this list.

Less cartoon-superhero, more real-feeling middle-school diary with doodles in the margins — a good pick if he's ready for something with a bit more actual plot and a bit less pure slapstick. Book 1 of 21, so there's effectively no risk of running out of sequels.

A UK import that's less well-known in the US than the Pilkey books — an upside if he's already blown through Dog Man and Captain Underpants and wants something that isn't more of the same. Reading age is listed as 8-12, a bit ahead of this list's range, so treat it as a stretch pick rather than an exact match.

A different tone from the rest of this list — less gag-a-page comedy, more adventure with jokes mixed in, following a kid who literally crashes to Earth and can't remember where he's from. A good pick once he's ready to move past pure joke books toward something with an ongoing story.