A complete critical guide to the history, form and contexts of the genre, Children's and Young Adult Comics helps readers explore how comics have engaged with one of their most crucial audiences. In an accessible and easy-to-navigate format, the book covers such topics as: - The history of comics for children and young adults, from early cartoon strips to the rise of comics as mainstream children's literature - Cultural contexts - from the Comics Code Authority to graphic novel adaptations of popular children's texts such as Neil Gaiman's Coraline - Key texts - from familiar favourites like Peanuts and Archie Comics to YA graphic novels such as Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and hybrid works including the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series - Important theoretical and critical approaches to studying children's and young adult comics Children's and Young Adult Comics includes a glossary of crucial critical terms and a lengthy resources section to help students and readers develop their understanding of these genres and pursue independent study. While this book is an essential read for teachers and teacher educators who hope to incorporate comics into their curricula and to expand their definitions of literacy and literature, it is even more important for its unwavering commitment to diverse texts. Tarbox brings an invaluable perspective forward, and her critical approach challenges educators and scholars of children's and young adult literature to rethink the texts we see as valuable.