A Guide to Buying Pokemon Books

February 27th is Pokemon Day and this year the Pokemon company is celebrating its 30th anniversary! If you have a Pokémon loving Bookwyrm at home, they may be asking you for the latest Pokemon books. But pause before you hit that add to cart button…

Did you know there are a lot of different types of Pokemon books?

There are early readers, encyclopedias, activity books, manga, comic books, graphic novels and so much more! And just to make things even more confusing, a lot of them are published by different companies!

So which one is right for your Pokemon-loving Bookwyrm?

Let’s break it down.

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Pokemon Primers (1-3)

There are 15 board books in the Pokemon Primers series. They introduce letters, numbers, colors, habitats, opposites, emotions, etc. There is also a paperback called 5-Minute Phonics that could be used as a very early reader. Sentences are short and easy.

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Picture Books (3-7)

The Pokemon Picture Books are meant to be read TO your budding Bookwyrm. There’s actually a classic collection box you can purchase. There are a lot of these with colorful illustrations that are aimed more for reading time or bed time. They’ll have full color pages to help differentiate between these and the black and white chapter books.

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Pocket Comics (5-8)

These are small format paperback comics with comic style strips. They have stories, puns, and Jokes. Great for emerging readers and to help bridge the gap between picture books and early readers. You can help kiddos read these but most of the story is told through the pictures anyway. Like the picture books, these will be in full color.

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Early Readers (Ages 4-7)

These books are designed for kids learning to read independently. They have short sentences, large font, simple vocabulary and the familiar level system from World of Reading. If these are the books you are looking for (sorry, didn’t mean to make that Star Wars) then you’ll want to look for the “Level 1 or Level 2’ reader badge on the cover or make sure it says “world of reading’ or ‘early reader.’ These will also be in full color.

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DK Super Readers (6-9)

These are reading level books from DK that have clear text, fun layouts and are often themed around habitats, etc. They’re good for learning how to read but are a little more advanced than the early readers. Look for the DK Badge on the cover. These will also be in full color.

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Chapter Books (Ages 6 - 10)

These books look a lot like the early readers but they are more story-focused. The chapters are short and the sentences are more complex. They’re based on single episodes from the shows or original stories and are great for kids transitioning from early readers (say around 1st - 3rd graders). The pictures will be black and white.

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Double Sided Flip Books: (Ages 6-9)

These are actually two stories in one! Once kids finish the first story, they flip the book around to start the second story! These are aimed at the same age as the Chapter Books and will be black and white.

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Pokemon World Championship Trilogy (Ages 7+)

These three books are based on organized play (the TCG game) and have a connected storyline and more in-depth storytelling. They’re aimed at middle grade readers and have black and white pictures.

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Graphic Novels: (Ages 7+)

These are called “graphic adventures” and usually have more than one ‘story’ inside. These are based on the tv series (like the Chapter books). You’ll know if you have the graphic novel if it’s read from left to right and is in full-color. Also, most of these have 2 stories in each book.

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The Manga (8+)

Buying this might surprise your kiddo. The Pokemon Adventures series are Japanese-style comic books (called Manga), with black and white illustrations. The pages are read from right to left…which can get a little confusing at first. Especially as you try to understand which way to follow the frames.

The mangas are based on the video game stories instead of the shows. We’re actually reading our way through these and will report back with a full review!

If you’re just getting started with the Manga you may want to start with the Pokemon Adventures Collector’s editions which collect Adventures 1 - 29 spread out over 10 books. That will get you up to Emerald in the games. After that, you’ll find box sets or individual books for each game. Just make sure to grab them in the order the games were released (from Diamond and Pearl all the way to Scarlet and Violet) and you should be good to go!

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But wait! There’s more. These next books are meant for entertainment but not necessarily for involved reading.

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Pokedex and Guidebooks

These books are encyclopedia-style books that give fans information about all known Pokémon, almost like a Pokédex. There’s no stories here but lots of cool information. A new official Handbook comes out every single time there’s a new generation (or game) of Pokemon so don’t be surprised if you buy one only for your Pokemon fan to want another one next year. Some handbooks go more in-depth than others.

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If you want to avoid the constantly updated (every new game release) pokedex, look for the adjectives. It’s currently called the Super Duper Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook and I for one cannot wait to see what the next one is called when Generation 10 drops.

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Activity Books:

These are everything from sticker books, to coloring books, to puzzle books, to mazes. They are fun but not meant for actual reading (practice or otherwise).

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TLDR:

At the end of the day there are a few things you can look for to help you pick the right book.

Check the cover:

If it says activity, stickers, pokedex, guidebook or handbook, these are entertaining but not for encouraging reading.

DK readers and World of Readers will have indicators (usually numbers) on the cover indicating what level readers they are meant for.

Check the inside:

If it’s small brightly colored comic ‘strips’ you’ve got the Pocket Comics.

If it’s brightly covered comic book like with lots of pages, that’s probably the graphic novel.

If it’s a traditional book with chapters, you’ve either got the World Championship Trilogy (should be noted on the cover, released by Scholastic), the Chapter Books or the Flip Books (should also be noted on the cover). Any of these will be more like a traditional book to help encourage reading.

If it’s black and white graphic novel style read right to left? You’ve got the manga.

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In Conclusion

Pokemon books can be amazing tools to help kids get excited about reading. But they’re not all created equal. I hope I’ve helped shed some light on just what's going on under those pages so that the next time you’re ready to buy, you know exactly what you’re getting into.

Whether your Bookwyrm is just learning to read, transitioning into chapter books, or ready for their first Manga, I hope this guide will help you grab the right format!

Drop your favorite (and your kids’ favorite) Pokemon in the comments! Mine is Growlithe and LittleMan loves Spheal.

Until next time, Stay Shelf-Aware