
BY ADRIAN NEIBAUER
Staff Writer
STORY REVIEW
THREE SHADOWS by Cyril Pedrosa and translated from French by Edward Gauvin is the saddest and most moving graphic novels I have ever read. Louis and Lise are a husband and wife who are raising their young son, Joachim, in an unnamed rural, European landscape. Their small family is filled with simple pleasures and lots of love as they work together on their farm. However, everything changes when three mysterious shadows appear on the horizon haunting the family. Never explicitly stated at first, we learn later that the shadows beckon for the young Joachim. Joachim’s father, Louis, flees with Joachim in a brave, yet foolish attempt to outrun his son’s fate: death.
Throughout the story, we learn just how far a parent would go to protect their child. Embedded within this story are deep and complex discussions about fate, life, and death; as well as plenty of opportunities for older readers to practice the skills of making inferences and predictions.
ART REVIEW
THREE SHADOWS is completely pencil-drawn. Pedrosa’s use of black and white charcoal prepares the reader for the dark tone of the story. Pedrosa is a former Disney artist/animator and this experience serves him well here. He writes little dialogue, yet conveys much action, movement, and emotion. he characters seem to animate themselves as you turn each page.
Pedrosa’s artwork forces the reader to stop and think. His attention to detail gives readers all the clues they need to make accurate predictions and to infer about the plot. Each page can be used as a talking point or a stand-alone example of the novel’s themes and symbols.
IN THE CLASSROOM
THREE SHADOWS is a more adult graphic novel that can be used effectively in any high-school literature classroom. That said, I always advocate taking grade-level appropriate sections/pages of any graphic novel in order to illustrate how to accurately use any comprehension strategy or model the use of these strategies.
Making predictions, inferences, and then synthesizing this information takes practice to do well. Often, students make superficial predictions, which lead to inaccurate inferences. THREE SHADOWS gives students a chance to analyze how the visual elements of the story contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of this text. For example, the beginning of this story has a set tone of simplistic happiness. This, however, changes very quickly and with only a few words.
- What clues do we have that something bad is about to happen? Both visual and textual?
- What clues do we have about the character’s thoughts and feelings?
- How do you think the characters will respond to this change?
- What do the shadows want?
- What do these figures want?
- What is the purpose of these figures?
- Describe how the narrator’s point of view influence how various events are described.
- Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in the story.
- Draw on specific visual and textual details
- Can fate be changed? How?
- How does Louis’ decision to take Joachim away show strength? Weakness?
- How does Lise’s decision to stay show strength? Weakness?
- Why do the shadows come for Joachim?
- How does the shadows’ symbol change from the beginning of the story to the end?
- What does this change say about life and death?
- How does Joachim and Louis’ relationship mirror that of life and death?
- How would THREE SHADOWS be different if told from another character’s perspective?
ISBN–13: 978-1-59643-239-0
