Some kids “read” the newspaper long before they can actually read. While my husband and I take turns reading the Local and Business sections of the Sunday newspaper, the little ones at my house fight over the full-color Comics section. They love Dennis the Menace and Family Circus. Although they can’t sound out every word, they are able to sometimes figure out the story or joke simply by looking at the images.

Comic strips can actually help children become better readers, experts say. By looking at pictures, they improve their visual literacy skills. They also motivate kids to start reading. According to the Comic Book Project, an arts-based literacy and learning initiative, comic books can “help children forge an alternative pathway to literacy by writing, designing, and publishing original comic books.”

Comics aren’t just for beginning readers, either. In recent years, more classrooms have been using a type of comic book called “graphic novels” to boost literacy and to help improve students’ storytelling abilities.

Last fall, for instance, the Spokane Public Library hosted a six-month program called “Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel.” The series included several novels including “The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” which led author/artist Art Spiegelman to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

So if your kids want comic books, take them to Merlyns in downtown Spokane, Lightning Comics in Coeur d’Alene or one of the three area Comic Book Shops. Saturday is Free Comic Book Day and several stores as well as libraries are giving comics away. Spokesman-Review writer Jim Kershner’s book notes column has all the details.

 

Are you a fan of comic books? Do you think they help your children become better readers?

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