Little Boy J, from birth loved to be read to! He loved to snuggle on the couch in the living room or in his big red reading chair in his room. He loved just listening to words pour over him. Both MMS and Mentor Dad R, dramatized reading for him. Their voices adn gestures and facial expressions, kept LBJ entertained and engaged. Who wouldn't love to crawl up next to a book with them?
When LBJ started to understand what words and letters and sounds were, we all tried to get him to read everything and anything. But LBJ just wanted to listen to books. Reading was hard. It was work. To him, reading was when someone else read to you, creating a movie in your mind to listen to and watch. When he tried to read, the whole image of reading and experience changed.
MMS and MDR of course thought and thought about what to do! MMS tried every book out to see what he was interested in and could read. Turned out there were these low level comic books. Li
ttle Boy J ate them up! He started reading them and it was hard to get him to stop. MMS will admit it was hard to let him into those books, books with endless superheros, not necessarily deep passionate messages. For LBJ though, this was another entry point into his reading life. It will not be a definitive one.
Last night, B and were at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn for a reading. B was looking for some comic books to share with young readers in school, from Toon Books. When we asked, the woman in the store told us all about how Art Spiegleman and his wife, Francoise Mouly are behind the project.
Art Spiegleman who wrote Maus (which I read in an history class in college) and his wife, Francoise Mouly, the art director of the New Yorker, found the same to be true in their home. Their kids learned to read through comics. The two of them have gotten behind Toon Books, such as: Stinky, Benny and Penny, and Luke. They want to help publish low level comic books.
These books help to bring in other readers to our Grand Literary Family!
Enjoy the Read!
Post other graphic books that you have found that kids love, here!
A few weeks ago I had my first graphic novel experience. I realized that I there is sooooo much to think about in comics and graphic novels - it's a whole new reading experience!
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