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"If Frederic Wertham was still alive, he'd die of a heart attack."   —art spiegelman

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by Alexa Rosselli

As Julia Phillips reviewed here in a blog post last week, there has been a lot of press lately about the educational benefits of comics.  We are glad to see this happen — with the help of parents and educators, soon more kids will 'TOON into reading!' But to better understand how massive a change is needed before comics are widely accepted as a tool for literacy, it may be helpful to remember the past...
Comics in the classroom? We're slowly getting there, but it wasn't always thus. Back in 1954, at the prompting of Dr. Wertham and his bestselling Seduction of the Innocent, there were Senate Subcommittee Hearings into Juvenile Delinquency, with a special focus on Comic Books.
 
Many TOON Books fans recently shared their personal experiences with us, and some vividly remember the stigma attached to comics. Growing up in the 50's, David Wade Smith met the response typical at the time: "I started first grade early, and I had trouble with reading. During the summer between grade 1 and grade 2, however, I suddenly caught on. That fall, my teacher, the same one I'd had in grade 1, remarked on the improvement in my reading skills— I was reading at 4th-grade level. She asked me how I'd learned to read over the summer, and I said, "Comic books." 
[My teacher] asked me how I'd learned to read over the summer, and I said, 'Comic books.'
--David Wade Smith
"A disapproving expression appeared on her face, and I realized that there were people who didn't see comics as a good thing and I would have to be careful who I told that I read them (though my own mother was OK with them). This was in 1951, of course, when comics were beginning to be viewed as a corrupter of youth--though Scrooge McDuck had nothing on Donald Trump."

"I realized...

I would have to be careful who I told that I read [comics].
 —David Wade Smith





The stigma around comics has lingered for a long time and it's only in the past ten or twetny years, after comics, now called "Graphic Novels" have been accepted in bookstores, librairies, and museums, that they are making an inroad into the hands of young children. (Over 90% of children growing up in the US in the 50's read and loved comics, which is why Wertham was able to conduct a witch hunt on such a scale.)  David's story resonated with a number of others in the Facebook thread.  John Moore responded about his son, who he was told had a learning disability...

"Teachers told me that they could not figure out how to get my son to read - they said he had a "learning disability." I started reading him X-Men comics at bed time- when i wasn't available to read to him, he would read them himself by sticking it all together by memory. Now he reads with no problem."  


"Teachers told me that [my son] had a "learning disability." I started him reading X-men comics at bed time."
—John Moore
While we are extremely pleased that John was able to help his son with comics, it's unfortunate to hear him say he didn't receive support from his child's school. Still, attitudes are changing, and we do everything we can to make sure the trend keeps turning.  Thanks to a few enlightened educators, parents who appreciate comics can often now find allies in the schools.  
The mother of three young readers, Cheryl Urasaki was one of the lucky ones: "I love the concept of graphic novels for early readers. My oldest son was a reluctant reader, but enjoyed the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants books. My daughter likes the Geronimo Stilton books...  I think anything that captures kids' attention and gets them reading is a good thing. I discussed this with one of my kids' teachers, and she feels the same."  
"I think anything that gets [kids] reading is a good thing. One of my kids' teachers... feels the same."  
—Cheryl Urasaki
Jenifer Wagner, a children's librarian, can appreciate the change in attitude: "I adore the TOON books. I learned to read loving comic books and had to buy them all as libraries didn’t have any." Now librarians are at the forefront of the newfound appreciation of comics.
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Some parents, like Thy Vo, are even educated about the benefits of comics at the library: "To tell the truth I didn't know anything about TOON Books until I attended a workshop at our local library where the speaker was a professor at a college. Anyway, he encourages parents to instill the love of reading to the kids and somehow he mentioned TOON books as the new "trend" of style. So I searched on the internet and came to the blog and knew about the giveaway. I have a son who is in kindergarten right now and loves to read. I had a chance to take him to Barnes and Noble and saw the display of TOON books. He quickly flipped through the pages and started reading. He enjoys reading all the passages that was in the book. So I figure I should try purchasing these TOON Books for him. Hopefully with this trend becoming to be so popular, that there will be more new titles coming out so these little ones can continue to read this type of books."

Some parents have always loved comics and eager to share their passion with their children. Tyler Giesa is a case in point: "My son is a hyper literate 7 year old. I read him comics... and he drew comics before he could write. He "cracked the code" of reading pretty much by himself. I credit comics with connecting those pathways in the brain (the visual and verbal)." 
"[My son] 'cracked the code' of reading pretty much by himself. I credit comics with connecting [visual and verbal] pathways in the brain ." 
—Tyler Giesa
Comics can inspire such love for reading that they often shape an enthusiastic reader's future.  In the words of David Wade Smith, who had to be careful about confessing his love for comics, he concluded his post thus: "For 35 years I've worked in literary publishing, before that for 10 years I managed bookstores.  Dell and DC deserve a lot of credit for my life's path."
"For 35 years I've worked in literary publishing, before that for 10 years I managed bookstores. Dell and DC deserve a lot of credit for my life's path."
—David Wade Smith

TOON into Reading! 
Drawing by Barry Blitt; Photos courtesy of books4yourkids.com and of TOON Books supporters who entered our recent giveaway.

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