As educators, we have often been asked the question, “How can I get my child to stop reading comic books?” Parents are worried that comics do not provide educational value, are not academically rigorous enough, or worst of all, a waste of their child’s time. To this, our answer usually surprises them, and that answer is, “Let them read comics!”
It’s understandable that parents would be a bit concerned as the perception is that comics are purely for pleasure reading, however, comics have many benefits beyond helping us pass the time.
Comics and graphic novels are not new forms of writing. Of course, they have been enjoyed by many for generations. Over the years, the genre has changed into one with considerable depth and meaning, which is why we encourage parents to not only allow their children to read comics, but also to support them in doing so.
Here are our top reasons comics should be read (especially in the summer!):
- A Gateway to Language Mastery
For students who are not native English speakers, comics provide a great way for them to begin enjoying English literature. For many children, the task of going from an English language textbook to a novel can be very daunting, but comics can provide a necessary bridge for them to build confidence as well as reading fluency. The visual cues in the pictures allow students to create a deeper understanding of the plot and characters as well as new vocabulary. אין צוגאב, it introduces them to effective literary devices, such as onomatopoeia (think POW! SMACK! ZOOM!) and idioms (an illustration showing the meaning of an idiom like, “Cat got your tongue?” makes much more sense than heating the idiom on its own!).
2.Enhancing Inference
Inference is a key reading skill that many students struggle with on standardized reading assessments. Inference happens when we draw conclusions based on what we read. Some examples of questions students will encounter during reading comprehension tasks or assessments are those such as, “How did the character feel when?”, “What can you conclude about…” and “What was the lesson in the story?” Comics require that students “read between the lines” to infer information that is usually told by the narrator in a novel, so they can gain a lot of valuable experience in strengthening this skill by reading comics.
3.Word Power!
Often in comics and graphic novels, writers include quite advanced vocabulary, both as part of the story line as well as in the names of the characters. In 2016 at the world famous Comic-Con in San Diego, California, a panelist of educators discussed the power of comics in building students’ vocabularies. James Bucky Carter, author of Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels said, “You have Colossus, and he’s this big, giant metal guy. You get a really good sense of what the word colossus means and that’s a good 10-cent word. Banshee’s power is screaming. You have these characters that embody the vocabulary words that they are. That’s something that’s a fun way to learn new words, in addition to the contextual clues.”
After reading this you may just want to let your child dive right into reading comics or graphic novels! That’s music to our ears. If you are not sure where to start, we have some student favorites your child might like to try!
Dog Man by Dave Pilkey
Miles Morales Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
Smiles, Sisters, Ghosts, Drama and Other Stories by Raina Telgemeier
Bone by Jeff Smith
Looking for more summer reading opportunities for your child? Contact one of our Education Consultants for more information about our summer reading courses. We look forward to reading with your child!
