Is the rise in kids reading rates thanks to comics?

I was thinking this. Take away the option of the screen and suddenly that book is more interesting.

My son is 6 and certainly boredom is where he has wandered off and picked up books to read to himself or his little brother.

Way back in 1998 I was on a forum with a poster whose mum had worked with reluctant readers, and comics were her go-to tool... so it's not a new idea

Yes, and Captain underpants! My dgs love dm and my nephew who has a visual processing disorder adores CUP. They all tend to access the stories in audiobook format but to be honest even my nephew has improved hoss reading and comprehension because he wants to search on YouTube so he has very determinedly learned how to memorise the key words and spellings so he can search his special interests. No mean feat for a kid that was diagnosed as basically having Alzheimer’s for letters and words.

My brother was a slow reader but was unwell and had a time in hospital, He could read well when he came out because of the comics he had in the hospital.
It was like a switch turning for him.

Comics were a big thing for us growing up (70s). But back then of course no internet and only three/four tv channels with not much on during the day (not that my parents let us watch in the day), and reading was an activity for most anyway. My son (22) only reads intermittently and prefers biographies and more factual books (and is currently reading the bible!!!). My DD has to read tons for uni but also is working her way through the classics. I try and read most nights before bed. The phone is a huge distraction though. Anything that gets kids into reading is to be encouraged!

I was in primary school through the 90s and every kid got the Beano and the Dandy every single week. That’s what you spent your pocket money on. We were all great readers because smart phones and all the rest weren’t a thing. Maybe the rise in literacy is the swing away from screens, now that more parents are wise to it and holding off giving their children iPads and phones.

I agree OP - I think that part of it is that the quality of the writing of kids' comics / graphic novels has improved. DS(6) is into Dog Man and Bunny vs Monkey, and they deal with a lot of complex and emotional themes! Some of the story arcs in BvM are really intricate (time travel / multiverses / etc) and Dog Man manages to cover a lot of difficult and emotionally charged topics very carefully.

Dennis used to always get the slipper! Now there is a police officer character called Sergeant Slipper. 😄

Same strips (e.g. Dennis, Minnie, Bash Street Kids) but very much modernised - they play video games, don't get beaten by their parents anymore, Fatty has been renamed Freddie and so on.

It's still excellent though. One of the strip authors in particular, Nigel Auchterlounie, is brilliantly funny.

A link to the story would have been nice, as I'm very skeptical.

But, no, I don't think comics get credit.

My eldest doesn’t really like reading (his phonics books have always been an absolute battle). He doesn’t have screen time other than TV. But we got him Dog Man for his birthday recently and he absolutely loved it and is desperate for the whole series now, I genuinely couldn’t believe how much he loved it.

My 8 year old boy hates all the comic strip style books and refuses to read the Beano, which we get delivered for his older sister. I try leaving the jokes page open as he loves jokes but he won’t touch it.

He loves the simpsons on tv - bought him a simpsons comic and he won’t touch it.

Bookshop for a treat? Nope not interested.

The only thing he’ll have to do with books is listening to random bits of Harry Potter on audible every night. Even the Yoto player doesn’t really do it anymore.

So sadly comics don’t do it for all children.

YANBU; DS (7) is obsessed with Dogman and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He’s outgrowing the Beano but loves the Comics style.

I’m a bit worried though as to what to get him in to next as I’m not sure I’ve got many ideas (he doesn’t seem as keen on traditional stories for his age). Recommendations welcome!

This would be a great freakonomics topic. Send them a message! [email protected]

My dad was an avid reader . I never saw my mum read a book although she read the paper every day. She never got into the habit of reading but realised that it was a good thing me to emulate my dad’s habit . She read to me every night and heard ( on the bus) about a little girls comic that was new. It was called Twinkle and she ordered it weekly with the newspaper. I loved that comic and remember it clearly. That started my life long love of reading. I think anything that encourages reading to start is an excellent thing.

I think grqphic novels for kids have massively increased reading in kids especially boys. My class love Bad Guys, Bunny V Monkey, Dog Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

How old are you. I’m early 40s and bought the beano or dandy often age 7-10 ish, had the annuals. I loved chapter books more though, But I agree books in a comic style seem new and are massively popular in year 3-4 at my sons school (bunny vs monkey particularly. It’s the only thing that got my son reading independently and we still can’t find him other fiction he enjoys/will stick with but I’ve accepted he is at least reading and although the structure may not be complex the vocabulary is broad.

A really nice activity to think about for the looming summer hols is for kids to 'publish' their own little weekly comic - lots to get them going eg title, design, story lines, goodies & baddies! Parent could be editor/tea boy