AIBU that comics could get more kids reading?

[ConcernedBookworm]

Really depressing hearing about the decline in reading & literacy in the UK. It’s probably to do with mobile phones, but we need to do something otherwise we’ll go backwards as a society. We have to get more kids enjoying reading and instil the habit early.

AIBU to think comics are the answer for many kids who are at risk of not getting into the reading habit and we should do more to give kids access to them? But my kids school and our local library doesn’t seem to recognise how popular they are and don’t really prioritise them.

Kids in my eldest class are obsessed with Jamie Smart and Bunny Vs Monkey yet our library doesn’t have many comics/ graphic novels to choose from - or maybe they’re so popular they’re not available when we visit on Saturdays?

I think we should we be promoting them more somehow? I’ve spent so much money buying new ones for my kids. They like to browse the shelves at Waterstones and it’s costing me a fortune! But I’m happy to spend on them due to their enthusiasm- comics helped get my eldest into reading other stuff like MG Leonard & Harry Potter so it’s paid off.

But the school doesn’t seem that interested! They’ve never read comics as whole class texts. I also heard about the excelsior book award and asked my school if they’d sign up (it’s only £30!) but they weren’t interested, which makes no sense it would definitely get the kids excited about reading doing a comics book club (plus it’s cheap!). Btw the excelsior website is great resource for recommendations - you can look at this years shortlist and past years too.

There seems to be a lot of snobbery in education still. But my dad who grew up poor in Ireland and left school early said he credits comics for being literate. He said they’d go out on the street in the 1960s after tea to do comics swaps! We never had comics as a kid so I must admit I was snobby about them at first… but I think this new resurgence is a fantastic opportunity to reverse the decline in reading. We just need schools, libraries etc to support it more right?

ps I know not all kids like comics and I’m not saying we should force them on these kids. Just saying more access for those who they appeal to

This is really interesting research and seems to back up what I’ve suspected
https://readingagency.org.uk/reading-crisis-well-not-among-comic-readers/

My 9 year old DS absolutely LOVES the phoenix comic. He has completed all the book bands in school but not particularly willingly. The only thing he will happily read and re-read is a comic. And most weeks he’ll create his own comics too which is great for his English skills! And drawing.

My son loves the Beano and we've had it on subscription for years! I can't believe it's still going. He used to read it aloud to us - not my favourite - and is really into dreadful puns like the ones they make. And after years of that and bunny vs monkey he's getting into chapter books. Didn't think that would ever happen. Comics can be great! Apart from the being read aloud to bit.

Graphic novels were basically the only way we could get my dyslexic/ visual stress DD to read anything.

As a primary teacher of 20 years, I agree with you.

Research (none of which I can link to - sorry!) has shown that there are a number of reasons for a decline in reading.

1. Use of SM and phones/gaming in even primary school children.

2. Reading is often used as a punishment in school - forgotten your PE kit? Well, you'll have to sit and read in silence! Children are never going to see reading as enjoyable if it's used as a punishment. A lot of schools have stopped this now.

3. The curriculum is so fast paced now that classes rarely read a whole text (especially in KS2) because there simply isn't time. They read extracts or individual chapters in English but rarely read the whole book. Children just don't experience it.

4. Most schools will timetable 15 mins a day for a class read usually at the end of the day. But this is the first thing to go when time runs out because there's no 'evidence' so it's dropped in favour of finishing work in books because that is monitored and reading the class book isn't.

5. Comic books/graphic novels don't really work as class texts because they're too visual and there isn't enough to read aloud. But I absolutely encourage children to read them and books like Dogman (I think it is) that have a more comic book style.

6. I disagree with reading diaries. I absolutely support and encourage children reading at home with parents but always stress to parents that this doesn't have to be lengthy sessions, or banded books they bring home from school. It can be webpages about something they are interested in, books that interest them, comics, the back of a cereal packet. Anything! I've had children make posters after researching their favourite topic online and I always display them and share them with the class.

But you are not going to encourage reading by making parents sign a reading diary and then making children miss Golden Time to sit and read in silent because their diary hasn't been completed (some schools still do this).

Unfortunately, a lot of parents never read with their childen at home. You can tell immediately which children are exposed to books at home or come from families where reading happens.

I encourage childen to share books in class. To read books to each other, to look through non fiction books together, to write reviews and recommendations for other children - which they generally love to do.

Our instruction for class texts is that they are a slightly higher level of text than most of the childen could access independently. But I've had weeks where I've allowed children to bring in a favourite early childhood picture book and we've read that at the end of the day. Children who have books of favourite religious stories bring those in for me to read. I've donated my children's books and graphic novels to the class library when they grew out of them. Sometimes, children write their own books or stories and we also share those - which always encourages other children to do the same. I always have good reading results in my class but it's because of my less formal approach.

I agree with you a million times over.
Comics, comic books and graphic novels are fantastic.
I am really surprised your school hasn't got any.
Is there a PTA?
When my daughter was at primary one of our PTA fundraising events raised money to pay for a yearly subscription to The Phoenix and we were always raising money for books and took donations - frequently getting a good supply of graphic novels.
Is this something your PTA could do?

My 10 year old won’t entertain books, but he LOVES manga. He reads a few chapters every night religiously.
Yanbu at all.

Yes.

And what was a huge part of my 80s childhood was not just comics as a treat but also the books with a tape attached. Gobbilino the witches cat sticks in my mind.

You 'read' the pages i.e followed the words and there was a little sound at the end of each page to let you know to turn over to the next page.

With the enormous problem of DC starting school who have never seen a book let alone tried to follow one, I think this would make a huge impact on early literacy.

Apparently, we have a lot of DC starting school who just aren't being sufficiently spoken to or interacted with by their parents because of tablets/smartphones and I think this could help because it gives prompts and structure not just to the DC but to the parents.

My August born DS was reading before he started school and I really think his weekly Thomas the Tank Engine comic helped.

The French and Belgians have always had a really really strong comics culture. Kids, teens, adults, all levels.

My children's primary school implemented Accelerated Reader so each time they finish a book they are quizzed on it to deepen their comprehension skills. They have the book next to them to refer back to it, it isn't a test of memory.

The AR scheme has loads of comic books and graphic novels, anything to get children reading. Every morning there is a 30 minute reading slot and all children read their books, those that have finished get their quiz on an ipad in the classroom and then visit the library area to change their book.

Teachers and a TA divide the class up so that each child is listened to for 5 minutes every week. This includes asking questions too, why do you think Mandy is sad? What do you think could happen next or even just what has happened so far? Also can you think of another word for X or asking what a word means. They get through all 30 children over the week and that includes some children who are down to read twice as they are Pupil Premium. If the last time they read was to the TA the next time it is to the teacher then next time the TA again.

The literacy levels in the school increased and children had far more ideas for characters, story lines and vocabulary. We had children light up reading comic books on football, ancient civilisations, all sorts. Reading is reading.

Mine hated reading got him into Bunny versus Monkey and The Week Junior and he was away…..

Unless your library is incredibly small then it definitely has them, 100%. I bet they’re not on the shelves because they’re so popular.

Ask your librarian to order them in for you, and to point out other similar books.

Comics are/is* a great medium. They shouldn't be seen a a gateway drug to prose. Comics has its own grammar and syntax.

As someone's already said, they are not great for reading in a group. Reading comics can be more complex than simply reading prose. You have to read the text and scan the pictures. Different readers handle this complexity differently. And try reading a comic out loud!

*"Comics" can mean "the weekly children's magazines" and "the medium of strip cartoons".

And the Japanese and Koreans.

I used to love my comics. It was mainly Tracey, Judy, Jackie and Bunty from memory.

Trouble was I was an avid reader and could read them so fast they were read in a couple of hours.

Both Mum and Dad read to me as a child. Rupert Bear, America Jane, Little Red Hen were all my growing up books. Later came the Roald Dahl stuff, James and the giant Peach, Danny Champion of the World was my favourite.

With the enormous problem of DC starting school who have never seen a book let alone tried to follow one, I think this would make a huge impact on early literacy.

This.

My children were 'reading' books from infancy - holding them, turning the pages and babbling with inflection as did all children before smartphomes and tablets were a thing. There is an increasing number of children coming into school now who don't know how books 'work' or even able to listen to a story because no one has ever read to them.

My 7 year old loves Phoenix too. He really loves the comic book style - Jamie Smart, Dav Pilkey, Sheena Dempsey etc and also Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates. He’s an avid reader and has a reading age of 10 already.

I’m an English lecturer so I’m just happy with people reading anything at all to be frank. Comics, magazines, newspapers, audiobooks (the anti audiobook thread yesterday really pissed me off!). It all counts.

My son got into reading with the Phoenix comic. Have had a subscription for a few years now and even though he can read anything now he still enjoys it so we are getting it again. He keeps them all the binders and rereads them loads. We saw Niall Cameron at our book festival a couple times now which was fun too

i am on the pta and the thing I’m proudest of is that we started a school library about 5 years ago. All parent volunteers and donations as well as support from a local bookstore. We have around 1000 books or so but spend most of the money we get on graphic novels, comic style and fact books as these help the reluctant readers so much. Loads of kids really respond to nonfiction fact books about whatever their special interest is, and pretty much all 7/8/9 year olds love bunny vs monkey. My son has all of them and they are definite favourites even though he’s a confident reader now.

My daughter loved the rainbow fairy books first and the early reader ones were great to get her motivated. Any reading is great reading. Except the stupid biff and kipper books they did in class, those were terrible.

You are absolutely not wrong! If you are in South London there is a fair where kids can buy, read, sell, create comics. A festival of reading for pleasure it is! www.instagram.com/yocomicsfair?igsh=MTZ5eTJpem9xaml1ZQ==

YANBU. Whether it's 'comic strip' type comics like the Beano or Phoenix, or stuff like Jamie Smart and Dog Man, or Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas/Fungus the Bogeyman, or serial stories like the Marvel comics etc, or Asterix, or Tintin, or Japanese manga, or really sophisticated graphic novels with incredible elaborate artwork - it's all good and it all encourages reading for pleasure.

I agree with you. However, I wonder if the cost will be seen as wasted given screen things are free at the point of use.

Oh gosh thanks for your wonderful replies about the impact of comics on your kids / pupils (assuming some of you are teachers by your replies). I’m really enjoying reading your experiences- I’ve not spoken to adults about this irl. Comics are pretty cool hey? Ive only become aware of the genre in last 5 years (I was not given comics as a kid) and have started to read them myself.. I’m enjoying Fun Home right now (definitely for adults!). It’s somehow more engaging for me than reading my usual fiction books when I’m tired/ distracted.

I think a PP must be right about our library not being able to keep up with demand for comics… that’s probably why we don’t see many on a Saturday afternoon! They need to get more!

Our school has financial challenges and our PTA is unfortunately very light (less than 5 people including my mum!) and although they do raise some funds it goes to boring basic stuff the school really ought to provide but can’t afford like playground maintenance. This has made me realise they would probably appreciate donations from our collection when the kids get bored of books.

I think a PP must be right about our library not being able to keep up with demand for comics… that’s probably why we don’t see many on a Saturday afternoon! They need to get more!

The way libraries work is if they see demand for certain books they buy more (budget allowing). So you reserving them will help. Find an author your DC likes and ask, or do it online on your library’s website. It’s free and it helps the library.

Re: comic creators, I actually think Jamie Smart is a rockstar to kids in schools around here. Like we used to worship musicians, he is a big deal to the kids around here. He ought to be more widely known to the general public! My eldest is growing out of BvM now though and looking for stronger narratives.

We’ve had great recommendations from the Excelsior award - strong narratives in Lord of the Flies, When the Sky Falls And Tosh’s island (last years winner) for slightly older kids. Tales of the Emotosphere has a strong story, amazing art is fun adventure but also quite deep and so original. They have an adult shortlist which I’m working my way through!

Sheena Dempsey, Dav Pilkey also big hit with mine too. There are lots of Americans but seeing more British talent like Tor Freeman, Huw Arron (spelling?). We got Chicken Hill a new series from Bloomsbury last week in Sainsburys (only £5) and kids thought it was so funny!