Comics may help reading skills

In my first-grade classroom, I labored through "Dick and Jane." At home, I romped through "Little Lulu."

Half a century later, I remember the adventures of Lulu, Tubby, Annie and Iggy partly because I read each one countless times to be sure to get my 10 cents worth. Everything about Dick and Jane was bland, boring and forgettable.

From the 1930s to the 1950s, kids loved comics so much that it scared the adults. In 1954, the U.S. Senate held hearings to determine whether there was a connection between comics and juvenile delinquency. The comics in question were the crime-and-horror genres, but all comics suffered a near-fatal blow. Organized comic-book burnings were part of the hysteria.

"Toon Books" from the "Little Lit" library are employing "some of books and comics most noted luminaries" for the purpose of "bringing new readers to the pleasures of comics." Unlike the graphic novels for older kids, these little paperbacks are designed for newly emerging readers from age 4 through second grade to read to themselves. Even though there's been an explosion of high-quality books for new readers, these high-quality comics have a special place.

This cogent explanation is included in the "Little Lit" catalog: "Comics have always had a unique ability to draw young readers into a story through the drawings. Visual narrative helps kids crack the code that allows literacy to flourish, teaching them how to read from left to right, from top to bottom. Speech balloons facilitate a child's understanding of written dialogue as a transcription of spoken language. Many of the issues that emerging readers have traditionally struggled with are instantly clarified by comic's simple and inviting format."

In addition, says Barbara Tversky, professor of psychology at Stanford University: "Comics use a broad range of sophisticated devices for communication. They are similar to face-to-face interactions, in which meaning is derived not solely from words, but also from gestures, intonation, facial expressions and props. Comics are more than just illustrated books, but rather make use of a multimodal language that blends words, pictures, facial expressions, panel-to-panel progression, color, sound effects and more to engage readers in a compelling narrative."

I knew those "Little Lulu's" were worth every penny I paid for them! I didn't know they were "multimodal," but I did know I loved them. "Little Lit" comics are $12.95 each. My personal favorite is "Benny and Penny: Just Pretend" by Geoffrey Hayes. Reprints of "Little Lulu" are available online for about $10. You can find them by typing "Little Lulu" into any search engine.

Contact Fran Hawk at franbooks@yahoo.com.