Toon Books does it again!!!

Check out Toon Books' new title: Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework, the first science-based early reader comic!!! Written by Nadja Spiegelman and illustrated by Trade Loeffler.

A+ material for any early reader teacher of science!!!

NCTE 2009 Philadelphia, PA

What a wonderful city Philadelphia, PA is!!!  I had an amazing time not only at the NCTE conference, but also getting to meet many new people.  

Each of the following cool people either work directly with graphic novels or with media literacy in the classroom.  So, Have FUN getting to know some of these awesome people and the awesome work that they do!  

1.  Sari Wilson / Writer, Editor, Consultant

2. Cyndy Scheibe / Project Look Sharp Executive Director

3.  Clive Bryant / Managing Director at Classical Comics (Clive has BRILLIANTLY been putting together comic versions of canonical literature)

4.  Even though I did not meet Sari Wilson's husband, Josh Neufeld, everyone should take time to check out his amazing work with nonfiction graphic novels: A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge

5.  Guofang Wan won the NCTE media literacy award!!!

Dan Goldman & Jerry Craft: Two Awesome Artists to Know About!

Hi everyone!  

I had an excellent time at the Miami Book Fair last week!   Of particular significance, I had the AWESOME opportunity to meet Dan Goldman, creator of 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail and Jerry Craft, creator of Mama's Boyz.  Both of these guys are SUPER nice and SUPER talented so please go check out their work!  

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth

Logicomix is a New York Times bestselling graphic novel about logician/philosopher Bertrand Russell and his search for the logical foundation of mathematics. Check out this review from BoingBoing's Mark Frauenfelder, and learn more about the book and authors on the book's website.

Miami Book Fair

If anyone will be in the South Florida area this Friday, please stop by the Miami Book Fair for the School of Comics and Graphic Novels, starting Friday at 10 a.m.

Friday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Room 7128 (Bldg. 7, First Floor)

I am totally humbled to say I will be presenting in the company of some totally awesome people! Below are just a FEW of their accolades. :)

Carol Fitzgerald, founder of graphicnovelreporter.com

Harry Bliss, author of Luke on the Loose

Dan Goldman, author of 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail

John Shableski, sales manager for the world's leader in graphic novel distribution, Diamond Book Distributors

Alex Simmons, founder of Kids Comic Con

James Sturm, Directors of the Center for Cartoon Studies

Carol Tyler, award-winning writer of autobiographical comics over the last 25 years

It's Here . . . Teaching Graphic Novels now available!

Hello everyone,

Teaching Graphic Novels is now available!!! If you want to check out some of the book's features and lesson ideas please click here. Maupin House has graciously posted some features from the book. :)

Bitstrips for Schools

Bitstrips for Schools lets students create and share comic books using online art and multimedia tools. Teachers register a classroom account at the site first, and then each student signs on under that account. The site is subscription-based, but they're offering a 14-day free trial for teachers to test the program. A basic online account for an entire class costs $87 for a year (that's less than $10 a month!). Teachers moderate the comics, which pass through Internet filters to prevent sharing of inappropriate material. If you're looking to teach reading, writing, and storytelling in a high-tech, innovative, and fun way, check out the site and see if it's for you.

School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids

School Library Journal offers a great round-up of kid-friendly comics, professional resources, reviews, and helpful links on their Good Comics for Kids blog. We were excited to see the Teaching Graphic Novels blog get a mention!

Study shows comics promote early literacy

A University of Illinois study is helping to promote the idea that reading comics is just as beneficial to young children as reading any other type of book. Carol Tilley, a professor at University of Illinois' Department of Library and Information Science, explains that comics instill a love of reading, increase vocabulary, prompt kids to put pictures and words together, and are "just as complex as any other kind of literature." Tilley goes on to say, "If reading is to lead to any meaningful knowledge or comprehension, readers must approach a text with an understanding of the relevant social, linguistic and cultural conventions."

For more on the study, check out the latest issue of School Library Monthly and this Science Daily article.

NCTE New Media Gallery

If you want to learn more about new literacies, please join some of my awesome friends and I on Friday, November 20th in Philadelphia, PA. "Graphic novels, movies, television, and beyond!!!"

EduComics

Educomics is part of the European Union Comenius education project under the Life Long Learning Programme that shows educators how "digital comics can be used in the classroom to enhance learning, engage and motivate students, and use technology in a practical and effective way." Through educator training and workshops, teachers will acquire the strategies they need to create lessons and use comics in the classroom.

To get involved today, download the Comiclab application for making Web comic books.

For further information, please contact Educomics Coordinator Dr. Symeon Retalis via http://www.educomics.org.

James Bucky Carter Saves the Day . . .

If you want a fresh, honest, and RIGHT-ON perspective about the current state of graphic novels and their relationship to the standards, please read the-always brilliant comments of Dr. James Bucky Carter, from University of Texas El Paso.

Early Reader COMIX Reader's Theatre

For those of you who work with early readers, please check out this new link from Toon Books. Based on their early reader comic Luke on the Loose, a New York teacher and her students perform a comix reader's theatre!!!