Are you having trouble getting your adventurous child to slow down long enough to read? Comic books and magazines might be a great solution, according to educator, artist, and yep, my oldest daughter, Anna Krafve Pierce, my fellow book-loving word-nerd.
Picture stories help even the most reading-reluctant children to process language, according to Anna. Seriously. And she has the expertise to back up her opinion.
Plus, comic books and magazines capture American heroic tales and values. Obviously, parents have to choose their comic books wisely. I threw that in because I’m a bit of a sceptic.
Comic Books and Cartoon Adventures
Anna has tons of experience in educating kids of all ages. I confess I used to be a book comic book snob. Of course, that’s long before my artistic daughter challenged me to think harder. Just what slows down an adventurous child long enough to read? Comic books might be the answer after all.
“Figure out what your kid loves and buy them picture book about it—whether that’s a comic or magazine,” says Anna. “My husband loved animals so his parents bought him the Ranger Rick things early.”
Every issue of Ranger Rick includes a cartoon story in which the animal cartoon characters resolve a conflict while maintaining their friendship, according to Anna.
“My children love it and it’s very wholesome.”
Defining Adventurous
Why would anyone want to encourage their child to be adventurous? Great question! Adventure seems scary, especially to the loving parent who foresees booboos, broken bones, and trips to the emergency room.
Here’s how we define adventurous.
Adventurous — open to new, even scary experiences in order to grow. Willing to step into fear for the sake of others.
Anna reminded me that we always say the purpose of education is to serve others.
“That’s why you would be adventurous as well. Because you see an opportunity to make life better for the people around you,” she says. “Or you see an opportunity to obey God, which is essentially the same thing.”
Therefore, you step out of your comfort zone and grow. You take on a new adventure.
Vicarious Adventure for the Adventure-averse Child
But what if you have a naturally cautious child. Yep, every family has at least one child who likes to play it safe. What a blessing, too!
Reading is an open invitation to explore and experience scary new adventures. All while safely tucked away in a soft arm chair.
Anna loves it that her son is naturally thoughtful and careful. However, comic books stimulate his imagination in some surprising, positive ways.
“He just discovered comic books. It’s interesting. He has a higher tolerance for the intensity of the book and the story line when it’s a comic book. I think because in a comic book the hero is so obvious.”
Knowing how much I like conversational adventures, it’s no wonder I love this quote.
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
Just for you, I added a few more great quotes at the end of today’s blog.
Magazines: Same Family, Different Kids
Sometimes when you read out loud to your kids, one child might lose interest and wander away. Anna likes the way a magazine keeps both her children engaged.
“With a magazine, they sit there, waiting and listening to the thing that probably they actually need to hear. Because it’s what the other person wants to listen to. Waiting on their turn because they want to pick next.”
“I have a bold child and a thoughtful child and I want them both to be adventurous. Particularly with your definition,” says Anna.
She loves to read the magazines her mom-in-law picked out for her kids, Clubhouse Junior by Focus on the Family.
“They have little projects and food recipes, which my son loves because he’s always hungry. And they have mazes which he wants me to do with him. They have a Bible story. And of course, it’s written like a book but it has big illustrations.”
Her children look forward to the animal stories, gardening instructions, and Bible verses in each issue, too.
“They’re really nice and they appeal to both my children. Anything where my two very different children are engaged in the same thing is good because they have the strengths the other one needs.”
Art and the Visual Child
“You knew I loved art,” adds Anna, pulling her first art book ever off her shelf as we talk. “It’s Frederick Remington: Art for Children. “It might as well be a comic book as far as the number of words. It’s just full of pictures. And then bold words that tell stories about each of the art works.
I clearly remember choosing the book because the typeface was so much fun. Well, and who can resist cowboys?
“That’s the beginning of my art book collection,” she adds. “To this day art is my profession. It’s what I love. It was a picture book that got me there—that started it all.”
Art is such a great way to teach kids to love to read. Museums with kids can be less daunting, pure fun than classroom style teaching. Plus, the little placards in museums are quick reading.
Sequencing to Read
How do pictures in comic books, storybooks, and magazines prepare a young child to read? Sequencing, according to Anna.
“What is the order the story is told in? Or in Math, it’s the same way. What order do the numbers go in?” she explains. “Some of us are better at it than others.”
She explained how some kids struggle to read lines because all the lines of text look the same; gray.
“In a comic book those lines of text are different,” she says. “And the sequence on them moves from box to box. Then the lines are very obvious because they’re bigger.”
She teaches comics in her art classes for those reasons and many more.
“There are actually terms for the individual boxes. And the different kinds of talking bubbles. So it’s a technical skill to be able to make and read a comic.” Who knew?
Reading Backwards
She also loves Manga. But I could never read backwards.
“Oh sure you could. You’ll learn if you enjoyed the stories enough,” responded Anna. “Those stories are so fun,” she added.
Since I wanted to talk about American heroes, Anna threw in more about the Manga archetypal heroes in contrast as another way to cross-pollinate our children’s respect for other ethnic backgrounds.
“I also love some of the heroes out of the Manga. Some of those coming to us from Japan or China are just phenomenal heroes. The things they emphasize as heroic are slightly different. Which I think are beautiful. And the art is gorgeous.”
Favorite Comic Book Heroes
Personally I prefer the old American comics. They tended to epitomized a liberty-loving hero in someone who was not perfect. Someone who was human. We can all relate to the weaknesses incorporated into their characters. But strong American work ethic and values.
“I love Spiderman. When he’s being done well,” Anna says, explaining further. “This latest series of movies kind of brought him back into alignment for me. Where he is a high schooler and he has the strengths and weaknesses of one. High school boys are hilarious!”
She loves the way movie producers brought him back to be that funny quirky, almost dorky young man coming into his own.
She also likes Paw Patrol books for kids books with heroic characters.
“I love them because the little puppies mess up but the key to it all is they depend on friendship, essentially good fellowship. And they have each others’ backs.”
She likes the way the brightly colored books are easy to read. And short.
Anna’s Most Surprising Adventure Hero
When I looked up the word “adventure” in the Bible nothing popped up. Just as I expected, so I let it go.
Then, Anna surprised me with a twist on a familiar story. She cited Paul as one of history’s all-time great adventurers.
“Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness….”
~2 Corinthians 11:25-27
Phew! Certainly, when you think about each experience, Paul tallied a very long list of adventures!
Of course, Bible stories are glorious for helping us process life’s challenges. What a wonderful way to teach children to think ahead of time about adventure!
The Bible, books, yes even comic books, invite our children to contemplate examples of good ways and bad ways to respond to a crisis.
I hope today’s blog and podcast give you lots of freedom. To love the stories your children love. Even when, especially when, they come to you in comic book pictures!
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
Who is your favorite comic book hero? Which art books do you love? What scrapes with your adventurous child still make you chuckle? Or tremble?
It’s ALL About You!
Thank you for reading my stuff. Your fellowship means the world to me. Our one goal at Camp Krafve is to change the culture one healthy conversation at a time. We are really grateful for YOU in this with us!
🙂
Cathy
May we pray together?
Dear good Father, You have blessed us with a sense of adventure and humor. Plus, so much creativity. Help us let go of false preconceived ideas. Thank You for all that Anna shared today. And thank You for all the ways our children challenge us to think past our assumptions. Yep, old age can be a blessing, dear Lord. Faithfully lead us as we offer insight to the next generation about what adventure really means. Give us courage and perseverance to live out the exciting adventure You designed each one of us for. We need wisdom and we look to You for it. Bless us now because that’s Your heart’s desire. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.
Book Tour Adventures!
Would you believe that our Book Tour was a huge step of faith for me? Yep, but my goodness, how God blessed us along the way! Thank you to all the new friends who made Dave and I feel so welcome! And a HUGE thank you to all who prayed! Watch here for pics and news from the trail.
After a breather we have more events and plans coming up this fall, including our next Book Bananza! Because we are Bananas for Books!
So stay tuned for more adventures to come!
Your Own Upcoming Adventures
Conversational Adventures
Are you dreaming of your own conversational adventures? Could the right conversation change everything in your life? How can we take a deep breath and step into our fear of rejection?
At Camp Krafve, we’re creating tools to help you pass along bold, noble ideas.
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Then, help us by writing a review. And THANK YOU!!!!
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Cathy Krafve, speaker, host of Fireside Talk Radio, and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. We invite you to join the Fireside Tribe. Truth with a Texas Twang
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