Children’s Book Week Spotlight: Resources for Educators and Librarians

CBLDFPM-CVRIn addition to our daily posts recommending kids’ comics by age group to celebrate Children’s Book Week, don’t forget our resources to help educators and librarians hone their comics expertise!

Comics Connector

CBLDF’s Comics Connector is a directory resource that connects educators and librarians with creators, editors and other comics professionals who are able to provide classroom or library visits. More than 50 comics professionals in 12 states and one Canadian province have signed up with the Comics Connector so far, and more will be added each week. Educators can view participating creators and creators can sign up for this free resource by visiting https://cbldf.org/resources/comics-connector/

Using Graphic Novels in Education

Using Graphic Novels in Education is an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including those that have been targeted by censors, and provide teaching and discussion suggestions for the use of such books in classrooms. Check it out here!

Banned/Challenged Comics Discussion Guides

Given their visual nature, comics are easy targets for would-be censors. CBLDF Discussion Guides are tools that can be used to lead conversations about challenged graphic novels and to help allay misconceptions about comics.

CBLDF Discussion Guides can be used by librarians, educators, retailers, or anyone who wants to lead a conversation about a graphic novel. In each guide, you will find the following:

  • Synopsis: A brief summary of the major plot points in the graphic novel
  • Themes: The overarching ideas that the creator(s) express in the graphic novel
  • Reasons Challenged: The reasons why people have tried to censor the book
  • Suggested Age Range: The age group for which the book is most likely suitable
  • Discussion Questions: Tiered questions organized by cognitive complexity, from basic recall to higher-order thinking
  • Activities: Projects and activities to take the conversation about graphic novels beyond the library or classroom and to encourage greater engagement with comics

Download the free discussion guides here!

Banned Books Week Handbook

The CBLDF Banned Books Week Handbook is a free resource that gives you the scoop about what comics are banned, how to report and fight censorship, and how to make a celebration of Banned Books Week in your community! CBLDF’s Banned Books Week Handbook is an essential tool to assist librarians, educators, and retailers in planning their Banned Books Week celebrations, while also being a vital reference to help readers everywhere fight censorship.

Click here to download a copy, or view the full handbook below.

Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love to Read!

With more than 80,000 copies in print, Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read! answers the questions parents and educators bring to using comics: What skills do graphic novels offer kids? How do you teach reading with a comics page? How do comics promote a love of reading? It’s an indispensable tool for showcasing the value of graphic novels, and chock full of reading suggestions and title recommendations to get kids engaged with this exciting medium!

This resource is written by Dr. Meryl Jaffe, with an introduction by three-time Newbery Award honoree Jennifer L. Holm (Babymouse, Squish) and art by Eisner Award winner Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama) and Eisner Award nominee Matthew Holm (Babymouse, Squish). Graphic design was handled by Brooklyn-based designer David Herman. Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read! is available in bundles from CBLDF here. You can view the digital version below!

CBLDF Presents Manga: Introduction, Challenges, and Best Practices

Manga is a worldwide phenomenon: One of the most widely read types of literature in its home country of Japan, it has crossed the world to become a very popular category here in the United States.

Often, manga is challenged because of its foreign source — many of the people who want manga banned simply don’t understand it. CBLDF works to educate people about manga, and part of that effort is CBLDF Presents Manga: Introduction, Challenges, and Best Practices,an authoritative yet accessible handbook designed to help librarians, educators, and parents navigate the vast and popular field of manga.

Made possible with a grant from the Gaiman Foundation and published by Dark Horse, CBLDF Presents Manga is a handbook designed to provide a concise and informed overview of manga — its history, genres, and issues. This educational work delves into the history of manga, its major demographic divisions, its most significant creators, and the challenges it has sometimes faced in North America. An expert panel of writers, including not only scholars of the medium but veterans of the manga industry itself — professionals who have worked from both the North American and Japanese sides of manga in publishing, editing, review, and library services. Edited by Melinda Beasi of Manga Bookshelf, CBLDF Presents Manga is written by Manga Bookshelf columnist Sean Gaffney, Ed Chavez of Vertical, Erica Friedman of Yuricon and ALC Publishing, Shaenon Garrity of Viz Media and Otaku USA, and Robin Brenner and Katherine Dacey of School Library Journal.

If your students or patrons are interested in manga and you want to learn more about the category, you can pick up a copy of CBLDF Presents Manga here!

Children’s Book Week (May 4 – 10, 2015), the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, was established in 1919 and is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year commemorative events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes, and now comic book stores! On May 2, Free Comic Book Day led off the celebration of Children’s Book Week at more than 2,000 comic book specialty stores, which will be giving away millions of free kids comics! To learn more about Children’s Book Week, and how you can join the fun, please visit www.bookweekonline.com. Check out official events from coast to coast at www.bookweekonline.com/official. For a list of comic book shops participating in Children’s Book Week events, visit CBLDF’s website here. To learn more about Free Comic Book Day, please visit www.freecomicbookday.com.

Celebrate the freedom to read comics for all ages and CBLDF’s important First Amendment work by visiting the Rewards Zone, making a donation, or becoming a member of CBLDF!