No Surprise Here

Speaking as someone who’s lifelong love ofSome might say “addiction to”… reading was to some significant degree ignited by regular trips to pick up comics from the used bins at Allison The Bookman, it’s no surprise to me that research shows that kids reading comics “increased their vocabulary and instilled a love of reading”. I’d say there’s a serious degree of function as a gateway drug to novels as well–at least in my case.

Comic books are good for children’s learning
Parents should not “look down” on comics as they are just as good for children as reading books, a new study claims.

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Professor Carol Tilley, from the department of library and information science, said that comics are just as sophisticated as other forms of reading, and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other kinds of books.

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“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.

“And if you really consider how the pictures and words work together to tell a story, you can make the case that comics are just as complex as any other kind of literature.”

More details at the Telegraph.

And all of that doesn’t even address how comics can make kids consider careers in genetics, molecular biochemistry, and advanced exoskeleton engineering.