Interview: Eric Kallenborn on Graphic Novels in the Classroom — Good Comics for Kids
I spoke to Eric Kallenborn when I was researching The People’s Comics: Using the Graphic Format to Teach About Current Events, which is the cover story of this month’s School Library Journal. Eric is an English teacher at Alan B. Shepard High School in Palos Heights, Illinois, and he has a lot to say about graphic novels in the classroom, so today I’m running our interview in full. First of all, which graphic novels do you use, and in what classes?
The kids are alright: young adult post-disaster novels can teach us about trauma and survival
COVID-19 is changing the way we live. Panic buying, goods shortages, lockdown – these are new experiences for most of us. But it’s standard fare for the protagonists of young adult (YA) post-disaster novels. In Davina Bell’s latest book, The End of the World Is Bigger than Love (2020), a global pandemic, cyberterrorism and climate change are interrelated disasters that have destroyed the world as we know it. Like most post-disaster novels, the book is more concerned with how we survive rather than understanding the causes of disaster. As such, we can read it to explore our fears, human responses to disaster and our capacity to adapt.
Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to offer Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read!, a resource for parents & educators about the learning benefits of comics!
Activities for Middle School Libraries
Middle school students aren't too old to enjoy library activities, and some exercises can help students prepare for harder research projects and writing assignments that they'll encounter in high school and college. The purpose of a middle school library is to help preteens appreciate reading while they're also exploring databases, reference materials and a wide variety of fictional and nonfictional materials. Activities should accommodate strong readers as well as those who are still working to improve their reading skills. Catalogue Races
Resources and Toolkits
The Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table Resources and Toolkits collects, creates, and promotes content around how to best use comics in the classroom, in the library, and in advocacy. 2019 Sept #CreatorsGetCarded promotion for #LibraryCardSignup Month NEW! Quick Guide to Reading Library Comics at Home - March 2020 (updates will be made as needed) Comic Peoples Resources: Industry Finances - March 2020 (created for C2E2 2020) - This guide offers resources for finding financial information specific to the comics industry. It is primarily focused on North American markets and standards. Social Justice and Comics - June 2019 (book lists created during sessions at ALA Annual 2019 Friday Forum) - topics include: body image, disabilities, immigration, incarceration, intersection of queer and people of color, and non-traditional families
365 Graphic Novel Reviews - Mr. Kallenborn: The Other Comic Book Teacher
This is where you will find the list of my 365 graphic novel reviews and quick links to them. Click on the title of the book to be taken to that review. Next to the review number, I have noted if the book is (Non-Fiction).
Young adult fiction's dark themes give the hope to cope
Problem or issue-based young adult novels are not new occurrences. From John Green’s Fault in Our Stars (2012) to Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why (2007), books aimed at readers as young as 12, and as old at 35, have long been exposing and exploring adult themes, at detriment only to characters on the page. S.E Hinton’s The Outsiders (1967), sometimes considered the first young adult novel, dealt with the darker side of adolescent life showing the violence of America’s gang culture. During the 1990s novels based around social issues were being published regularly. Australia’s John Marsden was one of the leading authors of novels of this kind with work such as Dear Miffy (1997). Killing Aurora (1999) by Helen Barnes, Care factor Zero (1997) by Margaret Clark, and Shoovey Jed (1997) by Maureen Stewart are further examples Australian Young Adult fiction from the 90s that dealt with confronting themes – anorexia, child abuse and depression amongst them respectively.
What to Read Next: Raina Telgemeier — Good Comics for Kids
While Raina Telgemeier has been extremely popular over the last few years, this year I cannot keep any of her books on the shelf. I have multiple copies of each of her titles, and all of them are checked out with waiting lists. In a day, I have five to six requests for her books. Since I can’t feed this need quickly enough, I’ve been trying to come up with a list of read-alikes to satiate my students’ Raina Telgemeier hunger. And I have the best resource available! My wonderful colleagues at Good Comics 4 Kids.
Free Coloring Books from World-Class Libraries & Museums: The Met, New York Public Library, Smithsonian & More
Calling all coloring book lovers. You can now take part in #ColorOurCollections 2017–a campaign where museums and libraries worldwide will make available free coloring books, letting you color artwork from their collections and then share it on Twitter and other social media platforms. When sharing, use the hashtag #ColorOurCollections. Below you can find a collection of free coloring books, which you can download and continue to enjoy. If you see any that we’re missing, please let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to update the page.
