WHO WE ARE
Reading With Pictures was founded in 2009 by award-winning graphic novelist and nationally syndicated cartoonist Josh Elder in order to revolutionize the role of comics in education. The organization has since grown to comprise eight board members drawn from publishing and academia, including John Shableski, Sales Manager for Diamond Book Distributors, and David Rapp, an Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Cognitive Psychology at Northwestern University. We also engage the talents of more than 60 active volunteers from all over the world in various capacities.
At Reading With Pictures, we believe that comics have the potential to be more engaging, more efficient and more effective educational tools than traditional classroom materials. We believe it because we’ve experienced it in our own lives. Comics made us better students, better citizens and better people. Now we hope to share those experiences with pupils in every city, in every school and in every classroom.
OUR PLANNED PROJECTS
- Partnering with Northwestern University and other academic institutions to oversee the largest and most comprehensive research study in U.S. history on the role of comics in education
- Building an interactive database of research papers, lesson plans and comic-centric curriculum
- Providing educational consultation services to schools and publishers
- Working with cartoonists to produce top-quality educational comics
- Helping universities design courses in the burgeoning field of Comics Studies
- Creating a Speakers Bureau to get cartoonists into schools and libraries
- Aggregating graphic novel reviews from various accredited sources and generating recommended reading lists for every age group and subject matter
OUR MISSION
Reading With Pictures is a nonprofit organization that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve educational outcomes for all students. We work with academics to cultivate groundbreaking research into the proper role of comics in education. We collaborate with cartoonists to produce exceptional graphic novel content for scholastic use. Most importantly, we partner with educators to develop a system of best practices for integrating comics into their curriculum. At Reading With Pictures, we get comics into schools and get schools into comics.
The Reading With Pictures Anthology is our proof of concept – a book designed to demonstrate the power comics have in bridging the gap between entertainment and education. All 192 of the anthology’s full-color pages are appropriate and accessible to the youngest of readers, yet still enjoyable and engaging for the oldest of them as well. The anthology features a cover by Jill Thompson (The Sandman) and stories by Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man), Ryan Dunlavey (Action Philosophers), Jeffrey Brown (Sulk), Raina Telgemeier (The Baby-Sitter’s Club), Jim Gownley (Amelia Rules), Chris Giarrusso (Mini-Marvels), John Gallagher and Rich Faber (Buzzboy), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle), Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes (Unshelved), Scott Sava (Dreamland Chronicles), the Fillbach Brothers (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), John Bivens (Comic Book Tattoo), Russell Lissau (Shrek), Erica Currey (Finding Nemo) and RWP President, Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja). All told, over 50 volunteer cartoonists – from acclaimed industry veterans to up-and-coming talent – have donated their time and considerable skills to create all-new stories that prove comics belong in the classroom. Get your copy of the Reading With Pictures Anthology through Amazon!
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Will you be part of our story? Here’s how you can participate:
- Send proven lesson plans, intriguing articles and testimonials on your experience with comics in the classroom.
- Volunteer to assist with developing and importing resources to our website.
- Make a financial donation.
CONTACT
Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook. Reach us at info@readingwithpictures.org.
Dear Trevor,
Hello again. We met at Comic Con, where I tried to attend your presentation on Friday. I’m the woman in the gold dress who visited your booth to introduce myself, and I would like to do so again here. I’m mightily impressed with the goals of Reading with Pictures and would like to offer my assistance and work.
I’m the author/illustrator of a new children’s graphic novel, Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles; as well as the graphic article/ nonfiction comic series Humanimal Doodles, which appear monthly in the children’s science magazine Odyssey (which nominated them for the AAAS Kavli science journalism award) and which have been seen on Animal Planet, NASA What on Earth?, World Wildlife Fund, and other websites. I would like to have my work included in your next anthology, but can also offer help with the classroom effort and research to support it, if needed.
I’m a former Scholastic editor with broad experience in creating curriculum materials in formal and informal education settings. I could help create teaching and student programs for using comics in the classroom, enhancing them with art and writing workshopping as well as content-oriented and standards-linked lessons and support.
I’m also involved in programs that use visual formats to reach girls, children with learning differences, and other possibly underserved children, and have a great interest in transmedia crossover methods for finding new audiences.
I’d like to have a conversation with you folks to see if there’s a way we could work together.
Yours,
Karen Romano Young
Hi, Josh: I attended your session on The Future of Comics in the Classroom at the recent NYCC. Great job! I’m an academic with an EdD from Columbia U’s Teachers College, as well as a former NYC teacher. Recently, I wrote press releases and other materials on the topic of graphic novels for a nonprofit called Young Audiences. Plus, I write curriculum for various publishers, esp. Scholastic.
If you can use an education writer to develop curriculum or lesson plans for the schools, please contact me….
Susan Shafer
I went to the Comic Con in NY and saw Josh’s presentation. It made taking an unpaid day off from work worth it knowing I would be able to bring this back and try to convince other people reading….even a COMIC will help a student learn to read! Please if you may email me information on how to become a participating school for the study or ANYTHING related to this program research, lesson plans, etc.
Thank you for a honest, funny presentation that was well thought out.
PS my sister came from Colorado and met the other person who is working with kids in Denver. She is now going to try and get her employer to see if they can do their community service projects with them!!!
Thank you again and look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Adriana Rojas
History Educator
New Jersey