Should Children Read Comics?

Growing up, I remember buying a Comic book weekly! Every parent wants to cultivate a good reader and many are asking the question, “Should Children read comics?”  Can a daily diet of comics such X-Men, Superman or Iron Man nurture a good reader and can it bring out the best of our children?

In my childhood, I have always been surrounded by the Wonders of Superman and Captain America. Every week, after my piano lessons, I was given the weekly treat of being able to purchase my favorite Marvel or DC comics from the neighborhood vendor.  Even when I was too young to read, I was fascinated with the color and pictures, and I loved flicking through the weekly issues.

However, many critics have looked down on comic books and have proposed that Comics are too simple and that they don’t carry the complexity of “Real Books”. Yes! one can definitely imagine your uptight English Teacher making that remark…

It is against this background, that many parents ask the question … Should children read comics? Research findings have made people look at this issue differently and ask different questions.

Experts today propose that reading comics is just as sophisticated as other forms of reading and that children do benefit from reading them. There is evidence that reading comics increased a child’s vocabulary and instilled a love for reading. Children who read comics also tend to read other materials.

Personally, my reading evolved from reading comic books, to later magazines, newspapers and books.  For myself, I believe that reading comic books, does encourage and cultivate the healthy habit of reading.

Do you allow your kids to read comics? 

For our kids, we do encourage them to read and any other form of material is allowed in our house. To help my kids, get to know the Bible, my son reads the Bible in Comics! He likes it, as the pictures are entertaining, and the story is very detailed. Naturally, he has his Bible in other forms, and the Action Bible does supplement his understanding of the Bible stories, that he might have read in another form.

Recently, we also got our hands on the latest Manga Comic book about the founding father of Singapore. I am sure that everyone has heard about our Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and it was a definite treat to read about his story in Comics form.

Presented by Shogakukan Asia Pte Ltd and created by author Yoshio Nabeta and illustrator Yoshihide Fujiwara, “The LKY Story – Lee KuanYew: The Man Who Shaped a Nation” chronicles the life and story of Mr Lee in 248 painstakingly hand-drawn pages.

Due to the worldwide appeal of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, both Daddy and Mummy picked up the comic as well. Personally, this is our first time reading a Manga comic, and we had to get used to the different orientation found in these oriental comics.

Firstly, we had to read from right to left, and Mummy had big problems understanding the sequence of the boxes. Although there was a directional page right in the front of the comic book, the guide was of not much help to her.

This naturally aroused a snigger from the whole family, as she did not grow up with comics! 🙂

Verdict on SM Lee Kuan Yew’s Comic 

This comic book deserves a thumbs up! The subject matter about the founding father of Modern Singapore is definitely interesting and together with the artistically drawn graphics, the book kept us reading from page to page.

Content wise, the children were also educated about the political interest found in modern Singapore, and it added as a great learning tool for the kids.