Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson for February 25, 2020

Anything can go in a book report. One time I did one about Garfield the cat. My teacher said it was the most interesting and entertaining thing he’s heard. Easy “A”!

Well Dakota, your mom is objectively wrong. That’s not me saying that; it’s been scientifically proven, by science.

Wait until this gets into a print collection. That’s long-term planning of a meta joke.

now why would any teacher disallow graphic novels to be used for book reports?

As a nerd and a reader of graphic novels, I am offended, Dakota!

My son had no interest in reading until he discovered my stash of Mad Magazine (‘60 thru the 80’s) ‘He shouldn’t read that trash’. He devoured that trash. From there, beings as he had gotten into Nintendo while reading the trash, he got into one of the major Gaming magazines. ‘OMG! He’s never going to make it!!’ Finally, coming up through Jr High and High School he had been reading library books, proud to say science fiction was included in that. In college he also read and understood the Ender Series, especially the later books which can be highly political (in that universe’s mess). So I say let ’em start reading what they want (excluding pornography and such) and as they grow and expand their minds they will range further and further until they have shelves of books.

Since when is Dakota’s mom a literary expert?! Follow your instinct, Phoebe!

So Dakota wanted to do her book report on a graphic novel and her mother didn’t let her and wrote one on a “real” book instead herself.

This is when the “G” rating for comics is a real problem, as the correct response is “Tell your mom to go f@%* herself!”

AFAIK, Graphic Novels were allowed. Your mom can go suck a lemon, Dakota. She clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

The second panel has the most Evil Dakota ever!!!

(feels sad for the characters in this cartoon)

While you have to read them, I see no difference.

How is it her magic hair hasn’t strangled her yet?

My mom says…go find out for yourself Dakota. Graphic novels have more going on in the visual than a lot of people realize.

Ohhohoho, Dakota, I hope you know that THIS means war for that comment, because there are plenty out there who are absolutely NOT going to take that lying down.

A good punch in her mouth would help

Just read. Period. Find something you like but be willing to venture out of your comfort zone. Soon your love of books will expand and so will your mind. That first step is so important.

A common misconception by those who have never read a graphic novel. Some (and I repeat SOME) of them are as carefully crafted and as captivating as a printed novel. The writer has created a world that the reader wants to visit, and isn’t that the mark of a good novel? Then the artist illustrates that world and makes it better.

I do the minutes for a local governing board of commissioners which includes some locally prominent and successful people. Occasionally one of the will really struggle to read a document a loud and I fell so sorry for that person. He admitted that he doesn’t like to read but began reading news articles on the internet. His reading improved almost immediately.

Bottom line… it doesn’t matter what they read so long as they are reading. If the material is wholly inappropriate, try substituting more appropriate material that may appeal to them.

My favorite way to handle the requirement that my kids read 20 minutes a night in elementary school was to have them turn on the subtitles while they watched a video.

(sniff) I write GNs…

Personally I would rather the term “graphic novel” only be used for a book designed from the beginning to be a single book, not merely a collection of monthly comic books. That being said, though, of COURSE graphic novels can be real books, even if they’re “only” collections of comic books. But that would depend on the quality of the original comic books, of course. VERY few things are “Watchmen” or “Sandman” quality.

Read to them when they’re little (and often) and make sure they see YOU reading…

I remember once my brother got hold of some black-and-white comics (if that’s the word) called “Creepy.” It had stories about ghouls, vampires, macabre things. I had already seen it, but my dad took one look inside the cover, said “This isn’t for my kids” and threw it in the trash. We didn’t see much of those things afterwards.