Turns out Lord Epa’s major problem with reading was he didn’t care for the stories they were being forced to read. He is a regular bookworm these days.

Once they’re reading well, they pick more challenging books than comics. I had a 5th grade student who was so excited that was learning something his older brother didn’t know–he was reading an article in Scientific American about a new discovery.

Dr. Hilda Moss in “The Complete Handbook of Children’s Reading Disorders,” argues persuasively that comic books can contribute to “linear dyslexia” because text does not always line up in a left to right pattern and the pictures contribute to eye movement problems. She also had some interesting stats about comic book reading and dyslexia. Her book is well worth reading, and the portion about comic books convinced me to avoid them altogether if possible, but certainly during the first year or 2 of reading when the skill is still being developed.

You’re right, I hadn’t thought about it myself, and would have thought that reading anything was better than reading nothing, but Mosse’s book convinced me otherwise. And, it does make sense when you think about it.

Thanks for the kind words about the website. I have a bunch of stuff I want to add, but with 2 little ones and a move coming up, I don’t think I’ll be adding anything for a few months. We’re currently near the Library of Congress, and I’ve found a lot of interesting information there recently about reading and spelling.