If you have school aged children you should know about Papercutz Graphic Novels for Kids

August is Kids Comic Month so I thought it was a good time to give a plug to one of our family's favorite comic book publishers Papercutz.  Papercutz specialized in producing graphic novels ( aka  comic books ) for kids.  Whether you have a preschooler, tween or teen, Papercutz will have something of interest that will encourage girls and boys to enjoy reading and appreciate artwork.

My 6 year old daughter loves Papercutz's Disney Fairies collection which portray the adventures of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends.  Many of these comic books are illustrations of the Disney's Fairies lineup of movies and as a parent I appreciate that Papercutz provides a way for her to enjoy these stories through reading versus her just watching the dvds all the time.  Reading these comic books has encouraged her to go looking for a book rather than just turn on the TV when she is looking for something to entertain herself.

My son enjoys reading Papercutz's Dinosaurs series which are full of humorous stories that also provide a lot of educational insights into these prehistoric beasts.  He's always providing family and friends Dinosaur related insights and trivia since he started reading these comic books.

Both of my twins enjoy reading the adventures of Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton which feature brightly illustrated tales of perilous journeys, solving mysteries, investigating wrong doings, and time travel by some adventurous mice.  Geronimo Stilton is the Editor-In-Chief of the Rodent’s Gazette, the most famouse newspaper on Mouse Island. Geronimo's comic book adventures often involve spoiling the hijinks of his archenemies the Pirate Cats.  Geronimo isn't the only world-famouse adventurer from New Mouse City though - his sister Thea has her own comic book series.  In this series, Thea teaches a journalism class at Mouseford Academy and narrates the stories of five of her students who call themselves the Thea Sisters whose desire to be real, live journalists tend to get them mixed up in a whole lot of adventures.

Some people consider reading comic books a lazy effort at reading for kids. I've found though our family's experiences that the pictures in comic books have built my kids' confidence as beginner readers.  The visual context from the illustrations provides them with clues and cues about the words and sentences they are reading through.  Plus since the text in comic books tends to be one or two line sentences at a time broken up through panels and artwork it helps keep early readers from becoming over-whelmed as they spell out words and look for sight words.  I've also found that when I read these comic books to my kids the pictures tend to help my kids follow along and pick up the spelling and meaning of words as they relate to the illustrations also boosting their literary skills.  My personal feeling is that comic books are great for kids as long as they are reading age appropriate content.

That's where Papercutz comes in!  They have a great selection to choose from for various age groups.  For younger children they have the title's I've already mentioned plus others like Smurfs, Rio, and Disney Graphic Novels.  Tweens may like The Garfield Show, Sybil the Backpack Fairy, Toto Trouble, Lunch Witch, LEGO Ninjago, and Power Rangers.  Teens aren't left out either with titles like Annoying Orange, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Three Stooges, Tales from the Crypt, and WWE Slam City.

Do you know kids that are reluctant readers?  Many of Papercutz titles are tied to television shows and movies which create a tie-in to encourage kids to dive into the books.  Maybe a child is behind in their reading skills, these comics can be a non-intimidating way to help.  Once a child starts reading, if they are enjoying themselves that can help them become avid readers and transition to more text based books as they improve on their literacy skills.  Pulitzer Prize winning comic book artist and editor Art Spiegelman once said "Comic are a gateway drug to literacy."  Plus there is nothing wrong with children growing up to appreciate and enjoy comic books as a leisurely activity as adults.  I still enjoy reading comic books myself as a 40 year old as a way to unwind from daily grind of career and parenting responsibilities.

Whether a child is in elementary school or high school, you should have them pick up some of Papercutz's Classics Illustrated which do a great job of portraying some of history's greatest works of literacy through graphic novels.  Once a kid understands that these stories aren't a bore they often times will be more inclined to pick up the real novel and potentially not throw a fit about reading one of the "classics" for a homework assignment.  Even better they might even select a classic novel to read just for the enjoyment of it.  Reading has to start somewhere and Papercutz comics are a great way to ignite a child's interest.

If you are a parent with kids from preschool to high school in age you should know about Papercutz. To check out Papercutz's catalog of products, visit papercutz.com
 
Papercutz gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for providing age appropriate comic book content that allow children and teens to enjoy quality stories that aren't filled with violence, sexual content and other topics that make parents wince. Papercutz has a niche that caters to kids and does an exceptional job of providing products that will make both their reading audience and parents happy.

Children's Book Week: May 4 - 10, 2015

It is Children's Book Week, a time to encourage the joy of reading with young people plus celebrate children's books and the authors that write them.  Administered by Every Child A Reader and sponsored by The Children's Book Council, commemorative events are being held across the United States from May 4 - 10, 2015 at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes - wherever young readers and books connect!  CLICK HERE for a list of some of the official events taking place across the country plus check with your local schools and libraries to see if they are doing anything special this week.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a divison of the U.S. Department of Education1, children who are read to at home enjoy a substantial advantage over children who are not.  Reading to kids at a young age helps build basic speech skills, cognitive thinking, imagination, and an appreciation for wanting to read for fun on their own.  The U.S. Department of Education has found a correlation between the more students read on their own time and enjoy reading for fun the higher their overall school scores will be - so getting kids interested in reading early and often is important.  We've placed an emphasis on every day reading to our children since they were toddlers and have really tried to develop their having an interest in reading in ways that demonstrate education and entertainment don't have to be mutually exclusive.  In recognition of Children's Book Week, here are a list of some of our family's favorite children's books:

Disney Fairies 

My daughter loves the Disney Fairies movies that feature the adventures of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, but we don't want her watching these videos on television or the family's ipad all the time.  A great solution has been Papercutz's series of graphic novels the explore the magical world of Pixie Hollow.  These books provide great illustrations that provide her an appreciation for artwork and entice her interest in reading.

"Comics are a gateway drug to literacy" cartoonist Art Spiegelman once said.  Whether it is going to Free Comic Book Day or having a collection of Papercutz graphic novels on our book shelves, we've embraced comics as a way to highlight that reading is fun with our children.  We want our kids to be interested in reading not because their parents tell them to be but because they want to read.

Bedtime Math

Math can be a daunting topic for many, including myself, that can be intimidating and frustrating if you let it.  Bedtime Math provides riddles that eliminate the stigma making the subject fun and encouraging kids to associate math with solving interesting puzzles rather than a boring task they have to do for school.

Have You Seen My Dragon?

Join a small boy through his adventure in the big city looking for his friend the Dragon.  As you explore the book there are various objects that you are asked to find along the journey that help children develop their counting skills. Download this free activity kit from the book's publisher for some extra educational connections for your child.

Dr. Seuss's ABC

I read this book every day to my children for two years straight when they were preschoolers and by the time they started Kindergarten not only had they memorized their ABCs but also the script of the book which they could recite back to me verbatim from memory before even being able to read.  Now as early readers, knowing the story really has helped using the book to reinforce sight words and build their confidence in reading.  ABCs with is zany cast of characters that include a lazy lion licking a lollipop and an ostrich oiling an orange owl is a great addition to any young child's book collection.

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie 

The fun illustrations and amusing story in this book make it a quick read that helps develop an appreciation of literature with children.  My kids always love flipping through this book and when I'm stretched for time this book is easy to get a bed time story read in a short amount of time. Check out this preview:

 

These are just a few of the many children's books our family enjoys.  What are some of the ones your family enjoys or you may have loved yourself as a kid?

Papercutz announces partnership with Nickelodeon

One of our family's favorite publishers is a company called Papercutz which specializes in producing graphic novels aimed for children and teens.  Whether you have a preschooler or a high schooler at home, Papercutz has something of interest to kids of all ages with titles ranging from Disney Fairies and Dinosaurs for younger children to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Diaries for older ones.  So we were excited to hear that Papercutz is expanding its offerings through a new partnership with Nickelodeon.

The partnership will give Papercutz the first option to adapt all new Nickelodeon original properties into comics and graphic novels.  The new partnership will allow Papercutz to work with Nickelodeon at the earliest stages of a show's development, ensuring that the graphic novels based on these new programs are as faithful to the original look and spirit of the series as possible. This arrangement will also allow Papercutz to make graphic novels available to book and comic stores closer to the debut of new animated series on Nickelodeon then previously possible.  Under this deal, Papercutz already has plans for publishing two new series titles in 2015 and two more graphic novel series beginning in 2016.  Plus beginning in June 2015, Papercutz will also begin publishing an all new Nickelodeon Magazine which will preview the comics content that will be featured in the graphic novels, debut new properties in comics form and also feature a variety of games, puzzles and other activities for kids.

The first two Nickelodeon-based titles to be launched by Papercutz will be SANJAY AND CRAIG debuting in September 2015 and BREADWINNERS which will debut in October 2015.

SANJAY AND CRAIG is the story of an adventurous 12-year-old boy who proves the old adage: there's nothing you can't accomplish (or destroy) as long as your best friend is a talking snake. The adventures of this dude-snake duo have been a ratings smash for Nickelodeon with the series ranking as the #2 animated show across all TV among kids 2 to 11.  The first SANJAY AND CRAIG graphic novel is set to debut just in time for the premiere of the series’ third season on Nickelodeon.

BREADWINNERS features the adventures of SwaySway and Buhdeuce, two carefree ducks who fly around in a super sweet rocket van, delivering bread to hungry beaks everywhere. Like SANJAY AND CRAIG, BREADWINNERS has been a popular program on the Nickelodeon's cable television lineup.

"Papercutz's strong track record with licensed properties for kids made them our ideal choice for a publishing partner,” stated  Linda Lee, VP of Nickelodeon Domestic Publishing, in a press release sent to A Geek Daddy Blog. "As we grow our stable of original animated properties, we wanted to work with a company that could reach the broadest possible audience. We're excited to work with the Papercutz team and we look forward to adding the Nickelodeon characters to one of the most diverse lists offered by any children's publisher."

For more information about Papercutz's graphic novel offerings, visit www.papercutz.com.

Disney Channel Hosts Fall Fairy Festival

My daughter is a big fan of Tinker Bell but she doesn't identify the character from the Peter Pan story but rather from a series of straight to DVD movies that Disney has released over the last few years.  There are six Disney Fairies animated movies out, with a seventh being released on March 3, 2015, that feature the character Tinker Bell and her fairy friends from the land of Pixie Hollow.  This isn't the mean-spirited sprite as portrayed in Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan who really wasn't that nice but rather a kinder gentler likeable version that is easier for audience to embrace as a loveable character.  I have to say that not only does my daughter love watching these films, but our whole family finds them enjoyable to watch together with their top notch animation, excellent musical soundtracks, and interesting stories.  Any of these movies would be a great selection for a family movie night.

If you haven't seen the Disney Fairy movies or would like to see one or all of them again, you are in luck this week as they will all be shown on cable television.  The Disney Channel is hosting a Fall Fairy Festival from November 10-13, 2014 showing these movies in the evening throughout the week.

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 10 @ 8 PM: TINKER BELL (2008)
Young fairy Tinker Bell causes chaos in Pixie Hallow when she rejects her predestined occupation as a fixer of broken objects and tries to learn a new trade instead.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 11 @ 6:30 PM: THE PIRATE FAIRY (2014)
Tinker Bell and her friends go in search of a wayward fairy who fled Pixie Hollow and joined up with a band of scheming pirates led by the future Captain Hook.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 11 @ 8 PM: TINKER BELL & THE LOST TREASURE (2009)
Tinker Bell journeys to save a Pixie Dust Tree.

WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 12 @ 8 PM: THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (2010)
Tinker Bell and her fairy rival strive to keep secret from humans the very existence of fairies.

THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 13 @ 8PM:  SECRET OF THE WINGS (2012)
Tinker Bell and her friends venture into the winter woods to find the secret of fairy wings.

A sixth movie the Pixie Hollow Games (2013) isn't being broadcast as part of Disney Channel Fall Fairy Festival and a seventh movie Legend of the NeverBeast is coming out in 2015.

For more information regarding anything Disney Fairies related visit: www.fairies.disney.com

As we all know kids spend too much time watching television, so I'd encourage you to also check out a great line of comics published by PAPERCUTZ if your children appreciate Disney Fairies. This company has published graphic novel portrayals of many of the Disney Fairies movies plus other comic books containing brand new stories of unique adventures featuring Tinker Bell and her friends.  CLICK HERE for a preview of the PAPERCUTZ Disney Fairies collection.  We have a few of these graphic novels and my daughter cherishes them. They are very nice to take along on a trip, reading on a rainy day or bedtime stories. 

A Geek Daddy Blog gives a nod of approval to both the Disney Fairy animated movies and the PAPERCUTZ comic books as both are very well done family friendly entertainment options.

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure: a PaperCutz Fairy Tale

There is only one thing that trumps Disney Princesses when it comes to my daughter and that is Tinker Bell and her troupe of Disney Fairies. We have all of the DVD movies featuring the Disney Fairies and what is nice about them is my son gets as engrossed in watching them as my little girl.  These are great movies because they are entertaining for our kids and have content that as parents we don’t have to worry about being appropriate for our children to view. 

My kids are always asking to watch the Tinker Bell DVDs, but I don’t want them watching too much television.  So I was glad to see that the comic book publisher PAPERCUTZ has provided a great alternative, graphic novel adaptation of the Tinker Bell & the Disney Fairies movies.  Whether it’s for a bed time story, taking along to read in the car during a family road trip or to snuggle up with on a rainy day, my children can now enjoy the movies without watching more TV.  Another bonus is that these comics promote an enjoyment of reading and appreciation of art by having the kids flip through its pages following the adventures of a character they love and a story they are already familiar with.

TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE, the comic book adaption of the Disney Fairy animated movie of the same name, went on sale August 13, 2013.  Fairy-fans the world over know that Tinker Bell is the best there is at what she does — and what she does is fix things. In this story though, Tink may have a job that’s too big even for her: a broken moonstone that powers the Pixie Dust Tree itself. This volume of PaperCutz’s Disney Fairies also features the comic book debut of a fan favorite, Blaze the firefly. The incredible quest that follows is an adventure like none we’ve ever seen before in Pixie Hollow.  Whether you’ve seen the movie or not children, and parents, will enjoy reading through this story.

Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure is Volume 12 of the Disney Fairy graphic novel collection which includes adaptations of the DVD movies as well as standalone Tinker Bell stories drafted and illustrated by the PaperCutz creative team.  CLICK HERE to view a listing of their entire lineup of Disney Fairy comics.  Volume 13 will go on sale in December, just in time for Christmas, and will be based upon the newest Disney Fairies movie Tinker Bell & the Pixie Hollow Games.  We have this movie on my iPad and take it with us to keep the kids distracted at places like the doctor’s office waiting room.  I’m sure a paperback version of this movie too will come in handy!

I have to compliment PaperCutz on the illustrations and layout of the Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure graphic novel.  The script bubbles and other text are spread out so it doesn’t overwhelm the artwork.  The artwork itself is great.  The illustrations are bright, colorful, and pop off the page at you … it is like they took movie animation cells and transferred them into this book.  The artist behind these images is named Manuela Razzi and I guess you could say drawing sprites is a niche for her because she also illustrates another PaperCutz story line called SYBIL THE BACKPACK FAIRY.  If your children enjoy Tinker Bell you may want to check out this other magical pixie series. Take a look at her great artwork in Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure:

 

Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure is a 64 page paperback book that is reasonably priced at $8.  You can order it online directly fromPaperCutz or pick it up from your favorite comic book retailer.  It is recommend for children ages 6 – 11 though my 4 ½ year old children love flipping through the book and having me read it to them and I caught my wife snuggled up on the coach reading it by herself the other night.  I’d encourage you to pick up this read for the young children in your life, especially if your family has a little princess in it like we do.

Had you heard of PaperCutz before? I first discovered them when we picked up a few of their titles for my kids during FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, and was impressed by what we brought home.  Papercutz is the largest standalone publisher exclusively dedicated to children’s graphic novels, with books available at all major retailers, bookstores, and comic book stores, and e-books available on comiXology, Comics+, and all e-reader devices.  Papercutz graphic novels and comic books cover a wide range of genres, reading levels, and favorite characters including The Smurfs, LEGO® Ninjago, Geronimo Stilton, Nancy Drew, and many more including of course Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies.  Whether your kids are in preschool or high school PaperCutz has something that will catch their interest.  

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary paperback copy of Tinker Bell & The Lost Treasure graphic novel to review (see picture at the top of this article).  The thoughts and opinions in this post though are my own.

Free Comic Book Day has lots of offering this year for the youngsters in your house

The first Saturday in May is one of the favorite days of the year in our house … it’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!!!  While you may think this event is aimed to cater only to teens and adults, it actually has a very large array of giveaways aimed at preschool to elementary school aged children.  I took my children last year to a local comic book store for the event when they were only 3 years old and we picked up a lot of great age appropriate stuff that they could flip through on their own to enjoy the artwork or I could enjoy spending some time reading to them.  Some of the titles we picked up last year were The Smurfs, Yo Gabba Gabba , Disney’s TinkerBell, and Sonic the Hedgehog.  

The kids are 4 years old this year learning the alphabet and their letters but still can’t read.  Nothing less we’ll be going to Warp 9 Comics on Saturday, May 4, 2013 to pick up some more titles that we can enjoy together as a family and can be fun tools to encourage an appreciation of artwork and reading with our children.   Hey and you can’t beat the price … FREE!!!!  

Here’s a list of a few of the comic books that will be available this year that are focused to a preschool to elementary school age audience:

SESAME STREET & STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 

On side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It's GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away!

On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and friends on 3 berry sweet adventures!

Includes "The Blue Flu", "The Hunt for Blackberry's Treasure", and "Blueberry's Book Tour".

It's a bushel of fun! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

THE SMURFS 

THE SMURFS return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the US! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But what happens when he is forced to tangle with someone bigger than him- a nasty Ogre? Will the Smurfs let the Ogre destroy Gargamel, or will they decide to help their oldest foe?  Find out in "The Ogre and the Smurfs"! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

DISNEY FAIRIES: TINKER BELL

Papercutz presents DISNEY FAIRIES featuring Tinker Bell, along with comics from the new hit series, STARDOLL! There's only one fairy in Pixie Hollow who can't fly- Water-Talent Fairy, Rani. Why doesn't Rani have wings? Was she always this way? Find out in "Tinker Bell and the Wings of Rani".

CLICK HERE for a preview

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

"Worlds Collide: PRELUDE" - It's TWO free comic books in ONE! Just in time for the start of the epic Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover event, "Worlds Collide," comes a primer issue exclusively for Free Comic Book Day! Witness the journey these two epic heroes from both Sega and Capcom took to finally meet each other - Mega Man's journey chronicled on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog's on the other! This is the must-have primer for the biggest comic book event of 2013 - as video game icons Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man meet for the very first time anywhere - featuring art from both Sonic and Mega Man comic book fame! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

NFL RUSH ZONE

 A referee's flag is corrupted by the power.  The Guardians must arrive at the Bengals-Titans game and get that flag before the referee throws it, bringing it to life.  And the villainous Coach Carnage is on the recruit for his interstellar team "The Visitors," and it's up to the Guardians, with the help of previous draft picks, to stop him from ruining the draft and taking this year's recruiting class.

CLICK HERE for a preview

PIPPI LONG STOCKINGS

Drawn & Quarterly offers a second FCBD title for the first time this year and it will feature one of the world's most beloved and popular characters, Pippi Longstocking! The Pippi Longstocking Color Special will offer a sneak peak at the brand new Pippi Longstocking title that D+Q will publish in May 2013 to coincide with FCBD. Pippi Longstocking was created by Astrid Lindgren and has developed a dedicated fan base of both children and adults for over six decades. The comics presented here were originally published in Swedish in the 1950s and are now being presented for the first time ever in English. This will be the perfect All Ages comic book, ideal for developing a new readership of kids in the 6 to 10 age set. 

CLICK HERE for a preview

 KABOOM! COMICS

An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises

CLICK HERE for a preview

Don't know where to go to find a comic shop participating in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY? No problem, just go to this link, enter your zip code, and viola you will be provided with the information you need:  http://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator

On a finale note WOLVERINE ( aka Hugh Jackman ) wants you to go ... watch this video message and make sure you take advantage of this great event:

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU