Reading With Pictures Textbook Gets New Title, Cover, Adds Story From Chris Giarrusso

Reading With Pictures's Kickstarted academic aid The Graphic Textbook has been retitled, the organization informed Kickstarter backers yesterday. Now titled Reading With Pictures: Comics That Make Kids Smarter, the book will also feature a new cover by Chris Giarrusso and a new G-Man story by the writer/artist, complete with a lesson plan for that story in the Teacher's Guide. "The first book was a benefit book—everyone donated what they made," Founder Josh Elder told ComicBook.com during the Kickstarter campaign. "We're very proud of what we made, but The Graphic Textbook represents an attempt to actually change everything in the way comics are used in classrooms." So this time around, creators were paid -- a little -- and the book will be published by Andrews McNeel, one of the United States's leading publishers of academic support materials. "The AMP! mission is to create books that kids love and their parents, teachers, and librarians support wholeheartedly," said Kirsty Melville, President and Publisher, AMP Book Division. "Our collaboration with Reading With Pictures takes that mission to the next level, as this revolutionary format utilizes comics—what we at Andrews McMeel do best—in a way that fosters discovery and learning, and helps educators implement the Common Core standards." The volume features more than a dozen short stories (fiction and nonfiction) that address topics in Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, and Science, through an immersive textual and visual experience that kids will enjoy. Highlights include George Washington: Action President by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Doctor Sputnik: Man of Science by Roger Langridge, The Power of Print by Katie Cook and many more. Common Core State Standards-correlated lesson plans customized to each story, research-based justifications for using comics in the classroom, a guide to establishing best classroom practices, and a comprehensive listing of educational resources will be available for educators and parents in conjunction with the release.