Toon Books
Encyclopedia
Toon Books is a collection of hardcover graphic early readers launched in 2008 by New Yorker
art editor Françoise Mouly
. With titles by Mouly's advisor/husband Art Spiegelman
(the Pulitzer Prize
-winning author of Maus
), Geoffrey Hayes, Jay Lynch
, Dean Haspiel
and Eleanor Davis. Toon Books promotes itself as "the first high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up."
Calvin Reid announced the collection in Publishers Weekly
in 2007 as having the potential to revitalize the field of comics for kids: "Françoise Mouly is at it again. After transforming American comics with the seminal 1980s comics anthology RAW
, Mouly is now out to teach kids to read by using comics." 2008 saw the launch of eight titles, each of which received glowing reviews and multiple awards, prizes, and distinctions.
After proposing the TOON Books to major children books publishers (from 2004 to 2007) and being rejected because the proposed books didn't fit existing categories, Mouly returned to her roots as a self-publisher (She had founded her small press, RAW Books & Graphics, in 1977, and RAW Junior in 1999.) As she had done for the avant-garde comics and graphics magazine, RAW
, or the kids comics anthology, Little Lit
, both of which she co-edited, or for the covers of The New Yorker
, Mouly gathered an array of talent for the TOON Books. She published star authors (such as Harry Bliss, Art Spiegelman or Jeff Smith), veteran children book authors (Geoffrey Hayes) as well as novice cartoonists (Eleanor Davis, the author of Stinky, was still in school when Mouly contacted her for a TOON Book.)
In the absence of any model or precedent, Mouly developed her own methodology to make sure the TOON Books would be well adapted to beginning readers' needs. She consulted with educators as she developed each individual book but also took rough drafts of the stories to schools, taking notes while watching children read. Responding to educators and librarians suggestions, she's now expanding the TOON Books line with bilingual versions (French publisher Casterman just released French-English TOON Books,) audio versions (which will be developed into a novel multilingual tool for ESL
and/or support for reluctant readers,) as well as the first non-fiction TOON Book.
The TOON Books have been greeted enthusiastically by librarians, teachers, and parents looking for material for early readers. Early on, the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, embraced the TOON Books as part of the Maryland Comic Book Initiative. Other states school systems are now considering the TOON Books for their own Comics in the Classroom initiatives. The books are part of Renaissance Learning' Accelerated Reader Program and have been assigned Reading Recovery and lexile levels, all of which are first for comics for young children.
The TOON Books website offers free online learning tools for both students and educators. The downloadable lesson plans and activity sheets provide teachers with leveled lesson plans for K-3. Besides the downloadable lesson plans and activity sheets, these tools also include free online readers, videos, and games.
The free "CarTOON Maker" invites readers to make their own cartoons as a reader’s response. The online Readers Theater teaches educators how to get students to perform TOON Books. On the TOON site for kids, early readers can make paper puppets, watch videos, learn carTOON lessons from master cartoonists, and make their own cartoons.
Jeff Smith’s Little Mouse Gets Ready was named a 2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book.
In 2009, Stinky, written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis, was named a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book.
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
art editor Françoise Mouly
Françoise Mouly
Françoise Mouly is a Paris-born French artist and designer best known for her work with RAW, a showcase publication for cutting edge comic art, and as art editor of The New Yorker, a position she has held since 1993...
. With titles by Mouly's advisor/husband Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
(the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning author of Maus
Maus
Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman, is a biography of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It alternates between descriptions of Vladek's life in Poland before and during the Second World War and Vladek's later life in the Rego Park neighborhood of...
), Geoffrey Hayes, Jay Lynch
Jay Lynch
Jay Lynch is an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his Bijou Funnies and other titles. His work is sometimes signed Jayzey Lynch. He has contributed to Mad, and in 2008, he expanded into the children's book field.-Early life and career:Born in Orange,...
, Dean Haspiel
Dean Haspiel
Dean Edmund Haspiel is an American comic book artist. He is known for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his American Splendor series as well as the graphic novel The Quitter. He has been nominated for numerous Eisner Awards, and won a 2010 Emmy Award for TV design work.-Early...
and Eleanor Davis. Toon Books promotes itself as "the first high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up."
Calvin Reid announced the collection in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
in 2007 as having the potential to revitalize the field of comics for kids: "Françoise Mouly is at it again. After transforming American comics with the seminal 1980s comics anthology RAW
Raw
Raw is a term referring to food that has not been cooked.RAW or raw may refer to:-Technology:* Raw audio format, a file type used to represent sound as pulse-code modulation data...
, Mouly is now out to teach kids to read by using comics." 2008 saw the launch of eight titles, each of which received glowing reviews and multiple awards, prizes, and distinctions.
Beginnings
The concept for the TOON Books came to Françoise Mouly when her son Dash was learning to read and his first grade teacher assigned him "easy readers". Appalled by the lack of appeal of the educational material, Mouly instead spent time with her child and armloads of French comic books. In fact, one of the first releases in the TOON Books collection is Silly Lilly, aka Mimi Cracra, a comic-book character familiar to millions of French toddlers.After proposing the TOON Books to major children books publishers (from 2004 to 2007) and being rejected because the proposed books didn't fit existing categories, Mouly returned to her roots as a self-publisher (She had founded her small press, RAW Books & Graphics, in 1977, and RAW Junior in 1999.) As she had done for the avant-garde comics and graphics magazine, RAW
Raw
Raw is a term referring to food that has not been cooked.RAW or raw may refer to:-Technology:* Raw audio format, a file type used to represent sound as pulse-code modulation data...
, or the kids comics anthology, Little Lit
Little Lit
Little Lit is a comic book anthology series published by New Yorker art editor, Françoise Mouly, and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, Art Spiegelman...
, both of which she co-edited, or for the covers of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Mouly gathered an array of talent for the TOON Books. She published star authors (such as Harry Bliss, Art Spiegelman or Jeff Smith), veteran children book authors (Geoffrey Hayes) as well as novice cartoonists (Eleanor Davis, the author of Stinky, was still in school when Mouly contacted her for a TOON Book.)
TOON in the Classroom
Attitudes towards comics have radically changed since the 1954 Congressional hearings where they were denounced as the cause of juvenile delinquency. They are now touted by progressive librarians and educators as an extremely effective tool for children to discover the pleasures of reading. As Art Spiegelman said, "Comics can be a gateway drug to literacy."In the absence of any model or precedent, Mouly developed her own methodology to make sure the TOON Books would be well adapted to beginning readers' needs. She consulted with educators as she developed each individual book but also took rough drafts of the stories to schools, taking notes while watching children read. Responding to educators and librarians suggestions, she's now expanding the TOON Books line with bilingual versions (French publisher Casterman just released French-English TOON Books,) audio versions (which will be developed into a novel multilingual tool for ESL
ESL
ESL is a common abbreviation for English as a Second Language, see English language learning and teaching.ESL may also refer to:-Companies:...
and/or support for reluctant readers,) as well as the first non-fiction TOON Book.
The TOON Books have been greeted enthusiastically by librarians, teachers, and parents looking for material for early readers. Early on, the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, embraced the TOON Books as part of the Maryland Comic Book Initiative. Other states school systems are now considering the TOON Books for their own Comics in the Classroom initiatives. The books are part of Renaissance Learning' Accelerated Reader Program and have been assigned Reading Recovery and lexile levels, all of which are first for comics for young children.
The TOON Books website offers free online learning tools for both students and educators. The downloadable lesson plans and activity sheets provide teachers with leveled lesson plans for K-3. Besides the downloadable lesson plans and activity sheets, these tools also include free online readers, videos, and games.
The free "CarTOON Maker" invites readers to make their own cartoons as a reader’s response. The online Readers Theater teaches educators how to get students to perform TOON Books. On the TOON site for kids, early readers can make paper puppets, watch videos, learn carTOON lessons from master cartoonists, and make their own cartoons.
Geisel Awards and Honors
Geoffrey Hayes’ Benny and Penny: The Big No-No! won the 2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is awarded to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most renowned book for early readers published in English in the U.S.A.Jeff Smith’s Little Mouse Gets Ready was named a 2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book.
In 2009, Stinky, written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis, was named a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book.