The Colorful Story of Comics

Now beginning readers can learn all about the history of comics, graphic novels, manga, and more in this installment of the nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read series about the history of fun stuff!

Do you know how comics, graphic novels, and manga came to be? Or that they have their roots in cave drawings? Did you know that Benjamin Franklin is credited as having the first cartoon in an American newspaper? Ever wonder who put the fun in the Funny Pages? Become a History of Fun Stuff Expert on the funny history of comic strips, graphic novels, manga, and more, and amaze your friends with all you’ve learned in this fun, fact-filled Level 3 Ready-to-Read!

A special section at the back of the book includes Common Core–vetted extras on subjects like science, social studies, and math, and there’s even a fun quiz so readers can test themselves to see what they’ve learned! Learning about history has never been so much fun!

Patricia Lakin, a former elementary school teacher and an award-winning author, has written more than fifty published works. Her books, both fiction and nonfiction, span multiple age groups—from toddlers to middle graders. Patricia lives in New York City with her husband, Lee Koenigsberg. They have two grown sons, Aaron and Benjahmin. When not reading, writing, or researching, she can be found traveling with Lee to far-off places in the world.

Rob McClurkan is an illustrator and author whose imagination is fueled by a healthy dose of Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday funnies. He lives with his family just outside Atlanta, Georgia. To see more of Rob’s work, visit SeeRobDraw.com.