Enjoy Free Comic Book Day at Mentor Library

If your kids love reading, writing or drawing comics, then they'll probably love our Comics Club.

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday! Kids can come to Mentor Library's Main Branch and get new, free issues from all the top comics publishers—Marvel, DC, Boom, Bongo, Image and more. (The comics have been donated by our friends at Comics & Friends!)

You may be confused and wondering, "Aren't all of the comics at Mentor Library free?" And, yes, we have thousands of comics and graphic novels that you can check out without cost.

But Free Comic Book day is a special, once-a-year event where kids can read new stories from all kinds writers and artists—not just superheroes either. It's a fun way to expand your horizons without having to spend any cash.

So drop by and pick up some comics while the supply lasts. (And, once more, because we can't say it enough, thanks to Comics & Friends!)

Our Comics Club doesn't just read and talk about comics. We write and draw our own sequential art, as well.

If your kid loves comics, then they'll probably love our Comics Club too.

Our Comics Club is for any 8- through 12-year-old who likes to read, talk about, or draw sequential art. (Not just superheroes either. We love everything from Amelia Rules to Batman to Bone.)

Our Comic Club meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at our Main Branch. Our next meeting is May 5.

At a typical meeting, the kids talk about a special theme. Then we introduce the kids to graphic novels and comics that can be found in the library’s collection.

We close out each meeting with free time for the kids to draw or read.

To register a child for the Comics Club, call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

Be your own hero at Mentor Library's Comics Club

Abby draws her own superhero during Mentor Library's Comics Club.

A bisected page, two large eyes, the beginnings of a mouth—Abby is drawing a superhero she created during the most recent meeting of Mentor Library's Comics Club.

"Her name is Hula," she explains. "She uses her hula hoop to trap bad guys."

The scene is decidedly relaxed during the latter half of the meeting. Some children draw—characters they've created, their Minecraft avatars—while others read graphic novels or issues of Tiny Titans and Adventure Time.

While most people associate comics with superheroes, the Comics Club is eclectic by design. One month they're designing their own sidekicks. The next they're reading independent web comics.

Our Comics Club is for any 8- through 12-year-old who likes to read, talk about or draw sequential art. We love everything from Amelia Rules to Batman to Bone.)

Our Comic Club meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at our Main Branch.

At a typical meeting, the kids talk about a special theme. Then we introduce the kids to graphic novels and comics that can be found in the library’s collection.

We close out each meeting with free time for the kids to draw or read.

“Their favorite part of the night is drawing time,” Schulz said. “We use templates that resemble comic strips and comic-book pages, so the kids can do short 3-panel or longer stories. Some have created their own characters that they revisit every month while others draw something new every time.”

The next Comics Club meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch. The theme for next month will be costumes.

To register a child for the Comics Club, call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

Nicholas checks out an issue of Adventure Time during our Comics Club.

Everyone's a Hero at our Comics Club

Ryan draws his ideal sidekick.

Is your kid a Batman fan? Wolverine? A Superman or a Spider-man? A Wonder Woman or a Rogue?

Do they watch reruns of Young Justice? Fill sketchpads with drawings of Finn and Jake? Snatch the comics section from the Sunday newspaper?

If so, we've got the club for them.

Our Comics Club is for any 8- through 12-year-old who likes to read, talk about or draw sequential art. (We're not just talking about superheroes either. We love everything from Amelia Rules to Bone.)

Abby draws a comic with characters she created.

Our Comic Club meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at our Main Branch.

“We often have children who visit our department looking for books about their favorite superheroes and cartoon characters. Many enjoy cartoons and comic books so we thought that we would start a club to bring together children who read graphic novels and comic books and enjoy drawing,” said Judy Schulz, who runs our Comics Club with Marilyn Weiss.

At a typical meeting, the kids talk about a special theme. For February, it was sidekicks. Then Weiss and Schulz introduce the kids to graphic novels and comics that can be found in the library’s collection.

They close out each meeting with free time for the kids to draw.

“Their favorite part of the night is drawing time,” Schulz said. “We use templates that resemble comic strips and comic-book pages, so the kids can do short 3-panel or longer stories. Some have created their own characters that they revisit every month while others draw something new every time.”

The next Comics Club meeting will be at 7 p.m. on March 4 at the Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch. The theme will be “the funnies.”

To register a child for the Comics Club, call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

For more photos from our Comics Club, visit our Facebook page.

The Importance of Story Time

A person can learn to love reading as an adult. It happens and it's wonderful when it does.

But it's easier for children to learn -- not just how to read but to love doing it.

Studies have shown that children (even as babies) have brains built for learning. In the same way that it's easier for a child to learn Portuguese or decipher the intricacies of a smartphone, it's easier for a kid to learn how to read.

And it almost always starts with story time.

After all, children don't learn how to read by spontaneous literacy. It begins with someone reading to them. That someone can be a parent, grandparent, teacher and librarian. (Ideally, it's all of the above.)

Story time has been linked to improved communication skills, logical skills, enhanced concentration and other things that we want our children to have.

That's just one of the reasons early literacy is important to us at the Mentor Public Library. We also think reading stimulates children's curiosity and love of learning.

So we offer a multiplicity of different story times for children and families in hopes that you'll find the right one for you and your kids.

We have Tiddlywinks for children who are 36 months and younger (and their parents,) Preschool Story Times for kids who are a bit older, Family Story Times, and Mother Goose on the Loose which is designed to stimulate the learning process for babies and toddlers.

We have story times at all three of our branches, and all of them encourage participation with music, rhymes and (of course) stories.

For older kids, we also have our Comic Book Club, American Girl Book Club, Studio MPL Art Club and Lego Brick Building Club.

You can check out all of our kids book clubs and story times on the event calendar on MPL's website.

And don't forget to have story times of your own with your children. They'll thank you later!

Because, after all, they can learn to love reading as adults. But it gives them such an enormous head start if they do it as children.