Samuel Morse and the Telegraph

Samuel Morse and the Telegraph

This book recalls this important inventor and his invention in a dramatic, graphic novel format. Samuel Morse was interested in electricity and magnets. He began experimenting with creating a communication system using batteries, magnets, and electrical currents. The result was the telegraph, which revolutionized communication in the United States. Inside this book, learn more about Morse and his invention of the telegraph.

About Graphic Novels:

Experienced parents know that the amount of reading their child does will directly and positively impact his reading fluency and vocabulary development. That is why graphic novels - which we used to refer to as comic books - though once relegated to the category of lowbrow reading, are now experiencing a surge in popularity.

You may think that the comic book medium is primarily for mainstream American children who are peppered by snack-size visual and audio bombardment. If you desire that your children slow down and feast on the written word, you may cringe at the idea of a graphic novel version of Moby Dick. But before you issue a home-wide ban on these books, consider the following.

If you have a reluctant or beginning reader, your first concern should be fluidity and competency. You will find that the graphic novel's illustrations draw your child in even as the vocabulary becomes more complex. Then, because the graphics are so attention-grabbing, children often find themselves reading for pleasure.

If your reluctant reader is an older child, your primary concern may be making sure that he is culturally savvy. With graphic novels, vocabulary is introduced via contextual clues, making great literature accessible to more children. The interesting pictures and snappy dialogue will encourage independent reading and learning. As the child's competence and confidence grow, his joy in literacy will increase.

Even if your older child is a competent reader, he may enjoy taking a break from the verbally intense books characteristic of higher-level learning. A 2006 study found that the amount of reading children did for fun decreased from the time they were eight through their teen years. Graphic books can re-engage them in the delights of reading for leisure and learning.

Some children may never read for pleasure. But most children, from the reluctant, faltering reader to the brilliant but easily bored adolescent, will find graphic novels intriguing.