Important messages can come from a comic strip.

Important messages can come from a comic strip.  Take, for example, the latest strip from cartoonist Gavin Than.  Than’s latest cartoon project “ZenPencil” includes work using words first spoken by cartoonist Bill Watterson during his 1990 commencement speech at Kenyon College.  While Than is relatively new on the comic scene, Watterson is not. 

Since the early 1980’s, Watterson has been delighting readers of all ages with his comic strip Calvin and Hobbs.  He offers a series of captivating, hilarious stories about the adventures of a young boy named Calvin and his forever-companion, a stuffed-but-real-to-him tiger named Hobbs.

Than sifted through Watterson’s 1990 speech to find one of the more profound messages within:  “Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement.  To invent your own life's meaning is not easy, but it's still allowed, and I think you'll be happier for the trouble.”  Than has created a comic strip that reflects Watterson’s (and some of his own) experiences to deliver a powerful message to all who will listen.

This story portrays a man’s struggle to re-establish his identity and self-worth while staying true to his personal values.  The man refuses to “sell-out” and gives up a money-making career filled with empty values to pursue his dreams on his own terms while adopting a non-traditional role in raising his family.  The choice of family over career, Watterson asserted, is something society sees as somehow not living up to one’s potential, “as if a job title and salary are the sole measure of human worth.” 

The role fathers specifically play in raising their children cannot be under-estimated.  Every day I see fathers interacting with their children in the library; helping them pick out books, attending storytimes, or sitting in a rocking chair reading a stack of books aloud to their child.  A study by Head Start found fathers had a significant impact on the early literacy development of their child when they read with their child, whether it was a book, a street sign, or labels at the grocery store.  Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook states “Fathers reading to children is one of the very best ways to reverse the academic ambivalence we’re seeing in young boys.” The one-on-one connection between father and child forms a bond which nurtures the child both intellectually and emotionally. 

September is National Library Card month.  Activate your card today and you can read more about the essential role fathers play in raising their children.  Check out titles like The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma, Reading Magic by Mem Fox, and of course, The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  Or, for a laugh-out-loud experience, consider reading any of the Calvin and Hobbs books by Bill Watterson.  We’ve got plenty of those too.  We’re here to help you create a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul.  Put your library card to work…often!

The comic strip by Gavin Than can be read, in its entirety at this link: http://zenpencils.com/comic/128-bill-watterson-a-cartoonists-advice/

Bill Watterson’s speech can be read in its entirety at this link:  http://web.mit.edu/jmorzins/www/C-H-speech.html  

Joanna Bailey

Library Director, Neill Public Library

9/7-8/13 Moscow Pullman Daily News