PBS Kids will premiere a series of 2D animated shorts Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures on 18 October. The series aimed at helping to expand the literacy skills of preschool- and kindergarten-age children is produced by 9 Story Media Group and animated by its studio Brown Bag Films.
The shorts are inspired by the Super Why! series, which premiered in 2007. In the new shorts, the literacy-powered superheroes leap into a stylised comic book world for a new storytelling twist, complete with original songs that break down key skills for early readers.
“We are so excited to introduce Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures, with its fresh, musically-driven format, to a new generation of Super Why! fans. The dynamic comic book design makes it an aspirational Super Reader superhero experience that will support and encourage today’s budding readers,” said PBS Kids senior vice president and general manager Sara DeWitt.
Research suggests that early literacy instruction should focus on developing awareness of the segments of sounds in speech and how they link to letters though systematic instruction of phonological awareness and phonics skills. PBS Kids believes that each of the series’ 20, three-minute shorts focus on these foundational reading and writing skills, including letter-sound identification and decoding words, blending sounds and alliteration, spelling, punctuation and more, all wrapped up in an action-packed, humour-filled, and kid-relatable story.
Many of the familiar fairytale characters, known as Super Readers, from the original series are back, including Super Why, who loves comic books and has the power to read, along with Princess Presto and Wonder Red. New to the series is “super fan” Power Paige, a Super Reader who joins the team with her power pencil, which has the ability to write and erase words, letters and punctuation. Together, the Super Readers set things straight for the readers of Reader Valley – and young viewers across the country.
“It’s exciting to see Super Why! return to PBS KIDS with fresh adventures in a brand-new format,” said 9 Story Media Group SVP & creative affairs head and co-creator original Super Why! series Wendy Harris. “We’re so proud of its remarkable staying power, engaging kids and teaching early literacy skills for over fifteen years. We can’t wait to offer parents and kids Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures and create a whole new generation of Super Readers!”
Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures also introduces audiences to quirky Literacy Villains who mix up reading rules that the Super Readers must correct. These characters include: More Man, who adds an ‘s’ to the end of words to make them plural, adding more words and sentences; The Shuffler, who likes to mix things up; The Eraser, who erases letters and words; and Outta Space, an extraterrestrial who zaps spaces from between words.
The Super Why! series was created by Angela C. Santomero (based on a concept co-created with Traci Page Johnson and Jennifer Twomey) for PBS Kids, from which the new shorts are inspired. Super Why! was the first preschool show designed to help children learn to read through interactive storybook adventures. The series follows the magical adventures of four fairytale friends who jump into books and become reading-powered superheroes to save the day.
“When I first created Super Why! as for my Master’s Thesis at Teachers College, Columbia University, I put a lot of care, thought, and research into it, but never imagined it would influence kids to learn and love to read – 20 years later! It’s a dream come true,” said Santomero.
In addition to the series, Super Why! has an app as well as Reading Camps.