Comics, Graphic Novels, and Prizes!

October is Teen Read Month in Oklahoma, and young people in grades 6 through 12 are encouraged to read just for the fun of it!

Picture It! is a project of the American Library Association's Young Adult Services Association. In the Sooner State, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries has joined forces with The Oklahoman's Newspapers in Education Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Toy and Action Figure Museum, and Sonic, America's Drive-In to offer lessons, activities and a statewide reading contest for both schools and public libraries.

Teens can read whatever books they wish to compete in the contest, but our discussions and activities will focus on the wonderful world of comics, comic books and graphic novels. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but when you combine sequential pictures with prose to tell a story, you have a tool that can excite and encourage the most reluctant of readers.

School librarians and classroom teachers may sign up to participate at nie.newsok.com.

Public libraries will find everything they need to participate right here.

• First let ODL Youth Services Librarian Adrienne Butler know that your public library is participating. If you have not already been in contact with her about Teen Read Month, send her a message via the ODL Staff Contact Form.
• Next, download the reading log for public and school libraries to promote the event and sign-up teens to participate. If you've signed up with Adrienne, you should get a poster in the mail. You may also download the poster.
• During the month, use the discussion and activity ideas for local programming, or refer young readers to the links so they do their own investigation into the history and impact of comics.
• Young readers will keep track of the number of pages they read each day and will turn the forms into you by November 4. (Note: One newspaper article equals one page.)
•  E-mail Adrienne at ODL by November 14, with the number of teens who signed up, the names of teens who turned in their reading logs, the number of pages each participant read, and the total number of pages read by all of your participants.

Your library and individual readers can win some big prizes!

• The public library whose teen readers log the most pages read will receive:
  • $250 worth of books     •A special program presented by Kevin Stark,
                                        curator of Oklahoma's own Toy and Action Figure Museum
• The top teen reader from all participating public libraries will receive a NookColor eReader and a $100 gift certificate
• All  teens who turn in their reading logs will be entered in a drawing to win a free set of books
• Plus, all teens who sign-up will receive a free admission ticket to the Toy and Action Figure Museum (when accompanied by a paying adult) in Pauls Valley as well as a free graphic novel (while supplies last) when they arrive at the museum.
• Winners in both the school and public library categories will be announced at nie.newsok.com.

Please read our boiler plate rules and regs below, and then start your month-long Picture It! adventure!

Rules and Regulations—All federal, state and local regulations apply. No purchase necessary. There are no prize or cash substitutions. Prizes are non-transferable. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by the official rules and the decisions of the judges/contest officials. All decisions made by contest officials shall be deemed final. Employees of contest sponsors (The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries) and their immediate families are ineligible to participate. Individual prizes may only be earned through participation with a school or a public library but not through both. This contest is void where prohibited by law. Acceptance of prizes constitutes permission to use the winner’s name(s), video(s), photograph(s) and likeness(es) for purposes of advertising and promotion on behalf of contest sponsors without compensation. All contest submissions become the property of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and ODL retains the right to reuse them at their discretion and without compensation.

Return to Previous Page