Weekend comic festival

Michigan boasts plenty of summer festivals celebrating fruit, vegetables, music, and food.  But there’s a relatively new festival that pays homage to the creation of comics.

The third annual “Kids Read Comics” festival happens this weekend in downtown Chelsea, west of Ann Arbor. It features workshops with names like “Make Your Life Into a Comic” and “Nobody Likes a Boring Story.”

Chelsea District Librarian Edith Burney is a co-director of the Kids Read Comics event. She says comics play a key role in helping kids learn. In fact she says that comic-style visuals are popping up all over.

“Some of the really popular ways in which people are learning about science and technology and history are very comic-like.”

On Sunday there will be a special workshop for teachers and librarians. It will explore how visual storytelling can help students develop skills in logic, teamwork, and problem-solving.