Thanks to the fine people over at McDougal Littell, the above Inquiring Minds cartoon is appearing nationwide in their 8th Grade Literature textbook. That's right, one of my cartoons is considered literature by people who know literature, so there. Who says comics are kid's stuff? :0)
Now the school day is that much brighter, and funnier, for school children everywhere. The lesson for the rest of us, though, is this: follow your dreams, and write stuff that is meaningful to you.
As you can read at the link above, John Henry was a hero of mine when I was a wee lad. I wrote the above cartoon in honor of his legend, and how his spirit has driven my life. Sure, the cartoon is silly, but the idea is there about not giving up, and facing even the toughest odds. You might not win every battle, but you've accomplished something just by trying, and not giving up.
Today I get to see my work in a literature book side by side with great writers. This is the result of my not giving up, a lesson I learned as a kid, and a spirit that I've always kept with me.
So write what you know, and do work that is meaningful to you. In the end, you'll be all the better for it.
Cheers, JOHN :0)
PS For a brand new Inquiring Minds cartoon, please visit http://www.happyglyphs.com/
PSS On my iPod today? Genesis: A Trick of the Tail
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2 comments:
See...now you've no-one to blame for the downward trend of the American educational system but yourself.
Excellent stuff, John! Imagine all those kids blacking out the teeth on your characters, adding eye patches and drawing scars across their foreheads with no regard for school property. Or was that just me?
Of course it was just you, Brian! I for one had much respect for books, and... although I might have drawn mustaches on some of the world's few dicators who didn't already have them, I always did it with pencil.
And if any little creep draws a mustache on Bobby, I had better not find out about it! (please send photos of your textbooks to the usual address, kids) :0)
Cheers, JOHN :0)
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