Nabila Khashoggi on the Power of a Comic Book

Actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist Nabila Khashoggi has written a comic book series. The series is full of adventure and

magic and is intended to introduce children to different countries, cultures, and environmental

issues and hopefully help instill sense of intercultural respect and understanding.

Many parents believe that comic books are not worth the paper they're printed on, at least in terms of educational value, but in fact, studies

have shown quite the opposite. In terms of imparting reading comprehension, comics

seem to be completely on par with traditional books and literature. In fact, comic books are a

similar, but distinct medium, with their own sophisticated toolbox of storytelling techniques

that can often reach children in ways that regular books cannot.

Given the power of comic books to reach an audience who might not otherwise enjoy reading a story, it is important that comics designed to help

children learn be imbued with positive and constructive qualities, much like a book. Introducing children to multiculturalism is one of the purposes on

which school reading curricula are commonly focused, and with good reason: exposure to many

cultural viewpoints not only increases broad cultural awareness, it can also improve students' self-image and stem the spread of negative cultural stereotypes among kids. Therefore, a comic book that embodies

multiculturalism provides an accessible way for children to reap these benefits.