We've lowered the price so that you or the person of your choice can get drawn into one of the stories in the RWP anthology for just $100. This reward also includes a signed copy of the hardcover, the limited edition Jill Thompson print and the RWP t-shirt. This is fantastic and unique opportunity to be immortalized as a comic character and help out Reading With Pictures in the process. And not just for yourself -- it would make a great gift for any child or adult who loves comics.

This reward applies to background characters only. Characters with substantial speaking roles will still cost $250 to purchase.

High quality signed prints and/or original artwork of your comic book debut are available for purchase as well. Contact us directly for more details.

This reward will no longer be available after April 30th, so act quickly!

STORY SUMMARY:
Frankie's mom warns him not to read scary comics before bedtime, but that doesn't stop him. Frankie knows monsters aren't real. Or that's what he thinks until he's woken in the middle of the night by a horrible sound that can be only one thing -- an actual MONSTER!!

The Beast That Snored is not only a fun adventure, but also a great example of the use of onomatopoeias. This short story could be paired with a lesson plan that teaches what onomatopoeias are, and how they can be used.

ABOUT FRANKIE PICKLE:
Frankie Pickle is a typical boy with an anything but typical imagination. Sometimes it leads him on adventures. Sometimes it gets him into TROUBLE. In the end, creative problem solving always triumphs.

CREATOR BIO:
Eric Wight is the award winning creator of Frankie Pickle, an early reader chapter book/graphic novel series published by Simon & Schuster. He is also the creator of the graphic novel My Dead Girlfriend, which was a 2008 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by YALSA. Prior to becoming a children's book author, Wight was an animator for almost ten years for such companies as Disney, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network. His comic book adaptation of the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay helped garner both the Harvey and Eisner Awards for Best Anthology, as well as the Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Wight's art has also been prominently featured on such television shows as The O.C. and Six Feet Under.

STORY SUMMARY:
When an evil lunch aide forbids all communication during rainy day indoor recess, The Order of the Silent Pencil is born. The secret drawing club creates a pass-along comic and ninjas, knights, dragons and wizards battle on its pages. But Enrique, the best artist in the class, is mysteriously reluctant to join in the fun and as his secret becomes revealed, another journey begins.

CREATOR BIOS
Kevin C. Pyle (writer)
Kevin is the author/illustrator of the graphic novels Blindspot and Katman, both published by Henry Holt for Young Readers. Blindspot was included in the Best American Comics for 2008, edited by Linda Barry. Katman was named a Great Graphic Novel for Teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association. He is also the author/illustrator of several non-fiction docu-comics, including Lab U.S.A.: Illuminated Documents, which won the Silver Medal for Sequential Art from the Society of Illustrators. He has been a long-time co-editor of the comics anthology World War 3 Illustrated. He can currently be found online at http://boatfire.blogspot.com.

Kevin Sacco (artist)
Kevin went to Camberwell Art School in London, after which he came to New York and pursued a career as a storyboard artist for advertising agencies. Along the way, he's done some cartoon illustration for Cracked, Crazy, Scholastic, and Nuts. He lives with his wife, son, and daughter in Bloomfield, NJ. More of his work can be seen at www.saccoinmontclair.com.

STORY SUMMARY
The most important education we receive is often outside classroom walls. In Introduction, a new professor by the name of Marie nervously addresses her first class ever. As she anxiously looks out amongst her students, she recognizes the importance of her role as a guide through the challenging material of the class. Through her personal experiences in life and her commitment to making a difference, Marie embarks on one of her greatest endeavors.

CREATOR BIO
Michael LaRiccia holds a BFA and MFA in printmaking. In 2005 he received a Xeric grant to self-publish Black Mane. He has been involved with several anthologies and has self-published The Death of Black Mane and the Feared Self, Satori, and most recently DISCO. He exhibits his comic art and prints throughout the country. Currently a full-time graphic designer, LaRiccia periodically teaches cartooning and exhibits at comics conferences throughout the country. Visit his website at www.michaellariccia.com.

ARTWORK
-The first two images below are very rough sketches of pages 1 and 2.
-The following two images are in-progress versions of the same pages. They're almost complete, but Michael still plans to add a few more things.

STORY SUMMARY
In an attempt to advance cultural awareness and promote intergalactic learning and leadership, Albert the Alien has volunteered to become a foreign exchange student and attend school on Earth. During a history lesson about dinosaurs, Albert questions why the class should learn about the Cretaceous Period when they could go there and see it first hand! Whipping out his Time Shifter, Albert transports the class back in time where the teacher is abducted by a Pterosaur. Can Albert save the teacher and get his classmates back to the future before the end of class?

An original story written by Trevor Mueller and featuring artwork by Gabriel Bautista.

CREATOR BIOS

GABRIEL BAUTISTA IS:
AUTHOR. COMIX GORILLA. ILLUSTRATOR. EPIC MAN-PERSON.
He is an indy comic artist, and an Eisner award winning colorist.
His work can been seen in Image's Popgun VOL 2 and Elephantmen.
His coloring work can be seen in DC Comics' The Spirit.
Follow his adventures at http://galvomode.com!!

TREVOR MUELLER
Born in Ann Arbor, MI, Trevor Mueller was shocked to discover his latent writing abilities. "Am I from another planet?" he used to ponder as a child, but alas he soon discovered that he was a mere mortal by crashing his bike into a tree. 

Trevor works at an advertising agency by day, and writes comics by night. He is the writer / artist / creator of several popular webcomic series including the fantasy epic The Temple of a Thousand Tears and the teen-rated gag strip @$$hole!, both of which are self-published and have been nominated for several web comic awards. His web comic work can be found on his website, www.trevoramueller.com, along with his daily updates of movie, video game, and comic reviews.

He has also contributed stories to several anthologies, including Hope: Hero Initiative from Ronin Studios and Reading with Pictures from the non-profit of the same name that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve education for all students.

In 2009 Trevor joined Reading With Pictures as their Marketing Director, combining his love of comics, education, and advertising. Trevor has also begun giving lectures and presentations throughout the mid-west at conventions and schools on the power of combining creativity and literacy.

Trevor resides in the city of Chicago, with his cat Waffles.

STORY SUMMARY
What would you do if you were trapped on a spaceship that was plunging towards the sun?! Find out through the eyes of one exceptionally smart and courageous 5th grader by the name of Ben, who rises to the challenge in Stellar Rescue!, an eight page escapade set in the year 2575! At the start of the story, we learn that Ben’s advanced science class has been granted permission to board Astro Airlines for an exclusive passenger flight. The ship’s route takes the passengers nearer to the sun than any other shuttle, and these young geniuses want to get a closer look at the star.

But what begins as a routine flight quickly dissolves into chaos when one of the ship’s thrusters misfires. Ben leaps into action as he attempts to save everyone from becoming toast! He’s the man with the plan as they say, but will the pilots buy the kid’s strategy, and will it even work at all?! Better fasten your seat belts, space cadets, because when quick piloting meets quick thinking, the result is a rip-roaring sci-fi adventure!

CREATOR BIO
Phillip Bowles discovered comic books at the tender age of six, the first being Robocop #1 from a local 7-Eleven. It was clearly love at first sight. Since then, Phillip has pursued a career as a comics artist and continues to do so as a student in the Illustration As Visual Essay Masters program at the School of Visual Arts, NYC. Examples of his work can be found at www.phillipbowles.com.

We're excited to announce the addition of two brand new (and utterly fantastic) incentives to our ongoing pre-order promotion on Kickstarter.com for the Reading With Pictures educational anthology. We added these rewards as a way of saying "thank you" to all of our incredibly generous backers who overpaid for book purchases in order to donate additional funds to our cause. And for all those planning to make similar donations in the future -- consider this a "thank you" in advance.

1. $50 An RWP logo T-shirt (available in S, M or L -- $5 surcharge for Child or XL sizes) , a signed copy of the anthology in hardcover, the hi-res expanded digital edition of the anthology and a thank you on our website.

2. $75 A numbered print (limit 100) of the RWP cover signed by artist Jill Thompson, an RWP logo T-shirt, a signed copy of the anthology in hardcover, the hi-res expanded digital edition of the anthology and a thank you on our website.

For those of you who have already pledged, you can change your reward and pledge amount simply by logging in on Kickstarter, going to the Reading With Pictures page and clicking the "Manage My Pledge" button near the top of the right-hand column.

The T-shirt and limited edition print will also be added to our Honor Roll ($150) and Become a Comic Character ($250) incentives as well. Like I say in the Kickstarter video, "The more you give, the more you get!"

And finally, just a quick reminder that you CAN buy multiple copies of the softcover and/or hardcover without having to buy a whole box. Kickstarter only lets you make a single pledge, so just pay the price of each individual item, add those totals together and that's your pledge amount. When prompted, choose to not receive any award and then contact Reading With Pictures directly via email or through Kickstarter with the details of your purchase order.

Please feel free to contact me or any of our board members or creators with questions about the anthology or about Reading With Pictures. And again, thank you so much for your support.

Josh Elder
Executive Director, Reading With Pictures
www.readingwithpictures.org
Getting comics into schools and getting schools into comics.

STORY SUMMARY
Little Willy Magine has gotten in trouble for the first time at school and is sent to the principal's office. After hearing his classmates' reaction to his punishment, he wonders if Mr. Kilsome (the principal) is some sort of monster. On the long walk to the other end of the school, his imagination runs wild, picturing a vampire, a wolf-man, and a wide variety of classic movie monsters. Just as he arrives at the office, the biggest bully in the grade school is leaving the office crying. Terrified, Willy learns that Mr. Kilsome is the worst kind of monster ever...

CREATOR BIO
John Bivens recently graduated from Northern Illinois University. Since that time, he has done work for Sam Costello's Split Lip horror anthology, Comic Book Tattoo (the Tori Amos based anthology), and Popgun volume 4. John's work has also appeared in a handful of Zuda web-comic competitions. He spends whatever spare time he can with his lovely fiancée Mallory.

STORY SUMMARY
When little Billy decides he doesn’t need school and wants to travel the realm and be a real-live tough barbarian, he discovers (with a little help from his best pal dragon, Frank) that even to be a barbarian, a kid has to do a little reading up on the subject if he wants to figure out where he’s gonna GO to be one!

Based on the popular webcomic “Legend of Bill” by David Reddick, this special one-shot features the main characters Bill & Frank as kids!

CREATOR BIO
David Reddick is a professional cartoonist and creator of the comic strips "Legend of Bill"at www.LegendofBill.com, "The Trek Life" for CBS/ STARTREK.COM, “Gene’s Journal” and “Rod & Barry” at Roddenberry.com. He is also a staff writer and artist at Paws, Inc., the “Garfield” studio, and was an award-winning staff editorial cartoonist at a daily newspaper for 6 years. Some of David’s clients have included Star Trek Magazine, Nickelodeon, The New York Times Upfront, IDW Publishing, Image, Tokyopop, Paramount Pictures, CBS Studios, CBS Mobile, ROK Media, and his paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.

STORY SUMMARY
We all learn from those with the benefit of prior experience. Parents, teachers and even interesting subjects of casual observation bestow upon us their accumulated information, techniques and styles, all of which form unique pillars upon our innate foundations. In Light’s Speed, a group of curious children learns a metaphorical astronomy lesson that illustrates how knowledge comes even when time and distance stand in the way. This point is made all the more clear as the very objects of the children’s stargazing go through the same process of receiving guidance and critical education from their own unique mentors!

CREATOR BIOS
Kevin LaPorte is a mental health professional by day and aspiring comic writer at all other times. He is currently writing and lettering a web comic, The Blind Eye, viewable at: http://www.blindeyecomic.com. Other current comic projects include a submission to DC Comics’ Zuda website and a print comic for the Small Press Idol competition.

Amanda Rachels began self-publishing her comic art at the tender age of 17 and never stopped drawing in the eleven years since. She is currently providing full art and colors for a web comic, The Blind Eye, viewable at: http://www.blindeyecomic.com, and she is producing line art for a print comic for the Small Press Idol Competition.

IMAGES
-Concept art for the student and teacher, planets, and aliens.

STORY SUMMARY
Comic Book Comics creators Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey take a look at comics in the classroom from the dawn of the industry to today, in their irreverent and accurate Action Philosophers style!"

CREATOR BIOS
Fred Van Lente (writer): Fred is the New York Times bestselling author of Incredible Hercules (with Greg Pak) and Marvel Zombies 3 & 4, as well as the American Library Association Award-winning Action Philosophers. His other comics include Comic Book Comics, Iron Man Legacy, X Men Noir and Amazing Spider-Man.

Ryan Dunlavey (illustrator): Ryan is best known as the artist and co-creator of the American Library Award-winning Action Philosophers comic book series (with author Fred Van Lente). Some of Ryan's other comics include Modok for Marvel Comics, Tommy Atomic for Royal Flush Magazine and the self-published Comic Book Comics (also with Van Lente), the first ever cartoon history of the American comic book industry. His comics and illustrations have appeared in Mad, Wizard, ToyFare, The Princeton Review, Time Out and Disney Adventures. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

IMAGES:
1) A sketch from page 1 of the comic
2) A color preview of page 1
3) A sketch of page 8

STORY SUMMARY: 


Reilly's sunk. It's the day before the biology final and if he doesn't pass, he won't move on to Senior Year. So who does he enlist to help him out? Jules, of course! But Jules will find out that tutoring Reilly is going to be tougher than the final itself!

CREATOR BIOS:
Vito Delsante is a writer. He’s written for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, AdHouse Books, and Simon & Schuster, among others, and his stories have been reprinted in other countries. He and Rachel Freire will be self-publishing FCHS in 2010, and Vito has other projects forthcoming. He lives in New York City with his wife, Michelle, and two dogs, and he wears glasses. Find him if you can and say, “Hello.”



Rachel Freire has been doodling since the age of two. At age three she moved to New York, NY (not by herself!) from Miami FL. She learned to read from Archie comics, which led to her saying "Egads" alot. She attended four years of high school at Art and Design on 56/57th & 2nd Ave, and often wondered "Did John Romita sit in this chair? Maybe Dick Giordano? Art Spiegelman? Or -gasp- Harvey Fierstein??" Now, when she's not working on FCHS with Vito Delsante, she's working at Jim Hanley's Universe with Vito Delsante!