Research Guides: Ben Franklin's Believe It Or Not!: Government Comics, Illustrations, and Literature

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Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue!

Comics

Just because you've grown up, doesn't mean you can't enjoy (even benefit from) words and pictures put together!

Jimmy Has More Fun
A comic "pamphlet about food relief, told through the lens of a mother trying to provide good nutrition for her son."

(partially quoted from the description on the source website)
Pogo Primer for Parents (TV Division)
Using characters from his titular newspaper comic strip ("Pogo"), Walt Kelly wrote and illustrated this document published in 1961 that encourages parents to take the time to understand their children, their television, and the programs their children watch on television.

(Contains outdated language and stereotypical depictions of gender roles.)

Rex Morgan, M.D., Talks About Your Unborn Child.
In collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Field Newspaper Syndicate and the uncredited creators*, the characters of the Rex Morgan, M.D., comic strip confront a pregnant woman and her friends about the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

(Contains outdated language and stereotypical depictions of gender roles)

*In 1980, at the time of the comic's publication, the writer of the comic strip was Nicholas P. Dallis, and the illustrator was Frank Springer.

This is Ann... She's Dying to Meet You!
An instructional pamphlet from 1943, written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss (uncredited, and before he was using his pen name) about the anopheles mosquito ("Ann"), a spreader of malaria, and thus a significant danger to Allied troops serving in areas it inhabited during WWII.
Wildlife Willie
"Wildlife Willie is an earnest but sometimes confused outdoorsman whose fumblings serve to point out wildlife management fundamentals, important game and fish laws and regulations, and the elements of good sportsmanship."

(from the introduction - written and illustrated by Charles Hjelte, longtime editor of Colorado Outdoors magazine)

Graphic storytelling for children, published by the government, can just as often take the form of a coloring book as it can a traditional comic book!

Energy Activities with Energy Ant!
Energy Ant, the host of the Energy Kids website, teaches children about the history and applications of all kinds of energy using graphics and games.
First Woman #1: Dream to Reality
“'First Woman: NASA’s Promise for Humanity' imagines the story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon... The 40-page comic book highlights NASA technologies for traveling to, landing on, and exploring the Moon."

(written by Brad Gann & Steven List; illustrations by Brent Donoho with Kaitlin Reid)
First Woman #2: Expanding Our Universe
"Fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez continues exploring space as the first woman to walk on the Moon in a new issue of NASA’s First Woman graphic novel series...  This second issue of the graphic novel series features a diverse crew of astronauts on the Moon’s surface who learn and grow as a team, navigate the unexpected, and conduct experiments and technology demonstrations for the benefit of humanity."

(written by Brad Gann & Steven List; illustrations by Brent Donoho with Kaitlin Reid)
For Kids' Sake - Think Toy Safety (Coloring Book)
Tips on ways for children to treat their toys, or behave around them, to be safe (in English and Spanish).
The Good Foods Coloring Book
A 1973 coloring book, "published in support of federal food stamp and food distribution programs," that likely should not be considered appropriate nutritional advice in the present day.
Hurricane warning : Owlie Skywarn : a booklet for boys and girls
Owlie Skywarn was created in 1976, is the mascot of the National Weather Service, and has been featured in documents and publications ever since, educating the general public (and children, especially) about the weather, the dangers it can present, and things to do in the event of various storms. This 1977 booklet focuses on hurricane information/preparedness.
The Perils of Pip: Preventing Poisoning!
Introducing Pip, the Magic Safety Elephant! After multiple brushes with danger in the jungle, Pip made it his mission to advocate for safe behavior to all children!
Pictures, puzzles & problems : an activity book for all ages
Booklet of puzzles and games for young children, challenging their observation, math, and literacy skills, and providing information about the FBI.
Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball
"Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball is part of the Tunza Environmental Series for Children, sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). \" Tunza \" means \" to treat with care or affection \" in Swahilli.

"UNEP hopes to inspire caring for the Earth through creative literature that sparks the interest and awareness of children, their parents and teachers."
What's My Job in Court?
An answer and activity book for kids who are going to court.

Sometimes, you happen across a comic in a call number range or on a subject that is charmingly surprising!

The 9 Lives of El Gato the Cat
A fire safety comic book from the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission
Martin the Martian learns to fish
A good-natured visitor from outer space, Martin the Martian, descends upon the city of Denver and learns about the history and technique of fishing, as well as the rules governing it in the state of Colorado (at the time of publication, which was 1987, so it likely contains outdated information).

(art and story credit: Marc Conly; editorial credit: Jim Hekkers, Phil Goebel, Jim Satterfield, Rich Larson, Jim Scott)

Numerous documents published by the government engage thoughtfully, and even critically, with literature aimed at children.

Cartoon all-stars to the rescue : joint hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee on the Judiciary, One Hundred First Congress, second session, on an entertaining way of enlightening children about the dangers of substan
Transcript of a joint House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in observance of a cartoon special (starring characters including Garfield, the Ghostbusters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a number of Disney characters), dissuading children from drug use.

As then-Senator Biden said, "you know that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a well-known group of individuals among 8-year-olds, and you know the powerful impact of those turtles, along with figures like Bugs Bunny and Winnie the Pooh and the Smurfs, and Alf, who have all had impacts upon our children."
Comic books : related matters and problems : report to the Colorado General Assembly
From the Colorado Senate Joint Resolution No. 14: "WHEREAS, Appropriate allegations have been made that such publications [comic books] are of a type which may tend to provoke acts of juvenile delinquency or crime, or which are otherwise inherently objectionable should be made unlawful, where not already so, or should be so regulated as to eliminate their evil..."

(A Colorado state government companion to the federal government's 1950s investigations into the subject of comics.)
Illusion and Reality
Transcript of a lecture presented by Virginia Hamilton at the Library of Congress, Nov. 17, 1975, in observance of National Children's Book Week
Juvenile Delinquency (Comic Books) : hearings before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee To Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the U.S., Eighty-Third Congress, second session, on Apr. 21, 22, June 4, 1954
From the initial address by the committee chairman: "By comic books, we mean pamphlets illustrating stories depicting crimes or dealing with horror and sadism. We shall not be talking about the comic strips that appear daily in most of our newspapers."

(The Comics Code Authority, a self-censoring body whose approval was de facto required for publishing in the United States for decades, was formed in 1954.)
The openhearted audience : ten authors talk about writing for children
Collected lectures by authors who have written for children, including Virginia Haviland, P.L. Travers, Maurice Sendak, Joan Aiken, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Virginia Hamilton.

The Library of Congress has, for decades, hosted talks/conferences/symposia on literary matters both timely and timeless.

George Orwell & Nineteen eighty-four : the man and the book : a conference at the Library of Congress April 30 and May 1, 1984 / presented under the auspices of the Gertrude Clarke Whittall Poetry and Literature Fund
"An international roster of Orwell experts gathered at the Library of Congress on April 30 and May 1, 1984, for a conference chaired by the Library's consultant in poetry, Anthony Hecht, and sponsored by the Library's Gertrude Clarke Whittall Poetry and Literature Fun. The four sessions of the conference were: 'What Orwell Really Wrote,' 'Orwell: The Man,' 'Nineteen Eighty-Four: The Book,' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four: Its Meaning in 1984."

(from the introduction)