Pop Culture Classroom Gives Away Graphic Novels To Give Kids A Break From Screen, Encourage Learning

DENVER (CBS4) - Pop Culture Classroom, the nonprofit behind Denver's Pop Culture Con is giving away hundreds of books to encourage kids and teens to keep reading while stuck at home.

Jessica Bloom and her two daughters were among those families who stopped by the Denver office to take advantage.

Ten-year-old Anika says having to stay at home as been a lot of work.

"It's been snowy out and we have work to do on the computers and we are inside all day but when we get to read, it's just fun," she said.

She and her sister Lilly left with a bag full of new material to keep that fun going.

"It's really nice, especially sitting in front of a screen for 7 hours day," Lily said.

The staff at Pop Culture Classroom set up a "social distance" friendly giveaway on Friday afternoon, handing out graphic novels that would normally go to their educational workshop students.

Matt Slayter is the education program manager.

"We are an educational nonprofit first and foremost and we are Pop Culture Classroom so we believe in educating through pop culture, so elevating the pop culture media that teens love already, whether it's graphic novels, books or video games and trying to find the educational component," he said.

Slayter says part of their mission as a nonprofit is to use pop culture to build interest in learning, but particularly reading.

"Kids in order to maintain their literacy and grow their literacy need to be reading as much as possible from all sorts of formats whether it's a pros book or poetry or graphic novel, they need to be reading as much as possible," he said.

For moms like Jessica bloom it's another tool to not only keep her kids busy but to keep them learning as well.

"It's hard because when the kids are sitting in front of the screen all ay like they dont have that connection to things so connecting to something that they liked before kind of is really good for them," she said.

Pop Culture Classroom plans to hold some of their summer workshops online and they are considering a second book giveaway.

LINK: Pop Culture Classroom