{"id":11760,"date":"2023-08-23T11:53:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T03:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=11760"},"modified":"2026-09-23T20:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T12:22:25","slug":"binky_2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2023\/08\/23\/binky_2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The Adven\u00adtures of Binkey the Space Cat \u2013 A Mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent and Roman\u00adtic Every\u00adday World Recre\u00adat\u00aded by a Space Cat"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Adven\u00adtures of Space Cat Bingie<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once upon a time, there was a space cat named Binkey\u2026<\/p>\n

Oh, no, actu\u00adal\u00adly Binkey is a house cat, a house cat whose size rivals Garfield\u00ad\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s hard to say; Binch did receive a let\u00adter from\u2026Cat Office<\/strong>He has received a top-secret let\u00adter of appoint\u00adment and a \u201cspace cat cer\u00adtifi\u00adcate\u201d from the \u201cSpace Cat Space Trav\u00adel Agency\u201d (short for Space Cat Agency). Offi\u00adcial\u00adly cer\u00adti\u00adfied and giv\u00aden a spe\u00adcial mis\u00adsion, he is to pre\u00adpare to fly into out\u00ader space and fight alien crea\u00adtures (main\u00adly insec\u00adtoids)!<\/p>\n

Is that true? Of course, there\u2019s pho\u00adto\u00adgraph\u00adic evi\u00addence\u2014<\/p>\n

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For Binkey, a house cat who has nev\u00ader been out\u00adside, his home is the space sta\u00adtion, and the world out\u00adside the space sta\u00adtion is out\u00ader space! Liv\u00ading with Binkey are a large human, a small human, and his beloved stuffed toy, a ted\u00addy bear. Binkey takes excel\u00adlent care of his human and is con\u00adstant\u00adly vig\u00adi\u00adlant, pro\u00adtect\u00ading them from aliens! To accom\u00adplish this great mis\u00adsion, Binkey even secret\u00adly built a real rock\u00adet space\u00adship. How\u00adev\u00ader, just as he was about to ignite it for take\u00adoff, Binkey jumped back to the space sta\u00adtion with his ted\u00addy bear. Why?<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201cThe Space Cat Adven\u00adture\u201d is a very light and humor\u00adous sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion com\u00adic book series. Read\u00aders who espe\u00adcial\u00adly like cats, dogs and light-heart\u00aded sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion sto\u00adries will eas\u00adi\u00adly become fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00aded by Binch\u2019s sto\u00adries.<\/strong>It is the typ\u00adi\u00adcalTwo-lay\u00adered nar\u00adra\u00adtive<\/strong>On the sur\u00adface, the nar\u00adra\u00adtor pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly tells the sto\u00adry of this \u201cspace cat\u201d from Binch\u2019s per\u00adspec\u00adtive in the third per\u00adson. How\u00adev\u00ader, atten\u00adtive read\u00aders can see the dai\u00adly life of this house cat and its own\u00ader. In oth\u00ader words, the space sta\u00adtion and out\u00ader space in Binch\u2019s eyes are sim\u00adply their every\u00adday world, only made more col\u00ador\u00adful and even won\u00addrous through Binch\u2019s \u201cpre\u00adtend play.\u201d<\/p>\n

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How\u00adev\u00ader, if the sto\u00adry remained sole\u00adly a \u201cpre\u00adtend game,\u201d the tale of Binkey the Space Cat would seem too naive. Cre\u00adator Ash\u00adley Spear infused the sto\u00adry with authen\u00adtic sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion ele\u00adments; the insects threat\u00aden\u00ading human\u00adi\u00adty grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly took on the char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtics of the Arach\u00adnids from the sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion film *Star\u00adship Troop\u00aders* (adapt\u00aded from Hein\u00adlein\u2019s nov\u00adel of the same name), increas\u00ading\u00adly exhibit\u00ading high\u00adly social\u00adized and intel\u00adli\u00adgent traits. In the fifth book, *Binkey Strikes Back*, the mad cat Pro\u00adfes\u00adsor Tuffy, col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrat\u00ading with the alien insects, and his mas\u00adter\u00adpiece, \u201cSpace Cat Fusion,\u201d are clear\u00adly a trib\u00adute to the clas\u00adsic sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion nov\u00adel *Franken\u00adstein*. Ash\u00adley\u2019s skill\u00adful use of a text-and-image hybrid nar\u00adra\u00adtive tech\u00adnique allows this two-tiered struc\u00adture to unfold nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly, enabling both young and adult read\u00aders to find their own inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtions based on their life expe\u00adri\u00adences and read\u00ading back\u00adgrounds. Of course, if each lev\u00adel can be under\u00adstood and com\u00adpared, the humor becomes par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly appeal\u00ading.<\/p>\n

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Ash\u00adley Spi\u00ader is a pop\u00adu\u00adlar Cana\u00addi\u00adan chil\u00addren\u2019s book artist. Domes\u00adtic read\u00aders may be more famil\u00adiar with her pic\u00adture books, such as *The Great Mas\u00adter\u00adpiece*, *Ruby Who Can\u2019t Climb Trees*, and *Ella\u2019s Umbrel\u00adla*, but her ear\u00adli\u00adest chil\u00addren\u2019s books were comics. The first three books in the \u201cSpace Cat Binkey\u201d series, *Space Cat Binkey*, *Binkey\u2019s Great Res\u00adcue*, and *Binkey\u2019s Stress Test*, were pub\u00adlished in 2009, 2010, and 2011 respec\u00adtive\u00adly. She did\u00adn\u2019t pub\u00adlish her first pic\u00adture book, *Lit\u00adtle Saul*, until 2011. The lat\u00adter two, *Binkey Becomes an Instruc\u00adtor* and *Binkey\u2019s Coun\u00adter\u00adat\u00adtack*, were pub\u00adlished in 2012 and 2013 respec\u00adtive\u00adly. After con\u00adclud\u00ading the Space Cat Binkey series, she devot\u00aded more ener\u00adgy to cre\u00adat\u00ading pic\u00adture books, chal\u00adleng\u00ading her\u00adself with more diverse forms of chil\u00addren\u2019s lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture. She also tried her hand at adapt\u00ading her own works into ani\u00admat\u00aded films; in 2019, Space Cat Binkey became the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist of an ani\u00admat\u00aded series\u2014but that\u2019s anoth\u00ader sto\u00adry.<\/p>\n

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Link to the ani\u00admat\u00aded film \u201cAgent Binkey\u201d<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Ash\u00adley\u2019s chil\u00addren\u2019s books have won numer\u00adous awards, the most notable being the Sil\u00adver Birch Award from the Ontario Library Asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion in 2011 for *Pinch of Space Cat*. This award is divid\u00aded into fic\u00adtion, non\u00adfic\u00adtion, and express mail cat\u00ade\u00adgories, and *Pinch of Space Cat* received the third cat\u00ade\u00adgo\u00adry, specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly designed for low\u00ader ele\u00admen\u00adtary school read\u00aders, includ\u00ading those less enthu\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtic about read\u00ading, aim\u00ading to inspire their pas\u00adsion for read\u00ading. Each *Pinch of Space Cat* adven\u00adture sto\u00adry has 64 pages of text, but the trans\u00adlat\u00aded Chi\u00adnese text is only about 3,000 words, inter\u00adspersed with\u00adin numer\u00adous com\u00adic pan\u00adels. It fea\u00adtures many repet\u00adi\u00adtive expres\u00adsions, ono\u00admatopoeia, and oth\u00ader vivid imagery, mak\u00ading it dynam\u00adic and live\u00adly. Begin\u00adner read\u00aders can eas\u00adi\u00adly fin\u00adish it with\u00adout real\u00adiz\u00ading it, feel\u00ading a great sense of accom\u00adplish\u00adment. It\u2019s also fun and humor\u00adous, and young read\u00aders may reread it again and again. It is tru\u00adly an excel\u00adlent intro\u00adduc\u00adto\u00adry read\u00ader.<\/p>\n

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Inside pages of \u201cSpace Cat Binchi\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201c\u201cThe first car\u00adtoon\u00adist in his\u00adto\u00adry\u201d\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many adult read\u00aders are unaware of the val\u00adue of these com\u00adic books, and some par\u00adents and teach\u00aders even restrict their chil\u00addren\u2019s read\u00ading, which is tru\u00adly regret\u00adtable. Comics occu\u00adpy a very impor\u00adtant place in the his\u00adto\u00adry of human read\u00ading, and their role con\u00adtin\u00adues to grow today. As ear\u00adly as the begin\u00adning of the 19th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, a Swiss teacher, writer, and painter, Rudolf Topfer (1799\u20131846), used mul\u00adti-pan\u00adel com\u00adic strips to tell sto\u00adries to board\u00ading school stu\u00addents to soothe them, and it became very pop\u00adu\u00adlar. He was lat\u00ader hailed as the \u201cfirst car\u00adtoon\u00adist in West\u00adern his\u00adto\u00adry.\u201d In the East, the Japan\u00adese ukiyo\u2011e mas\u00adter Kat\u00adsushi\u00adka Hoku\u00adsai com\u00adpiled his depic\u00adtions of human nature into \u201cHoku\u00adsai Man\u00adga\u201d (1914), lay\u00ading the foun\u00adda\u00adtion for the ear\u00adly style of Japan\u00adese man\u00adga.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe term \u201ccar\u00adtoon\u201d first appeared in Chi\u00adnese Song Dynasty paint\u00ading art lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture, but as a mod\u00adern form of sto\u00adry\u00adtelling in con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adous draw\u00ading, it emerged around the begin\u00adning of the 20th cen\u00adtu\u00adry. By 1925, with the pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion of *Zikai\u2019s Car\u00adtoons*, the name \u201ccar\u00adtoon\u201d grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly gained wide\u00adspread accep\u00adtance. Feng Zikai, an artist and edu\u00adca\u00adtor of the Repub\u00adlic of Chi\u00adna era, made sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtions to the estab\u00adlish\u00adment of this form. He nev\u00ader con\u00adcealed the fact that the artis\u00adtic style of *Zikai\u2019s Car\u00adtoons* was deeply influ\u00adenced by the Japan\u00adese car\u00adtoon\u00adist Take\u00adhisa Yume\u00adji. The \u201ccar\u00adtoon\u201d he cham\u00adpi\u00adoned could be described as roman\u00adtic, fresh, ele\u00adgant, approach\u00adable, humor\u00adous, and full of philo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal reflec\u00adtions on life. Lat\u00ader, Zhang Lep\u00ading\u2019s car\u00adtoon style in *San\u00admao the Vagabond* con\u00adtin\u00adued this tra\u00addi\u00adtion of romance and humor, while also pos\u00adsess\u00ading satir\u00adi\u00adcal ele\u00adments and a strong crit\u00adi\u00adcal real\u00adism. Such car\u00adtoons are a rather seri\u00adous art form.<\/p>\n

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In the his\u00adto\u00adry of West\u00adern comics, works such as \u201cMax and Moritz\u201d by Ger\u00adman artist Wil\u00adhelm Busch pub\u00adlished in 1865, and the \u201cKatzen\u00adjamer\u2019s Chil\u00addren\u201d Amer\u00adi\u00adcan com\u00adic series cre\u00adat\u00aded by Rudolf Dex\u00adter in 1897 (and con\u00adtin\u00adued until 2006), are trea\u00adsures of chil\u00addren\u2019s book his\u00adto\u00adry, con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00ading the theme of mis\u00adchie\u00advous chil\u00addren in humor\u00adous comics. The birth of the \u201cSuper\u00adman\u201d com\u00adic series in the 1930s sparked a wave of huge\u00adly suc\u00adcess\u00adful com\u00admer\u00adcial comics, giv\u00ading rise to the com\u00admer\u00adcial com\u00adic book giants we know today, such as Mar\u00advel and DC. Ini\u00adtial\u00adly, Amer\u00adi\u00adcan chil\u00addren\u2019s librar\u00adi\u00adans were quite averse to these comics, but bril\u00adliant chil\u00addren\u2019s book edi\u00adtors like Ursu\u00adla Nord\u00adstrom grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adcov\u00adered that they could learn many secrets to cap\u00adtur\u00ading the hearts of child read\u00aders. More\u00adover, even rather con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive adults have to admit that the more chil\u00addren\u2019s read\u00ading of such works is restrict\u00aded, the stronger their obses\u00adsion with comics becomes.<\/p>\n

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By the 1960s and 70s, com\u00adic book read\u00ading had grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly per\u00adme\u00adat\u00aded the main\u00adstream of chil\u00addren\u2019s read\u00ading. Com\u00adic sto\u00adries such as \u201cThe Adven\u00adtures of Tintin,\u201d \u201cThe Smurfs,\u201d \u201cLit\u00adtle Nicholas,\u201d and \u201cAster\u00adix and the Gal\u00adlic Aster\u201d were enjoyed by both the refined and the com\u00admon peo\u00adple. Word\u00adless graph\u00adic nov\u00adels (i.e. com\u00adic book nov\u00adels) such as Ray\u00admond Brig\u00adgs\u2019 \u201cThe Snow\u00adman\u201d even won the Green\u00adaway Medal, the high\u00adest award in the chil\u00addren\u2019s book indus\u00adtry.<\/p>\n

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Mau\u00adrice Sendak\u2019s 1970 pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion, *Mid\u00adnight Kitchen*, paid homage to the clas\u00adsic com\u00adic book series \u201cLit\u00adtle Nemo\u201d and ascend\u00aded to the high\u00adest ech\u00ade\u00adlons of pic\u00adture book art. In the adult world of comics, the *Maus* series, pub\u00adlished between 1980 and 1991, won the pres\u00adti\u00adgious Pulitzer Prize. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, com\u00adic book artist and art pro\u00adfes\u00adsor Will Eis\u00adner pub\u00adlished *Com\u00adic Books and Ser\u00adi\u00adal Art* in 1985, the first aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic mono\u00adgraph on comics and graph\u00adic nov\u00adels.<\/p>\n

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By the ear\u00adly 21st cen\u00adtu\u00adry, graph\u00adic nov\u00adels had grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly entered the main\u00adstream of West\u00adern chil\u00addren\u2019s read\u00ading. Yang Jin\u00adlun\u2019s \u201cAmer\u00adi\u00adcan Chi\u00adnese\u201d became the first graph\u00adic nov\u00adel for chil\u00addren to be short\u00adlist\u00aded for the Nation\u00adal Book Award. In 2008, \u201cHugo the Dream\u00ader\u201d became the first graph\u00adic nov\u00adel to win the Calde\u00adcott Medal. More and more top chil\u00addren\u2019s book artists turned to this form of cre\u00adation, includ\u00ading renowned authors such as David Wies\u00adner and David Small, who have won the Calde\u00adcott Medal mul\u00adti\u00adple times.<\/p>\n

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Ash\u00adley Spears\u2019s \u201cThe Adven\u00adtures of Binkey the Space Cat\u201d is a prod\u00aduct of this new cre\u00adative trend. \u201cBinkey the Space Cat\u201d is defined as an \u201cear\u00adly graph\u00adic nov\u00adel\u201d in the chil\u00addren\u2019s book cat\u00ade\u00adgo\u00adry, mean\u00ading its tar\u00adget audi\u00adence can be as young as low\u00ader ele\u00admen\u00adtary school stu\u00addents. Bri\u00adan Selznick\u00ad\u2019s \u201cDetec\u00adtive Mon\u00adkey,\u201d pub\u00adlished in 2018, even extends the tar\u00adget age for graph\u00adic nov\u00adels down to three years old!<\/p>\n

So, we can\u2019t help but ask, why do these tal\u00adent\u00aded chil\u00addren\u2019s book artists and the pub\u00adlish\u00aders they work with believe that chil\u00addren need to read graph\u00adic nov\u00adels (com\u00adic sto\u00adries that resem\u00adble nov\u00adels)? The rea\u00adsons can be sum\u00adma\u00adrized as fol\u00adlows:<\/p>\n

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First, numer\u00adous sur\u00adveys and stud\u00adies on chil\u00addren\u2019s read\u00ading show that high-achiev\u00ading stu\u00addents world\u00adwide love read\u00ading comics!<\/strong>This is best explained in Stephen Cla\u00adson\u2019s book, *The Pow\u00ader of Read\u00ading*. Of course, this does\u00adn\u2019t mean that stu\u00addents who love read\u00ading comics nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly have good grades, but the reverse of the usu\u00adal sur\u00advey results sur\u00adpris\u00ades many adults: high-achiev\u00ading stu\u00addents are often com\u00adic book lovers!<\/p>\n

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Sec\u00adond\u00adly, the plea\u00adsure derived from read\u00ading comics does indeed con\u00adtribute to chil\u00addren\u2019s men\u00adtal well-being.<\/strong>In par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar, the humor in comics can help chil\u00addren main\u00adtain a more pos\u00adi\u00adtive atti\u00adtude towards life.<\/p>\n

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Third, for chil\u00addren who are just start\u00ading to read, comics are par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly help\u00adful in improv\u00ading their read\u00ading com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsion skills, espe\u00adcial\u00adly in chang\u00ading their atti\u00adtude towards read\u00ading and great\u00adly increas\u00ading their engage\u00adment in read\u00ading.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Fourth, in the fields of pop\u00adu\u00adlar read\u00ading and edu\u00adca\u00adtion, com\u00adic book read\u00ading has like\u00adly become an irre\u00adversible trend.<\/strong>Take Yang Jin\u00adlun, the author of \u201cAmer\u00adi\u00adcan-Born Chi\u00adnese,\u201d as an exam\u00adple. He was orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly a mid\u00addle school com\u00adput\u00ader sci\u00adence teacher. When he found that his stu\u00addents were clue\u00adless about sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic and tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal terms and log\u00adic, he switched to teach\u00ading in the form of comics, which yield\u00aded remark\u00adable results in the class\u00adroom. This dis\u00adcov\u00adery led him to make a bril\u00adliant trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion into a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal graph\u00adic nov\u00adel cre\u00adator!<\/p>\n

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Take my own par\u00adent\u00ading expe\u00adri\u00adence as an exam\u00adple. Before my daugh\u00adter start\u00aded school, I dis\u00adcov\u00adered she was obsessed with \u201cThe Adven\u00adtures of Tintin\u201d with two old\u00ader boys from next door. She read the 22-book graph\u00adic nov\u00adel series repeat\u00aded\u00adly. Dur\u00ading one of our shared read\u00ading ses\u00adsions, I sub\u00adtly assessed how much she actu\u00adal\u00adly under\u00adstood. To my aston\u00adish\u00adment, she had man\u00adaged to com\u00adpre\u00adhend more than half of the Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters, albeit through a com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion of guess\u00adwork and deduc\u00adtion. Keep in mind, that\u2019s a text of 220,000 char\u00adac\u00adters! Lat\u00ader, I invit\u00aded first and sec\u00adond grade teach\u00aders at a bilin\u00adgual school to con\u00adduct a year-long exper\u00adi\u00adment, ask\u00ading them to guide their stu\u00addents in learn\u00ading char\u00adac\u00adters using com\u00adic books like \u201cThe Smurfs.\u201d One teacher with over ten years of expe\u00adri\u00adence remarked that it was the most effec\u00adtive exper\u00adi\u00adment of her teach\u00ading career, and the most amaz\u00ading thing was that the chil\u00addren were com\u00adplete\u00adly unaware they were learn\u00ading char\u00adac\u00adters! They were sim\u00adply immersed in the expe\u00adri\u00adence with great enthu\u00adsi\u00adasm.<\/p>\n

How\u00adev\u00ader, many adult read\u00aders still wor\u00adry that com\u00adic books offer lit\u00adtle nutri\u00adtion\u00adal val\u00adue, and some, like Amer\u00adi\u00adcan chil\u00addren\u2019s librar\u00adi\u00adans in the 1930s and 40s, view com\u00adic books as a kind of \u201cmon\u00adster.\u201d It must be acknowl\u00adedged that some com\u00adic books are indeed of low qual\u00adi\u00adty and over\u00adly com\u00admer\u00adcial\u00adized, but this also applies to oth\u00ader cat\u00ade\u00adgories of chil\u00addren\u2019s books. Low-qual\u00adi\u00adty pic\u00adture books, fairy tales, chil\u00addren\u2019s nov\u00adels, and edu\u00adca\u00adtion\u00adal books also thrive in the mar\u00adket. As com\u00adic artist Will Eis\u00adner point\u00aded out,Comics are a con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adous visu\u00adal nar\u00adra\u00adtive form, much like a con\u00adtain\u00ader. What is con\u00adtained in this con\u00adtain\u00ader depends on the cre\u00adator\u2019s skill and sense of respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, which is no dif\u00adfer\u00adent from any oth\u00ader art form.<\/strong>In oth\u00ader words, read\u00ading is actu\u00adal\u00adly a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion between the read\u00ader and the cre\u00adator. What mat\u00adters is not the form itself, but who you are com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcat\u00ading with.<\/p>\n

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Ash\u00adley Spears<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In short, when invit\u00ading chil\u00addren to read comics and graph\u00adic nov\u00adels, try to choose high-qual\u00adi\u00adty works and engage with inter\u00adest\u00ading, cre\u00adative, and respon\u00adsi\u00adble cre\u00adators. Take Ash\u00adley Spi\u00ader, for exam\u00adple. She is a mul\u00adti-tal\u00adent\u00aded artist who cre\u00adat\u00aded the sto\u00adry of Binkey the Space Cat because she loves cats so much. Grow\u00ading up, her par\u00adents ran a pet shop, which allowed her to be sur\u00adround\u00aded by var\u00adi\u00adous ani\u00admals, with cats being her favorite. She spent time with at least eight cats through\u00adout her child\u00adhood. Even as an adult, she often kept three or four cats, as well as a dog that bond\u00aded with cats (the pro\u00adto\u00adtype for Gor\u00addon, the dog who appears in the fourth install\u00adment). She also fre\u00adquent\u00adly helped care for stray cats in the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty, once stay\u00ading up all night to feed sev\u00ader\u00adal kit\u00adtens she tem\u00adporar\u00adi\u00adly cared for. She is tru\u00adly a lov\u00ading \u201ccat\u00adwoman,\u201d pos\u00adsess\u00ading an inti\u00admate under\u00adstand\u00ading of kit\u00adtens\u2019 habits and per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adi\u00adties. She firm\u00adly believes that cats, like Binkey, gen\u00aduine\u00adly love and pro\u00adtect humans. Her Binkey sto\u00adry can be seen as a hymn to cats.<\/p>\n

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<\/figure>\n
Ash\u00adley and her cat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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How\u00adev\u00ader, the pro\u00adto\u00adtype for the space cat Binkey was\u00adn\u2019t her own cat, but rather her sis\u00adter\u2019s. She found that cat so amus\u00ading, and how it would con\u00adstant\u00adly catch small fly\u00ading insects around the house, so she tried to imag\u00adine what the cat was think\u00ading from its per\u00adspec\u00adtive. It\u2019s a sil\u00adly, very child\u00adish sto\u00adry, often using the cat\u2019s farts to make sil\u00adly jokes, but beyond these jokes\u2026Uncon\u00adscious\u00adly, she incor\u00adpo\u00adrat\u00aded some rather seri\u00adous reflec\u00adtions: the rela\u00adtion\u00adship between humans and ani\u00admals, love and respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty with\u00adin fam\u00adi\u00adlies, friend\u00adship, prob\u00adlem-solv\u00ading meth\u00adods, wit and courage\u2026 Through her deep inter\u00adac\u00adtions with cats and cats and dogs, Ash\u00adley also touched upon issues of gen\u00adder equal\u00adi\u00adty and racial equal\u00adi\u00adty.<\/strong>In the process of solv\u00ading prob\u00adlems, she sub\u00adtly guides young read\u00aders to expand their knowl\u00adedge and expe\u00adri\u00adence sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic think\u00ading and meth\u00adods. In her sto\u00adries, Binkey is a cat who is always \u201cmak\u00ading mis\u00adtakes\u201d and mak\u00ading a fool of him\u00adself, which is nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly hilar\u00adi\u00adous. But what\u2019s valu\u00adable is that Binkey always grows through tri\u00adal and error, ulti\u00admate\u00adly brave\u00adly achiev\u00ading his goals. Upon reflec\u00adtion, this is pre\u00adcise\u00adly the kind of encour\u00adage\u00adment chil\u00addren need most as they grow.Don\u2019t be afraid of mak\u00ading mis\u00adtakes; growth is a process of brave\u00adly mov\u00ading for\u00adward through tri\u00adal and error.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is tru\u00adly a bless\u00ading for a child to have the space cat Binchi accom\u00adpa\u00adny them on their jour\u00adney of growth.<\/p>\n

Writ\u00adten by A\u2011Jia on Jan\u00adu\u00adary 5, 2023 in Bei\u00adjing<\/p>\n

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