By Tides Staff

Bradley Beach eighth graders donated 50 copies of their book My Reality: Graphic Narratives by the Bradley Beach Elementary School Class of 2018 to the Community Affairs and Resource Center, Asbury Park, on April 12.

“Your remarkable stories will help other kids to see that they are not alone in their experiences. Your stories will help them to feel empowered and hopeful, and brave enough to try new things!” said Beatriz Oesterheld, the executive director of the CARC, a nonprofit social services agency.

The donation came as part of the culminating event for the BBES Graphic Novel Project. Under a grant from the Artists in Education Grant Program, author Kevin C. Pyle guided students to write and illustrate 20 short graphic novels dealing with topics in their own lives such as immigration, a parent’s cancer diagnosis, a street brawl, and a daily outing that gets surreal. Students worked with partners to inject fantasy elements into the stories, and employed visual storytelling techniques like panel transitions, expressive lettering, and facial expressions.

The students’ graphic novels can be viewed at http://bbesgraphicnovels.wordpress.com.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer DiZefalo