Meet John
COURTESY JOHN GALLAGHER
Art director,
Ranger Rick and author/
cartoonist OCCUPATION:
LIVES: Fairfax, VA
Spouse, Beth; kids,
Katie, Jack and Will; and
pets, Cody the dog and
Millie the cat
FAMILY: What inspired
Meow: Cat
graphic novel
becomes a
snacking on a
I was teaching an
and started the first
ended drawing
knew immediately
do and sat down
remaining kids just
to get started, for
something
enough. I began
group, and together
cat, then added a
silliness ensued from
made a comic for
to cut our story
The next class I began
same kids instead
the cat hero story to
next. I could tell
special about this
friend—and the story
into “Max Meow, Cat
Grownups and
different sense
did you know
Mindy’s hijinks
My three kids have
sometimes toughest)
stories and jokes.

helped with some of
story elements for the
great sounding
involved because he
but graphic novels,
Dog Man series,
reading. Max Meow
he became further
This attraction led to
over and over and,
a more enriching and
Do your children
passion for
novels? What
favorites? Each has had



DAD LIFE
to write “Max
your new
a cat who
after
meatball?
comics class
with an open-
A handful of kids
they wanted to
began drawing. The
sat there, reluctant
of not drawing
or spectacular
with this
created a superhero
and a robot, and
there. Soon we had
caped cat but had
due to class ending.

a new lesson, but the
to continue with
what would happen
was something
cat and his scientist
eventually developed
have a very
humor. How
Max and
amuse the
crowd?
been my best (and
audience for testing
youngest, Will, 13,
character names and
first book and made a
I wanted to get him
a reluctant reader,
Dav Pilkey’s
his favorite type of
Will’s interest, and
in the process.

reading the story
to Max being
character.

your
and graphic
some of their
through the years,
with my daughter Katie enjoying the Bone
and Baby Mouse series and her brothers
Jack and Will reading “The Dumbest Idea
Ever,” “New Kid,” the Amelia Rules! series,
“Smile,” the Hilo series, the Amulet series
and the Dog Man series, to name a few. They
have also had a healthy appreciation for
classic comics such as Garfield, Calvin and
Hobbes and Cul-de-Sac, which we all still
read on a regular basis. What is wonderful
is that comics became a gateway to enjoying
many different types of reading.

What fun things have you and
your family been doing to keep
busy during the pandemic?
Beginning in May, my wife and I started a
family routine we dubbed “Cul-de-Cinema”
where we’ve been watching movies
projected on a tarp in front of our house
every weekend. This activity has been a
fun escape, especially once we all agree
on the movie! We’ve also been taking lots
of walks and have done some biking on
the trails behind our house. Our golden
retriever is likely the biggest supporter of
the togetherness we’ve all had!
What advice do you have for
parents of reluctant readers?
Being the parent of a reluctant reader, my
advice would be to introduce your young
reader to a large variety of materials—from
storybooks and comics to magazines and
trivia or joke books—until they find out what
makes them want to read. Then seek out
those types of books. The balance of text and
artwork in graphic novels is what held Will’s
interest as an early reader. This interest was
a jumping-off point, and we kept seeking out
similar graphic novels, and his world opened
up from there. A school or public librarian
can be so good at helping your child find the,
or at least a, perfect starter book. I can’t say
enough about librarians—they are a wealth
of knowledge and love to work their magic by
pairing kids’ interests with books. n
Read our extended interview with John
Gallagher—and learn how to draw Max
Meow—on washingtonfamily.com.

WashingtonFAMILY.com 35