New Series to Support Foundational Reading Skills and Early Literacy Learning for Young Viewers
Arlington, VA, October 1, 2025 – Today, PBS KIDS announced SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES, a new animated series that builds on the legacy and success of Emmy-nominated series SUPER WHY! and the SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES shorts. The new series supports early literacy for preschoolers and kindergarteners through 7-minute action-packed stories that follow the adventures of the beloved Super Readers in the epic comic book world of Reader Valley. SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES is produced by 9 Story Media Group and animated by the award-winning studio, Brown Bag Films. The series is slated to premiere on PBS KIDS in 2026.
“SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES supports literacy and reading skills through fun and fresh stories that will immediately draw kids into the vibrant world and characters that our viewers have come to know and love,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS. “We’re delighted to bring this multiplatform series to ‘super readers’ across the country next year.”
Recent research has found a significant drop in U.S. children’s reading scores1 and has shown that a large percentage of children are reading below grade level2. SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES features an early literacy curriculum that focuses on mastery to provide kids with the skills, knowledge, and empowerment they need to become successful readers. Building on the popularity of the SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES shorts, which have garnered more than 159 million streams on PBS KIDS video platforms and over 7.4 million YouTube views since October 20233, the new SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES multiplatform series will include 39 half-hour episodes and a suite of games and digital storybooks that help build viewers’ reading skills, such as letter-sound knowledge, phonological awareness, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and more. The longer format allows for the introduction of new evidence-based curriculum concepts and allows for the incorporation of reading strategies and approaches in each episode.
“I’m proud to see SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES coming to the PBS KIDS audience, building on the legacy of the original series in a bold, fresh way,” said Angela C. Santomero, Co-Creator and Executive Producer. “We want to get kids reading and diving into stories and a comic book does just that! With super villains and adventure stories, SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES will ignite the love of reading as we also teach the important skills new readers need today."
“We regularly hear that SUPER WHY! has been hugely helpful in teaching kids foundational reading skills and remains a valuable resource for parents, caregivers, and teachers,” said Coral Schoug, VP of Production for Brown Bag Films. “We’re thrilled to introduce this latest SUPER WHY! series and help further support children’s early literacy development in ways that are fun and effective.”
SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES follows the adventures of Power Paige, the newest Super Reader, along with familiar friends Super Why, Wonder Red, Princess Presto, and Alpha Pig—who is back and ready to build! Each reading hero uses their own unique literacy powers and gadgets to protect Reader Valley from a group of silly Super Villains, including The Eraser, who loves to make things disappear; Mr. More, who likes to add “more” to everything; The Shuffler, who wreaks havoc by mixing up the order of letters and sounds in words; and Outta Space, an extraterrestrial visitor who flies around looking to remove space between letters and sounds in words. Every story features a catchy song that reinforces the series’ foundational reading skills curriculum and includes interactive moments that bring the young viewer, “Super YOU,” into the story to help save the day. There will also be four new games and three digital storybooks debuting after the series premiere, available on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app.
The multiplatform series SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES is co-created by Angela C. Santomero (DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, BLUE’S CLUES), Sarah Wallendjack (SUPER WHY!, DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD) and Alex Breen (SUPER WHY!, CHARLIE’S COLORFORMS CITY), and developed by Jill Cozza-Turner (DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, DEE & GET ROLLING WITH OTIS). The series is directed by Sean Calligan (THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS RIDES AGAIN, XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM). 9 Story holds worldwide distribution and consumer products rights.
Since its premiere in 2007, SUPER WHY! has been one of the most popular PBS KIDS series, generating nearly 165 million streams per year across PBS KIDS platforms and 35 million views per year on the PBS KIDS YouTube channel4. The SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES shorts consistently rank in the top five short-form series on PBS KIDS3. Research proves that SUPER WHY! content and resources help children learn core early literacy skills, including alphabet knowledge, phonological and phonemic awareness, symbolic and linguistic awareness, and comprehension5.SUPER WHY! has also positively impacted kids across the country through series games and SUPER WHY! Reading Camps, which build on the signature early literacy approach of the popular series to extend its unique interactive reading approach into communities nationwide. Research indicates that these camps boost reading skills, with participants showing gains in all literacy skills presented in the program, and preschoolers showing an 84% gain in phonics skills and a 139% gain in word recognition skills after attending a 5-day camp6.
About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, and so is every child. With PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, children ages 2-8 learn lessons that last a lifetime. Across media and community-based programs, PBS KIDS sparks children’s curiosity, helping them succeed in school and life. Families can stream PBS KIDS for free anytime on the PBS KIDS Video app, connected TV devices, pbskids.org and more (no subscription required). Kids can play hundreds of educational games on the PBS KIDS Games app and pbskids.org. PBS KIDS and local stations across the country support children’s learning anytime, anywhere – empowering parents, caregivers, and teachers. For more information, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Facebook and Instagram.
About 9 Story Media Group
9 Story Media Group is a leading creator, producer and distributor of kids and family-focused intellectual property, now part of Scholastic’s portfolio. Its award-winning animation studio, Brown Bag Films, is recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Octonauts, Wild Kratts, and Blue’s Clues & You. The company’s international distribution arm, 9 Story Distribution International, represents 5,000 half-hours of animated and live-action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms. Its in-house consumer products division, 9 Story Brands, builds international entertainment brands for kids, with expertise across creative, brand marketing, and licensing. Its Digital division is a leader in digital content strategy, channel management, and AVOD/FAST distribution, overseeing 130 brands across 17 languages and expanding global reach through strategic platform optimization.
www.9story.com
About Brown Bag Films
Brown Bag Films is one of the world’s leading creative-led animation studios. Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, the studio is known for its distinctive storytelling, engaging characters, and high-quality, cross-platform animation for the global market. Brown Bag Films’ award-winning series are enjoyed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Karma’s World, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Wild Kratts, Blue’s Clues & You,Eva the Owlet, and Octonauts. Brown Bag Films has earned numerous awards and nominations including 22 Emmy® Awards and 2 Oscar nominations. The studio proudly joined the Scholastic family in 2024.
www.brownbagfilms.com
Sources
1 & 2. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2020 and 2022 Long-Term Trend Reading and Mathematics Assessments.
3. Google Analytics cross-platform streams, YouTube Studios views, Oct 23-Aug 25
4. Google Analytics, Apr 21 - Mar 25, pbskids.org, PBS KIDS mobile and OTT apps. Tubular, Jul 22 – Nov 23, YouTube views. YouTube Studio views, Dec 23 - Mar 25.
5. L. Linebarger, D. (2015). Super why! to the rescue: Can preschoolers learn early literacy skills from educational television? International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 6 (1), 2060–2068. https://doi.org/10.20533/ijcdse.2042.6364.2015.0286
6. Meyer, S. E., & Sroka, I. (2013) A Summative Evaluation of the Impact and Appeal of Super Why! Reading Camp.
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Press contacts:
PBS; 703-739-8463; pbskidspr@pbs.org
Alison Grand, Grand Communications; 212-584-1133; alison@grandcommunications.com
Gabrielle Torello, Grand Communications; 917-312-2832; gab@grandcommunications.com