The Korean Times is reporting that educational comic books are flourishing in Korea as a new way to grab the attention of children and engage teachers and adults.  That wave of educational comics is making it’s way across the seas to here in the United States.

A comic bio series in English published by Dasan Books has been adopted as supplementary textbooks at a U.S. elementary school in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Fort Lee Elementary School announced it will use “The Obama Story,” “The Bill Gates Story” and “The Charles Darwin Story” for history, social studies and bilingual education classes for the second half of this year. The three books are part of the comic biography series aimed at third to sixth graders.

In February 2009 Dasan Books even opened up a branch in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to enter the U.S. market. Six biography comics have so far been produced, including ones about Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln and Hillary Clinton. By August, volumes on Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Stephen Hawking will be released.  Their plan is to release 50 bio comics over the next 18 months.

The Obama Story clocks in at 200 pages and targets children ages 8 to 12.  It focuses on his life from his early child hood up to his recent election as President.

The comic biography series is available in some nations in North America and Asia via online bookstores.