[po]

My sister just came to visit me in Tokyo and asked what to bring as a gift... I said, "If you can, please bring my Calvin and Hobbes collection for my kids to read." My 10 and 6 year olds have been devouring them ever since.

There is something electric and timeless about these strips. I am certain they don't understand all of the vocabulary but still they read it. It is a format that lures kids in and then uses that attention it has earned to stretch minds. Re-reading it as an adult also rings true in a totally different way. Calvin's parents become sympathetic compatriots.

It's smarter than most adults but captivates kids. It is a decade of work that deserves all the awards that could possibly be given.

[carbonguy]

I have a nephew turning six this year and have been considering getting him some of the collections as well, wondering if it would have the same formative impact on him as on me. I remember reading the strip in the paper as a six-year-old blonde kid and coming away with the impression that there was nothing weird about daydreaming all the time, or being articulate, or having an aversion to team sports, etc. all of which traits I carry with me to this day, 30-ish years later. Of course, now I find myself identifying more with Calvin's dad - that's life, I guess!

[po]

My 6 year old loves the colorful Sunday ones... but he has me read them to him and I don't think for many of them he doesn't 'get it' yet. My guess is that the truly ideal age is around 9 or 10. That being said, I think there's no wrong time to introduce them.

[srean]

> ... 9 or 10 ?

I think it just keeps growing on you. Some themes in C&H are appreciated when you are older. Love and death. Friendship. Being kind to environment. Fakery in news...