As we move through Saturday I wanted to share a anime book series and tv show Charlie has watched forever. It’s Dragon Ball Z and he also plays the games on his game system.

For my family there are some books that you pick up because somebody recommends them. Then there are books that find their way into your house because your child absolutely loves the world they came from.

For us, Dragon Ball is one of those. If you’ve been around GreatfulMoments.com for a while, you probably know that Charlie has always been a big Dragon Ball fan. And if you ask him who his favorite character is, the answer has always been Broly.

I’ve watched Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z with Charlie here and there over the years, and we even used things Charlie was interested in as part of our homeschooling.

Which brings me to today’s Saturday reading challenge. And, well, Buttercup… this one turned into a teaching moment for me, too. I found myself asking.. Is Dragon Ball a Book or a Show?

This is where I had to stop and think. I’ve always known Dragon Ball as a television show, and I knew there were Dragon Ball books. But I hadn’t really learned the difference between manga and anime.

So let’s learn together. Manga is a Japanese comics or graphic storytelling that you read. Anime is Japanese animation that you watch. So when we’re talking about reading Dragon Ball, we’re talking about the manga. Which was a #teachingmoment for me because I thought it was Anime. What did you think and why?

When we’re talking about watching Goku, Broly, Vegeta and the rest of the characters on television or through a streaming service, we’re talking about anime.

And yes, that means manga absolutely counts as reading for our Saturday reading challenge. In fact, I think graphic storytelling can be a wonderful way to encourage someone who isn’t naturally drawn to traditional novels to pick up a book and read.

Another question I had to ask myself was why start With Dragon Ball Volume 1? Which was another #TeachingMoment for me. Because If you’re familiar with Dragon Ball Z, you might think that’s where you should begin.

But if we’re talking about reading the story from the beginning, we’re going to start with Dragon Ball, Volume 1, written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama.

Volume 1 introduces us to a young Goku and Bulma and begins the adventure surrounding the seven Dragon Balls. And that matters because Dragon Ball comes before Dragon Ball Z.

The original Dragon Ball manga tells the earlier part of Goku’s story. Dragon Ball Z continues the story later, when Goku is older. Which is something I didn’t know. Did you?

So if your teenager has only seen Dragon Ball Z or knows the characters from video games, movies or television, going back to Volume 1 gives them a chance to see where it all began.

And if you’re like me and didn’t know all of that already? Well, congratulations. You’re learning something, too. Which is a Godsend for me because I like to learn something new everyday. How about you?

That’s one of the things I loved about homeschooling. I didn’t have to know everything before we started learning. Sometimes Charlie would be interested in something, and we’d figure it out together.

Now, if you’ve been following Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z I have a question for you what about Broly? Which is Charlie’s favorite character. Who is yours and why

If you’ve ever heard Charlie talk about Dragon Ball, you probably already know this is the character he gravitates toward. But Broly isn’t the character we’re going to meet when we open Volume 1.

Broly comes much later in the Dragon Ball universe. He’s a Saiyan with extraordinary power, and his story eventually brings him into conflict with Goku and Vegeta.

In the newer Dragon Ball Super storyline, Broly’s relationship with Goku becomes more complicated than simply being an enemy. And that’s one of the reasons I’m glad we’re starting at the beginning.

You don’t have to start a series with your favorite character. Sometimes you start at the beginning and discover how the whole world was built. And if you’re reading because you already love Broly, that’s okay, too. You can work your way toward the stories where he becomes a bigger part of the adventure.

How Many Dragon Ball Books Are There? This is where parents might look at their teenager’s Dragon Ball collection and say, “Okay… exactly what am I getting myself into?”

The original Dragon Ball manga is a 42-volume series. Dragon Ball Z is a separate continuation of the story, and there are also Dragon Ball Super books, other manga, special editions and related books.

That means we’re not talking about one lonely book that your teenager will finish and then ask, “What do I read now?” There is a whole world of reading available.

For our purposes, though, we’re keeping it simple. Start with Dragon Ball, Volume 1. Then we will decide where our family wants to go from there once Charlie figures it out.

I wanted to let you know you will find Dragon Ball in our Back-to-School Gift Guide and our Summer Gift Guide? And that’s another reason I wanted to include this in our reading challenge.

A book doesn’t have to look like the books adults traditionally think of as “reading.” If your teenager loves anime, manga, gaming or Dragon Ball, then a Dragon Ball manga could be the book that gets them sitting down and reading. That makes it a possibility for an end-of-summer or back-to-school gift.

It could also make a fun Halloween-season gift because Dragon Ball has fantasy, supernatural elements, unusual creatures, transformations and plenty of imaginative adventure.

I’m not calling it a scary Halloween book because that’s not really what it is. But if your family enjoys a little supernatural fun during October, Dragon Ball certainly fits into that broader atmosphere.

Which is why you will find these books inside our Interactive Halloween Gift Guide. And, of course, you could put Volume 1 in a Christmas stocking or wrap it up as a Christmas gift which is why it will be inside our Christmas Shopping Guide.

One thing I wanted to remind you is you don’t have to buy the entire series. Start with one. See if they enjoy it. Then go from there. That is what I did and now, both Charlie and Bradley are sharing the books.

Here’s something else I want parents to remember. Watching Dragon Ball isn’t the same thing as reading Dragon Ball. I know. Obvious, right? But when we’re talking about our 30-Minute Reading Challenge, we’re reading.

We have lowered our official minimum to 10 minutes. That’s right. If your child reads Dragon Ball manga for 10 minutes, they completed the challenge. But I still recommend the full 30 minutes whenever you have the time.

Ten minutes gets you started. Thirty minutes gives you time to really settle into a story. And if your teenager reads for 45 minutes because they got caught up in what Goku is doing? I’m certainly not going to stop them! Are you?

This may be my favorite part. A #TeachingMoment. You can use anime and things like Dragon Ball when homeschooling. And I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

Sometimes when I watched Dragon Ball Z with Charlie, I felt like I needed a scoreboard. There were so many characters, transformations, names and battles that sometimes I would look over at Charlie like, “Okay… now who is THAT again?”

And Charlie would know. He could tell me who they were, what their powers were, what had happened before, and where they fit into the story. So sometimes, the student becomes the teacher. And honestly, I love that.

That’s one of the things I learned during our homeschooling years. I didn’t have to be the person who knew everything. Sometimes Charlie’s interests became the things he could teach me.

With Dragon Ball, we could talk about reading, storytelling, character development, sequencing events, art, Japanese culture, adaptations and the differences between a written story and its animated version.

We could read a manga chapter and then watch the corresponding story. We could compare what changed. We could talk about why a character made a particular decision.

Or Charlie could simply explain to me who everybody was because, apparently, Mom needed a Dragon Ball character cheat sheet! And sometimes you can simply let them read because reading itself is valuable.

That’s something I learned while homeschooling Charlie. I didn’t need to turn every single interest into a traditional school lesson. Sometimes the lesson was simply: Find something you love and learn about it.

And sometimes the person doing the teaching isn’t Mom. Sometimes it’s your child. Sometimes the student becomes the teacher. And that’s okay. Actually, I think it’s pretty wonderful. Don’t you?

Here is another #teachingmoment for you. What If you want to watch Dragon Ball? That’s where anime comes into the picture. We’ve had a Crunchyroll subscription in the past, and yes, I paid for it. Eventually, we decided to stop paying for another streaming subscription. That’s real life.

You don’t have to subscribe to every service just because something you like is available there. For families who already have Crunchyroll, Dragon Ball content is available there, although streaming libraries and availability can change.

And remember: Watching the anime can be fun. Reading the manga is what counts toward our reading challenge. If you’re looking for the television schedule rather than a streaming service, check the current listings because television times and channels can change.

Our Top Five Dragon Ball Facts

Before you start reading, see how many of these you already know!

1. Dragon Ball was created by Akira Toriyama.

2. Dragon Ball began as a manga before becoming the huge multimedia franchise that so many families know today.

3. Manga is something you read, while anime is something you watch.

4. The original Dragon Ball manga contains 42 volumes.

5. Broly is one of Charlie’s favorite Dragon Ball characters — and we’ve got a lot more story to read before we get to his later adventures!

We’ll have our Top Five Dragon Ball Facts printable as a companion to this article so kids can read the facts, learn something new and then see what they remember.

If you’re ready to give Dragon Ball manga a try, we’re starting with: Dragon Ball, Volume 1 by Akira Toriyama. This is where the original adventure begins.

I may have bought Charlie Dragon Ball books over the years. The funny thing is, I honestly don’t know where they are right now! They’re probably around here somewhere.

But that’s okay. That’s the fun of having books in a house for years. Sometimes you have to go hunting for them. For those who want to purchase a copy, I’ve included an affiliate link so you can check the current price and availability.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on GreatfulMoments.com may be affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products, books and services that I believe may be useful or interesting to our readers.

One More Thing From This Mom: I think sometimes we get so caught up in finding the “right” books for teenagers that we forget something important. The right book may be the one they’re actually excited to open.

For Charlie, Dragon Ball wasn’t just a television show. It was something he loved. It was something we could talk about. It was something we could use during homeschooling.

And now, all these years later, it’s still something that brings back memories. So if your teenager loves Dragon Ball, anime, gaming or manga, don’t automatically dismiss it because it doesn’t look like the traditional book you imagined them reading.

Pick up Volume 1. Give it ten minutes. Maybe they’ll read for thirty. Maybe they’ll read longer. And maybe, just maybe, you’ve found the doorway that leads them to their next book.

#TeachingMoment Sometimes you don’t get a child to love reading by telling them what they should read. Sometimes you start by reading what they already love.

And sometimes, if you’re lucky, the student becomes the teacher. That’s what happened in our #homeschool. And Lord willing, creek don’t rise, maybe that little bit of reading turns into a whole lot more.

Happy Saturday reading!

GreatfulMoments.com
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates