Gleaming big eyes and mischievous smiles are contagious in a small corner of the Lynden Library. They started on the covers of manga comic books, quickly spread to the faces of kids learning to draw, and it was not long before even the librarians watching were grinning.

The reason for the smiles was a class on how to draw manga faces, from the wide, wild eyes to the spiky hair typical of the Japanese comic style. The event was one of several opportunities for local kids to explore their drawing talent during Whatcomics month for the Whatcom County Library System.

“I could say that we devote this month to comics because it is fun, and that is true, but it also fits into our mission to promote literacy,” says Aubri Keleman, teen services and Web coordinator for Whatcom County Library System, in an e-mail. “For example, there are lots of statistics out there that tell us that boys in particular struggle with reading in school. … This could be in part because often what we define as reading isn’t interesting enough to boys.”

But reading doesn’t have to be Shakespeare and Hemingway. It could be a graphic novel or a manga book, in which the effervescent colors and cartoon faces belie applicable morals.

“Manga and anime teach life lessons without saying ‘This is a life lesson,’ ” says Nicole Pelham, owner and writer for New Destiny Productions manga company, who spoke and gave tips at the manga event. “It teaches (people) a lot about how they should live without dumbing it down for them.”

Unlike the usual superhero comics of old, now there is something for just about any taste, agerage, gender or culture.

“People who like science fiction can find science fiction anime, and people who like romance can find romance anime,” Pelham says.

While comic books can help make kids enthusiastic about reading, some parents aren’t so excited about the sometimes racy or violent nature of some anime and manga.

“Once they realize what their kids are learning with it, they can usually get past that really quick,” Pelham says.

At Friday’s event, Nick Thweatt tried to polish up his manga-drawing skills, following tips from NDP artist Danielle Pelham. He hopes to incorporate cartoon skills with his computer skills to someday come up with his own computer games.

“I just like doing it, and I like it better than American cartoons,” says Thweatt, 13, a Lynden resident. “I like the style of artwork.”

His mom, Roxane Thweatt, is supportive of the comics and his drawing bent and even attended the class herself.

“It’s a whole new art form,” she says of manga and anime. “I think it broadens your mind. It’s like learning another language.”