CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel has a new look — and a new mission to help fight a villain focused on erasing Chicago students' hard-fought classroom gains.
Emanuel — along with Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon — gets animated to tout the library's comic book-themed summer reading program that encourages Chicago children to join the Super Explorers to defeat Dr. Brain Drain, a reference to the fact that students can lose three months of learning during the summer months.
Drawn like a character out of Batman, Emanuel gets a call on a red phone from Bannon warning of the evil villain's arrival in Chicago.
"Not on my watch, Commissioner Bannon!" the comic-book mayor responds. "Call out the Super Explorers! Our kids will succeed!"
[Chicago Public Library]
Luckily for the mayor, his animated alter-ego is right on message — touting the gains made by Chicago Public School students.
Starting June 19, children younger than 13 who log at least 500 minutes of reading — or 20 minutes per day; make a creation, such as an art project; and attend one event at a library or museum can earn a book bag and other prizes through the Rahm's Readers Summer Learning Challenge.
[Chicago Public Library]