Little Bookshelf: Superhero Books for all Kinds of Heros

Do Super Heroes Have Teddy Bears? Author: Carmela LaVigna Coyle Illustrator: Mike Gordon

This is an adorable book about kids dressing up and pretending to be superheroes. They do everything from creating capes out of their blankies to making spaceships and finding a good place to hide. This is a wonderful story on how kids can use their imagination in whichever way they see fit. The story poses a question on one page and then answers on the following page in a rhyming manner. The full-page illustrations are great for kids and adults to enjoy. The message at the very back is also a nice touch (Be your own hero!). This is a great book for toddlers and preschool-age children.

Part-time Princess Author: Deborah Underwood Illustrator: Cambria Evans

Part-time Princess is a fun story about a child that is a girl by day and princess by night, but she is not an ordinary princess; she saves the castle and makes friends with the dragons. This is a great book because it shows a “princess” from a different perspective and makes her the hero of the kingdom. It also showed that she could do many other things, both normal and heroic, like play leapfrog in the mud and help put out fires in the kingdom. I especially liked how she invited the dragon to tea to make him feel better. Overall it was a very creative story and one that children will continue to enjoy. This is an excellent book for boys and girls alike.

My Mom Has X-ray Vision Author: Angela McAllister Illustrator: Alex T. Smith

Matthew thinks that his mom is a superhero because she always knows what he is up to even when she is not there to see him do it. Matthew finally asks his friend Emily if Moms can have X-ray vision and she says she will ask her brother because he reads all of the superhero comics so he would know.

 Ten Rules of Being a Superhero Author: Deb Pilutti

There are rules to being a superhero, like always responding to a call for help and using your powers in a good way. But, of course, superheroes need snacks, and every superhero needs a sidekick (because it’s more fun when you are saving the day with someone else). This is a great book that shows kids how they can have fun and really use their imagination. This is a very simple book but really does a good job illustrating the different ways of helping people and spending the day doing “hero” things. This would be a great book for toddlers and preschoolers, especially if they want to pretend/be superheroes.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Author: Michael Chabon Illustrator: Jake Parker

Awesome Man is simply awesome. He fights bad guys and hugs trains, and talking Jell-O. He also has a secret identity that completely fools the bad guys. However, when his nemesis escapes, he gets outraged and has to cool his anger off by returning to his fortress to calm down, and then once he is calm and recharged, he goes back after the bad guys. This was a fun story that kids would enjoy, and many of them will like the twist at the end. Children may not understand that there is quite a bit of simile that Awesome Man uses to describe how awesome he is. He describes his cape as red as a rocket, and he can fly as high as a satellite. The illustrations are very well done and compliment the story. Children of all ages will enjoy this one.