Hero Dad

K-Gr 2—This sunny picture book opens with the stirring words, "My dad is a superhero." However, readers soon discover that he is not a caped crusader: he is a United States soldier in fatigues. As the proud boy explains, Dad has real-life corollaries to the traditional superhero accessories, for example, a rifle instead of a laser gun. The illustrations often flesh out the child's vision. The words on one spread, "He can't fly—well, sometimes he can," are accompanied by a picture of Dad and his buddies parachuting from a plane. The bright, cartoon artwork makes the book child-friendly and evokes superhero comic books. Meanwhile, the luminous watercolors make the difficult subject matter approachable for young children faced with separation from military parents. Hardin's first-person narrative helps them voice their own feelings, and reassuringly, this dad comes home. For most collections, especially those serving military communities.—Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY