FICTION

Superhero Dad

by Timothy KNAPMAN
illus. by Joe Berger. 32p. Nosy Crow. Apr. 2016. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9780763686574.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—To an outsider, this curly-haired, bespectacled father may be an ordinary guy, but his admiring son knows the truth: "He's secretly a SUPERHERO DAD!" The boy goes on to list proof of his father's powers: he makes amazing pancakes, he tells the funniest jokes, he's super strong, and he can make the coolest castle. In one illustration, Dad's shadow outlines the superhero his son sees in him. Slightly flat multimedia textures complement vivacious line drawings, with bright colors and comic book motifs. The rhythm of the rhyming text feels slightly strained, but the book's large format and energetic artwork should make it a favorite around Father's Day.
VERDICT A good purchase for parent-child lap-readings.
Reviewed by Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA
A boy sings his dad's praises ("He can pick up our dog, Jumbo, / so he must be Super Strong") in rhymes that usually (but don't always) scan. The cutesy running joke, courtesy of the mishap-spiked art, is that the boy is so awestruck by his father that he doesn't see Dad's clumsiness, messiness, and other acts of not-quite heroism.
 , Apr 01, 2016

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