Superhero (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–A lackluster tale of a boy with a secret identity. Maleek loves comic books, and he also invents amazing gadgets. When he sees the newspaper headline that reads, CITY PARKS & PLAYGROUNDS VANISH OVERNIGHT, he springs into action. Wearing his superhero cape and goggles, he and his robot, Marvyn, jump into a time machine and travel 500 years into the past to collect plant and flower specimens, which they use to concoct gigundo juice. Back in the present, he sprinkles it all over the city, achieving the desired effect–lush, larger-than-life vegetation everywhere, including the skyscrapers' rooftops. The book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs that appear posed and static. The lack of a tangible villain also detracts from the plot and adventure. Everyone knows that superheroes fight bad guys. While teachers might want to use this title as an alternate read-aloud for Earth Day, youngsters yearning for comic-book action will be sorely disappointed.–Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. In this picture book's opening photo, an African American boy, Maleek, gazes upon a comic book, face bathed in light from its glowing pages. The scene encapsulates the sense of wonder that superhero tales hold for children. But Maleek isn't just a consumer of secondhand adventure. He keeps "HIS superhero costume in a top secret hiding place," and he springs into action when the parks and playgrounds in his metropolis mysteriously disappear. The story is unexceptional, but the photographs used to illustrate it are powerful. Tauss, whose work can also be found in Barbara Rogansky's Leaf by Leaf: Autumn Poems (2001), 0 shoots in high-contrast black-and-white, with rich, silvery results reminiscent of the retro sf film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. But even children who don't grasp the nostalgic references will enjoy the mix of realism and unabashed artifice in the photos and the kid-driven heroics. Pull out Brian Pinkney's The Adventures of Sparrowboy (1997) or George O'Connor's Ka-Pow! (2003) and Ker-Splash! (2005) for more kids in capes. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439627346
• ISBN-13: 978-0439627344
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,057,978 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book., August 22, 2005

By	Guy L. Gonzalez "Malcontent" (Bloomfield, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Superheroes have an innate appeal to kids, and photographer Marc Tauss entertainingly taps into that subliminal vein with his visually stunning black-and-white photography "comic book," Superheroes, the endearing tale of Maleek, "a small boy in a big city-- [who's also] a scientist and a superhero!"

"Maleek loved comic books. It was fun to catch up on his fellow superheroes' adventures." the story begins. It's a relatively simple one, featuring disappearing parks and Maleek's over-the-top solution to the mystery, reveling in the seemingly lost art of a hero being a hero simply because it's the right thing to do. And it's fun! The photography -- the combination of a great eye, superior Photoshop skills, and some imaginative constructs -- is absolutely stunning, each collage capturing both the literal and subtextual aspects of Tauss' childlike fantasy.

More important than my enjoying it, though, was Superheroes passing the ultimate test: my almost 5-year-old son liked it, the same kid who typically only likes comics featuring characters he knows from TV, who turned his nose up at Owly, but loves Bumperboy. His enjoyment did come with a qualifier, though, as he explained to his mother: "It's not a comic book. It's a book!" And a wonderful book it is, a worthy addition to any child's bookshelf, sitting alongside any of Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak's best works.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superhero is a super book!, September 18, 2005

By	Suzanne R. Fox (Northport, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My children cannot get enough of this book! They ask me to read it over and over. They love the pictures! We find new things to look at each time we read it. They enjoy looking at the end page with all the comics filled with Maleek. Maleek is a wonderful character! What new adventures will he take us on? We can't wait to find out.

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPER HERO, November 28, 2007

By	Saritae (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

As a pre-kindergarten teacher always on the look out for new books to capture the attention of youngsters who are increaseingly tuned in to visual stimulation through commercialism (TV, Disney, movies), it took this book to inspire my classroom "Super Heroes" to sit and ask to be read this book and then others over and over again. Marc Tauss' book is a clear winner!!