Superhero Dad - Hardcover

Timothy Knapman has written lots of picture books, including Soon, illustrated by Patrick Benson. He writes both fiction and nonfiction, and his books have been translated into fifteen languages. In his spare time, he writes plays and musicals, because he believes that onstage, as between the covers of a book, the real and the fantastical can collide, and that is where all great storytelling comes from. Timothy Knapman lives in England.

Joe Berger, the illustrator of Hubble Bubble, Granny Trouble, writes and illustrates books for children and adults. He is also a cartoonist who makes the occasional award-winning animated short film and title sequence. He lives in England with his wife, three daughters, two cats, and a small dog.

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.—Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA