Tuesday, September 16, 2008

For the Pint-Sized Superhero

My 3 1/2-year-old son is obsessed with superheroes. He proudly dons his cape and boots while I run errands. He runs around the playground hunting out "bad guys." He's constantly showing me how strong he is.

Here's the problem, though. It's hard to find superhero items -- books in particular -- that a) are not scary and b) have a shred of educational value. The superhero books that I have found usually involve a tad more violence than I'd like for a 3-year-old. So when it comes to superhero books, I usually skip them. Thus, my poor son is forced to stick with the likes of Dr. Seuss at bedtime.

But.

I recently found the best book for the pint-sized superhero lover. It's called SuperHero ABC.



Written by Bob McLeod, SuperHero ABC features one superhero for each letter of the alphabet. I love Goo Girl, who "shoots great gobs of goo at gangsters." My son loves "The Volcano" because he "vomits on villians."

The illustrations are colorful and engaging, while not being scary in the slightest. My son loves reading the book, and I like the fact that the book helps work on his letter recognition (without him even realizing it!). Amazon says the book is appropriate for Preschool age through Grade 2. I would have to agree. It's written in such a way as to be entertaining for a variety of age levels -- adults included.

So if you're looking for a great birthday or upcoming Christmas gift for the superhero at your house, definitely check this one out.

For more great children's book suggestions, head on over to 5 Minutes for Books and check out the monthly Kid's Picks Carnival.

13 comments:

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

This one sounds quite fun! My kiddo is not into superheros but my nephew is - it would make a great b-day gift. Thanks for the recommendation. :)

Tina @ Squirrel Acorns said...

My 4yo DS loves this book too. The Volcano guy grosses me out though! Have you noticed that some of the people in the drawings are wearing shirts with pictures of the other super heroes on them? My DS loves when he finds one and points it out. Like there's a kid somewhere that is wearing a shirt with Bubble Man on it.

Anonymous said...

This sounds perfect for my son, who has been a superhero the last 3 Halloweens. I'm adding it to his Christmas list!

Kristen said...

Thanks for sharing! I will have to get this for my 3YO. We have started doing a letter-of-the-week thing to get him familiar with stuff before we start pre-school next fall. This book would fit right in!

Jean said...

By coincidence, I was working with a set of 6 year old children in class yesterday and they were asked to create their own superhero with special powers. My favourite was a little girl who created Loveheart Girl - and she makes people fall in love by touching them. I thought that was really sweet!

Unknown said...

What a cool book! Thanks for sharing.

Lizz @ Yes, and So is My Heart said...

Oh, this looks like a good one. Thanks for sharing. I agree that most superhero books aren't exactly preschool appropriate.

Kama said...

Thanks for visiting our site and for the towel recommendation. Looks like something that I could definitely use!

Carrie said...

I've never heard of that but it sounds really unique -- definitely a kid-pleasin' kinda book!

Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I would have to agree that the "superhero" books are very violent for 3 year olds. i have a superhero love over here, too! Whenever I try to track down a good book - no go. They are not just books, but COMIC books. I don't even want to get him started in that direction! Hey, it is our job as parents to gently guide them to the "good stuff", right?! :) Good work mama and thank you for the suggestion! I will definately be checking this one out.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Christin/590992/

Alyce said...

I've never seen this book before but I'm sure my 4-year-old would love it!

Christina Lee said...

OOOH good one- I will look for it for my little guy!

Kara said...

We have the ABC Superheros book for my two boys...LOVE IT! It's a good one for gift buying for any boy, that is for sure!