Here Come the Superheroes by Neal Zetter and Chris White
| Here Come the Superheroes by Neal Zetter and Chris White | |
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| Category: Children's Rhymes and Verse | |
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Reviewer: John Lloyd
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| Summary: Not the most beautiful book ever, but this collection of quick and bouncy raps will appeal to the young fan of both poetry and superheroes. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 64 | Date: June 2017 |
| Publisher: Troika Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781909991460 | |
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I'm quite sure you're well aware of the spate of superhero movies doing the rounds these days, with any and every star of the comics page seemingly on the big screen – and the small. They're everywhere, and their numbers are only growing. But here is a unique chance to meet a few more – Mega Slug, Micro Girl, Magnetic Me, Sister Speed – even one calling himself the Ultimate Superhero. But we're not meeting them in a well-established comic universe, or with some horrid and convoluted back story. No, we're being introduced to them all in the format of verse – and for the young superhero and/or poetry fan this clearly has an instant appeal.
That's not to say the visuals will have much appeal for the adult audience checking this out before handing down to a child, for the cartoonish illustrations really are garish, broadly inked and brashly coloured. But I have to applaud this book regardless, for in presenting a varied selection of poems in the format of a full-colour superhero comic (complete with trivia factoids as asides and databanks for all the new superheroes) it really can latch on to the coat-tails of the real superheroes the target audience already know and love, and get them reading some real verse at the same time.
Yes, a couple of the poems are a bit weak, but they never outstay their welcome – they all fit on one side, and everything comes with the full-colour illustration relevant to the topic. And not all the subjects are new characters – you get a look at the onomatopoeia of the superhero world, you read the lament of the supervillain who only wants renown and recognition – and you also get a glimpse into the future, when superheroes don't have any public phone boxes in which to change clothes any more…
I also liked the whimsical verse of the man dating the Invisible Lady – yes, while a lot of these characters are clearly thinly disguised versions of the 'real' thing, enough is made to make these verses about them interesting and diverse. They all come in a bouncy meter, with an easily-heard rhyming scheme. They can be read very comfortably and quickly as a rap – some even have a slight call-and-response element – and clearly prove the author's standing as a schools-based performance poet. I don't think the book is superlative, but it certainly isn't stuffy, never looks dry, and does do what it aims to do – provides for a kinetic, visual poetry book that connects to a never-ending aspect of modern culture, meaning this has a great deal about it to appeal to the young.
I must thank the publishers for my review copy.
There is also a rhyme here to make the reader's mother a superhero – The Dictionary of Dads: Poems by Justin Coe and Steve Wells suggests the father can be too, as well as host of other things.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Here Come the Superheroes by Neal Zetter and Chris White at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Here Come the Superheroes by Neal Zetter and Chris White at Amazon.com.
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