Got a young kid who is hungry for heroes? Maybe you’re not so into the relentless *BAM* and *KAPOW* that comes with most superheroes? Behold – Awesome Man!
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man
by Michael Chabon
HarperCollins
ISBN: 978 0 061 91462 1
Audience: preschool to grade 2
Author Michael Chabon has created a superhero that not only fills the desire of young boys for larger-than-life heroes, but also manages to bring Awesome Man back around to real life. In a great interview with NPR, Chabon talks about the elements of fantasy and their appeal for young boys, but also about his son’s struggle to contain his own emotions in kindergarten, and how this helped shape his hero.
Awesome Man, you see, loses track of his archnemesis, The Flaming Eyeball, and starts to lose his temper, as well. He goes back to his Fortress of Awesome to chill, though, and refuels so he can get back in the game with proper positronic potency and vanquish the evil Eyeball before he returns to his “secret-identity” family.
The story is designed to end with a wink about how even young boys can be secret superheroes, a nice tip to the book’s real audience, while the language and little sly jokes are perfect for the older end, the grade 1-2 boys who would totally be into this. There’s something for parents, too, in the great pop art illustrations and retro sensibility that made this way more fun for me, as it puts enough camp in the mix to let you know it’s not taking itself too seriously.
Alyssa –
I’ll bet he would! It’s a monster hit at our house, with Boy 3 wanting to keep it with him at all times. (And you haven’t seen it before because it’s NEW!)
I think C would absolutely LOVE this book! How come I’ve never seen it before??
Now, that looks like one my boy would love… thanks for another excellent post, Alice!