Hello, friends! Our book today is What Makes A Hero, written by Pamela Bobowicz and illustrated by Eda Kaban, a fantastic celebration of female heroes, and how they can come in many forms.
Each spread features a heroine (or pair of heroines) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the phenomenal Captain Marvel, who explains that everyone has a super power unique to them. And while many of the heroes featured have otherworldly abilities, the main focus is on the personal qualities they possess that make them heroic: courage, kindness, empathy, intelligence, creativity, teamwork, family, confidence, sisterhood, and more. Readers will meet warriors like Okoye, Gamora, and Black Widow; as well as heroes who use their minds, such as Pepper Potts, Shuri, and Peggy Carter. Because the truth is? With a sharp mind, a good heart, and a touch of bravery, anyone can be a hero, including you.
Lovely! This is a gem for any little reader who loves superheroes, but especially for little girls; this collection of heroes showcases both the brains, brawn, and heart that women use to achieve greatness. The diversity of the heroes is slightly limited by the source material (the women are mostly evenly divided between either white or black, with Mantis being an alien that presents as Asian), showing that the MCU still has strides to make in terms of diverse casting. However, I loved how each hero highlighted the very human qualities that help her succeed; we can’t all have quantum suits or cybernetic limbs, but we can all show kindness, leadership, or responsibility. The length was fine, best for patient bookworms but easily broken into bite-sized pieces for the easily distracted. And Eda Kaban, who has a pedigree in drawing awesome superheroes, does a fantastic job infusing each woman with a heroic yet relatable bearing. We loved this one, and highly recommend it – Baby Bookworm approved!