Big Book of Superheroes - Hardcover

Much like The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls (both HarperCollins, 2007), Superheroes offers a tongue-in-cheek guide to adventure and all things heroic. King mixes superhero lore with tips on how to be a superhero. This book provides insight into popular figures like Iron Man, but also offers offbeat trivia (such as the fact that DC Comic's Captain Marvel is also known as Shazam, for the powers of heroes and gods he possesses-Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury). This highly browsable book features chapters such as, Your Supername! and Acting Like a Superhero! Entertaining black-and-white comics are peppered throughout. This is a great extension to the concept of superheroes, allowing students to explore their own powers and is an excellent addition to library and classroom collections.-Sarah Knutson, American Canyon Middle School, CA-- "School Library Journal" (5/16/2014 12:00:00 AM)

Read All About It: You, too, can be a superhero! The statements printed on the back cover of "The Big Book of Super Heroes" promise to teach readers how to defend themselves against pre-school villains, invent a satisfactory battle cry and decorate secret lairs. Heady stuff, this. Fans expect nothing less of author Bart King, who created Big Books about spy stuff, gross stuff, girl stuff, mischief and magic -- to name a few. King's biographical blurb reveals that as a child he mastered the art of propelling people into outer space. Despite the spate of lost friends, his sense of everything silly and sublime remains intact. In his chummy, cut-to-the-chase voice, King summarizes the early history of our favorite save-the-day characters. Using lists and blurbs, he covers the basics: flying, mind-reading, negotiations with sidekicks, selecting hand tools. As usual, it is King's breadth that impresses. Besides practical advice, pop quizzes and trivia challenges feed our fascination. Instructions for overcoming handicaps such as not being born on a planet with weak gravity, cartoons that juxtapose the memorable utterances of Flash Gordon and Iron Man with everyday situations, puns about Batman's position on the baseball team and a primer on how to break it to parents when the transformation to superhero culminates make this book funny and useful.--Brandy Allport "The Florida Times-Union" (5/22/2014 12:00:00 AM)

Inner Southeast teacher publishes Book of Superheroes. Bart King, a Southeast resident, BEE reader, Portland author, and longtime middle school teacher, advises THE BEE, I write funny kids' books (e.g. 'The Big Book of Girl Stuff') that have sold over a half-million copies. In March, my new project hits the shelves: The Big Book of Superheroes (Gibbs Smith, 287 pages, readers 8-12). Packed with activities, quizzes and humor, this guide helps with everything from finding a perfect superhero name to avoiding costume wedgies. Readers also learn how to... - Defend themselves from preschooler super-villains! - Find a rousing battle cry! - Customize their Secret Lairs! - Engage in hand-to-hand and foot-to-butt combat! With Superheroes, my aim was to create something so irresistibly goofy that kids won't notice they're poring over history and science!''--Brandy Allport "The Bee" (3/7/2014 12:00:00 AM)

Explains what it takes to be a superhero, from creating a good battle cry and making a jetpack to hiring a sidekick and customizing a secret lair.