Review by GathuaM -- Toni the Superhero by R.D. Base

[GathuaM]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Toni the Superhero" by R.D. Base.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Toni the Superhero is a short illustrated book by R.D. Base. The book is centered on Toni who enjoys doing ordinary things that a normal boy does when he is not saving the world. The book is majorly full of colorful pictures with short paragraphs for explanation purposes. This book reminded me of the days when as a six year old kid I really enjoyed reading illustrated books. This fascination enabled me to read more than one book a day. The books enabled me to have stories to tell during class time or story telling time.

The book also reminded me how children's books are written. The books generally have a hero who is on their best behavior both at home and in school. R.D. Base was able to bring out that in the book. The book would enable a child to strive to be like Toni the superhero. Helping around the home and even having time to read, dance, play with friends and sing. The wording of this book was very simple AND contained no errors. The book is able to sow in kids good values such as helping at home with chores, eating a balanced diet as seen in the book where there are pictures of Toni eating fruits, developing talents, reading, dancing and playing with friends.

Most books authored nowadays focus on having the main character as a superhero. What they do not realize, is that majority of the kids who are learning to read, will most likely want to emulate the superhero. This being said, authors of such books have a big role to play in ensuring that our kids do not emulate characters who lack basic values. The characters portrayed should show that, apart from being a hero, the character, who is usually a kid too, also does normal stuff. This will enable the readers to relate well to the characters while at the same time appreciate their real living conditions. It is no secret that media plays a big role in shaping the minds of young children. The more realistic the characters are, the less chance to have cases of children with low self-esteem or running away from home to find that perfect life, which is untrue.

I would recommend the book to be given to young kids who are learning to read such as those in preschool or even to parents who can read the books to their children during bedtime. Though the book was not in my genre of books, I enjoyed swiping through the pages and seeing the colorful pictures. Reviewing this book was a bit of a challenge at first as I thought I would not have as many words to type, but the more I changed my perspective to that of a learn-to-read child, I understood the importance and great value the book will have on young minds.

I rate Toni the Superhero 4 out of 4 stars. I did not notice any errors in the book. The book was well authored for its target audience and the imagery would appeal mostly to them than to children in higher classes or who have advanced reading skills.

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Toni the Superhero
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Like GathuaM's review? Post a comment saying so!

[alisonedgee]

great review, naturally i am not the target for this, lovely that you could find something to enjoy within it

[JR Mercier]

It is a great idea and although I am not the target audience, it sounds good. Good review.

[GathuaM]

great review, naturally i am not the target for this, lovely that you could find something to enjoy within it

Thanks for reading my review.
I was also a bit hesitant at first, but decided to challenge myself and put myself in the shoes of a young child's brain and reading capacity. That's when I got to understand of the book.

[GathuaM]

It is a great idea and although I am not the target audience, it sounds good. Good review.

Thanks for reading my review. I must admit it was a challenge at first, but I do love good challenges.

[Connie Otwani]

Great! A superhero who excellently does 'normal things!' This is a good way of teaching younger children to appreciate excellence in everyday activities. You brought this out so well in your review.

[Carly-maricque]

I also loved this book and agree that it's a great book for children and influences them positively because of Toni's great values. At the end of your review you mentioned that the book would be good for children with advanced reading skills, although being a kindergarten teacher I would use this book with children with beginning reading skills instead. The pattern of the book is very easy, "Toni likes to..." and then the child just has to look at the pictures clues for the next word. That being said this book would be great for lower readers just starting out!
Thanks for the review!

[GathuaM]

Great! A superhero who excellently does 'normal things!' This is a good way of teaching younger children to appreciate excellence in everyday activities. You brought this out so well in your review.

Yes it is a really nice book. Glad you enjoyed the review.

[GathuaM]

I also loved this book and agree that it's a great book for children and influences them positively because of Toni's great values. At the end of your review you mentioned that the book would be good for children with advanced reading skills, although being a kindergarten teacher I would use this book with children with beginning reading skills instead. The pattern of the book is very easy, "Toni likes to..." and then the child just has to look at the pictures clues for the next word. That being said this book would be great for lower readers just starting out!
Thanks for the review!

"The book was well authored for its target audience and the imagery would appeal mostly to them than to children in higher classes or who have advanced reading skills."
. I totally agree with you. Actually I stated that it would not suit children with advanced reading skills as I have quoted above. Thanks a lot for reading.