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

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

[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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“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” – Maya Angelou

Toni The Superhero by R. D. Base matches this description perfectly. Toni, in spite of being a superhero with extraordinary powers, takes pleasure in doing everyday works. He is a voracious reader; He keeps himself fit by exercising; he is playful and has a lot of friends; he helps his mother in household chores such as cooking, sweeping and dusting; he has a healthy eating and sleeping habit; he always takes care of stray animals.

The intended audience of this book is children just learning to read. The beginners will find it easy to read as simple sentences are used throughout the book. The accompanying illustrations with bright coloring are bound to attract the children’s attention. It is a very short read suitable for the comparatively short attention span of children. This book is perfect for the purpose of inculcating the reading habit in the child from a very young and impressionable age.

The daily activities of Toni are likely to encourage children to inculcate good virtues. Toni’s helpful nature, cultural trends like drawing and dancing, lively interaction with his mother and friends, and healthy habits make his character an ideal one. The children will be able to look up to Toni as a role model.

The cover and the pictures in this book require special mention. Kudos to Debbie Hefke for making the illustrations so lively and attractive. The cover pretty much sums it all up, giving a clear indication of what is to follow. The colorful cape and suit of Toni wonderfully set his image as a superhero. But the pictures in which he is not wearing one state that he can also mingle easily with his peers.

Another fact that caught my attention is that Toni is dark-skinned. This actually goes against the myth of superheroes being white. I do not know if this was deliberate from the author’s part, but I welcome this notion nonetheless.

I would like to make one suggestion though. An 'activities' section can be incorporated, where the child can be encouraged to draw his/her own images of Toni or maybe to contribute to some other aspects of Toni's life. Also, the use of pop-up pictures can create additional charm.

With well-thought sentences, superb drawings and no editing errors, Toni The Superhero deserves nothing less than a 4 out of 4 stars. At the time of writing this review, the second book is already available. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next books in this series that will no doubt be perfect for our young would-be readers.

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Toni the Superhero
View: on Bookshelves | on Smashwords

Like Shrabastee's review? Post a comment saying so!

[joycechitwa]

Great review of the book, Shrabastee! I love the way you capture the gist of the book, and portray how this book will serve to inculcate good habits to the children. And yup, I saw your suggestion that there be an "activities" section! I guess children love the thrill of participatory learning. Awesome work.

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

Great review of the book, Shrabastee! I love the way you capture the gist of the book, and portray how this book will serve to inculcate good habits to the children. And yup, I saw your suggestion that there be an "activities" section! I guess children love the thrill of participatory learning. Awesome work.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review and for sharing your views. Yes, I agree that an interactive session would much augment the learning process.

[Dael Reader]

Nice review, Shrabastee! I read and reviewed this one too (remove be mod) and loved Toni! Your idea of an activities section is an interesting one. I would hope, though, that parents might suggest their own activities when they read with their kids!

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

Nice review, Shrabastee! I read and reviewed this one too and loved Toni! Your idea of an activities section is an interesting one. I would hope, though, that parents might suggest their own activities when they read with their kids!

Yes, I also hope that the parents will make the reading experience more interesting by engaging the children in some kind of activities. Thanks for sharing your views! I would like to read more about your thoughts on this book!

[Connie Otwani]

I have read the book and can't agree more with your insightful and interesting review! Indeed the brightly colored illustrations are commendable. I did not know the second book in the series is out. I will have to see if it answers some of the questions I had.

Feel free to check out my review on the same book at (remove be mod)

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

I have read the book and can't agree more with your insightful and interesting review! Indeed the brightly colored illustrations are commendable. I did not know the second book in the series is out. I will have to see if it answers some of the questions I had.

Feel free to check out my review on the same book (remove be mod)
Thank you so much for commenting. I'll be sure to check your review and find out your views. Yes, according to the author's tweets, the second book is out. It shows Toni eating healthy veggies, as far as I know.

[HollandBlue]

[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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Share This Review

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“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” – Maya Angelou

Toni The Superhero by R. D. Base matches this description perfectly. Toni, in spite of being a superhero with extraordinary powers, takes pleasure in doing everyday works. He is a voracious reader; He keeps himself fit by exercising; he is playful and has a lot of friends; he helps his mother in household chores such as cooking, sweeping and dusting; he has a healthy eating and sleeping habit; he always takes care of stray animals.

Thanks for writing this review, I agree with Maya Angelou's quote too! Toni the Superhero seems like a great book for kids, setting good examples of everyday things.

[LaurenHaupt]

Great review. I thought this was a charming book. I think a lot of kids would enjoy this one.

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

[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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Share This Review

---

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” – Maya Angelou

Toni The Superhero by R. D. Base matches this description perfectly. Toni, in spite of being a superhero with extraordinary powers, takes pleasure in doing everyday works. He is a voracious reader; He keeps himself fit by exercising; he is playful and has a lot of friends; he helps his mother in household chores such as cooking, sweeping and dusting; he has a healthy eating and sleeping habit; he always takes care of stray animals.

Thanks for writing this review, I agree with Maya Angelou's quote too! Toni the Superhero seems like a great book for kids, setting good examples of everyday things.

Thanks for commenting! It was indeed an engaging read.

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

Great review. I thought this was a charming book. I think a lot of kids would enjoy this one.

Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I believe this will be enjoyable as well as educational for children!

[Espie]

"We may not be able to do extraordinary things, but we can do things with extraordinary love." Thank you for your succinct review.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

The daily activities of Toni are likely to encourage children to inculcate good virtues. Toni’s helpful nature, cultural trends like drawing and dancing, lively interaction with his mother and friends, and healthy habits make his character an ideal one. The children will be able to look up to Toni as a role model.

Another fact that caught my attention is that Toni is dark-skinned. This actually goes against the myth of superheroes being white. I do not know if this was deliberate from the author’s part, but I welcome this notion nonetheless.

I agree. When I reviewed this book this were two of the aspects I found to be most commendable: Toni is a great role model and it's important for dark-skinned kids to find representation. I'm really glad the author took this into account.
I like very much your suggestions for improving the book! Making it more interactive would be great for kids to engage more.
Thank you for your review, I hope you enjoy the second Toni book!

[Bavithra M]

perfect book for kids. Good review

[LV2R]

I like your view of the book as a way for children to enjoy reading. I agree with you that the illustrations were very colorful and attractive. Toni enjoying all kind of activities and helping in the house were all a good model of character and behavior for children to imitate.