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

[Jagiine]

[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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R.D. Base is a mother in love with reading. But reading is not an ability people are born with or are even naturally wired to do. It is a skill that must be explicitly taught. Knowing this, R.D. developed Toni the Superhero to be a tool in the teaching toolbox. The book includes simple sentences, mostly starting with the carrier phrase “Toni likes to,” and short vocabulary words, such as “eat” and “dust.” Thus, readers discover Toni’s favorite activities and a couple of his attributes.

Each story page is very colorful, as they all include a full-page background in addition to showing the referenced activity. Debbie Hefke includes realistic shading in her illustrations, and I am sure the images will keep the attention of any young reader.

Toni the Superhero does contain two complex vocabulary words: “superhero” and “terrific.” “Superhero” is a linguistically complex word. It could be a challenge word or sight word since kids are likely to encounter the term in a variety of places. The ability to recognize the word instantly could be useful. Also, I understand that using an appealing topic, such as superheroes, may kindle a greater desire to read within children. “Terrific” is less complex than “superhero,” but it is also a less common word and thus not likely to be a sight word.

Due to its purpose as a reader, it was very important that Toni the Superhero be properly edited. Indeed, I could find no writing errors in the publication. I did not like the chosen font though. On a screen, the lettering was too harsh for my eyes. This improved some when I printed a page. Additionally, the “t” and “f” in the utilized font could easily be confused. My other issue with the formatting was that it may be difficult to enjoy the book on an e-reader. The images correlating to a given text were sometimes on the other half of a two-page spread. However, if the two-page view were used in an e-reader, the pages could become mismatched due to the numbering of the pages. This may depend on what software was being used.

I see a lot of value in this book and believe it could help children with both word recognition and decoding (sounding out a word) if utilized properly. Thus, I recommend this book for children who are 0-6 years old. The younger end of this spectrum obviously would not be decoding, but they would still enjoy the book’s images and accessibility. I rate Toni the Superhero 4 out of 4 stars. If it were possible, I would remove half of a star for the inclusion of complex words and poor font choice, but I have rounded up because these issues do not warrant the removal of a full star.

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

[Ashiyya Tariq]

I also reviewed the book and gave it the same rating it as it deserves it. Nevertheless, you are right that font size and style need to be revised. Thanks for this review.

[Jagiine]

I also reviewed the book and gave it the same rating it as it deserves it. Nevertheless, you are right that font size and style need to be revised. Thanks for this review.

Yes, font is important in a children's book. We need a proper balance between fun/fanciful and legible. Thanks for stopping by!

[Sushan Ekanayake]

This was a hot topic few months back when it became BOTM. Nice and detailed review. Thank you

[Jagiine]

This was a hot topic few months back when it became BOTM. Nice and detailed review. Thank you

Ah, I wasn't around then. It seems people have gotten a bit tired of it since then

[MsTri]

I too read this book and found it quite delightful. Still, I missed some things, so I'm glad you pointed them out. Thanks for the sharp eyes!