Review by Gikonyo Caroline -- Toni the Superhero

[Gikonyo Caroline]

[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 children’s book. It is targeted to children aged four years and below who do not yet know how to read or are about to begin reading. This book is about the superhero character named Toni who is depicted as one who loves to do ordinary things like helping out in the house with chores such as cleaning dishes, dusting and sweeping. Toni is a superhero who enjoys doing mundane ordinary tasks and does not engage in any supernatural acts in this book.. This book is the first in a series of Toni the superhero books. Implicit in this is the redefining of who heroes are and what heroic acts entail. In a world where we worship those who are successful or popular , lifting them up to impossible-to-sustain pedestals, I think this is great book to teach children and even adults that heroes are human and doing ordinary tasks is heroic.

The underlying message that I wish children will draw from this book is that to be a hero doesn’t mean that you must have superhuman capabilities. To be a hero is to be yourself and to embrace your unique talents, hobbies and personality. In addition doing ordinary tasks well is indeed a heroic act. Perhaps when they learn this at a young age, hero worship with its obvious consequences will be a thing of the past and our children will learn to embrace their individuality instead of living for the approval and affirmation of society. As well children will learn to be exceptional in every day tasks which will replace the entitlement and instant success mentality that is engulfing the young generation. Afterall shouldn’t we want our children’s heroes to remind them that at any moment with the right opportunities and circumstances they could be them? As they say ‘real heroes whisper, they sneak up on you.’ ‘They do not scream’ “I am a hero, look over here!”

Toni The Superhero is authored by R.D Base. She is mother of three young boys and was an avid reader when she was younger. She taught her young boys to read by writing books using simple repetitive sentences and reading them to her kids so as to build their reading capacity and confidence. She hopes to develop the love for reading in young children using this book.

I loved the pictures in the book as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. The book makes use of simple repetitive sentences which is great in teaching children who are learning how to read. I also loved the hidden meaning in the book which means that though the book is targeted to children adults can also draw important life lessons.

I would recommend this book to parents with young children who do not know how to read or about to start learning how to read. This would also be a good teaching resource for teachers in the kindergartens or preschools.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is simple and picture perfect. This book lives up to one of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelo that says “Any book that helps child to form a habit of reading, to make reading a child’s deep and continuing need , is good for the child.”

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Toni the Superhero
View: on Bookshelves | on Smashwords

Like Gikonyo Caroline's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Dael Reader]

Great review! I recently read and reviewed this one too and thought it was a gem.

[Gikonyo Caroline]

Great review! I recently read and reviewed this one too and thought it was a gem.

Thankyou Dael Reader for your feedback. Yes this is a gem for the little ones

[Laura Ungureanu]

I also read this book and I thought it was amazing. So many good things kids can learn from it. Nice review!

[Gikonyo Caroline]

I also read this book and I thought it was amazing. So many good things kids can learn from it. Nice review!

Thank you Laura Bach for your feedback. I agree this is rich with nuggets of wisdom for kids and even adults