Super Sam!

July 5, 2004
This seemingly unassuming slice-of-sibling-life tale is actually a little gem—a model of sunny storytelling economy with nary a false step. Redheaded Sam (who looks to be age 5 or 6) appropriates his toddler brother's blanket for a cape and transforms into Super Sam (the hero's name is always rendered comics-style, in all-caps bold type). Utterly captivated, little Petey (named in a portrait drawn by Sam) pads around the house behind his big brother to witness his amazing displays of superpowers. "Show your strength, Super Sam!" proclaims newcomer Ries's text, as Ramá (Cheer Up
) depicts him exuberantly hoisting a toy truck over his head while Petey looks on in open-mouthed wonder. But when Petey gets a boo-boo and won't stop crying, Super Sam's powers seem all for naught—until he realizes that maybe his "cape" needs to be used for its originally intended purpose. "Super, Sam," reads the closing text in simple font, as Petey blissfully envelops himself in the blanket's comfort. Ries's concise, exclamatory lines are a perfect match for Ramá's buoyant, tightly focused watercolor-and-crayon illustrations (the waxy textures add a nifty, kid-style touch). With just two dots and an arc for Petey's facial features, Ries expresses everything there is to say about a young sibling's adoration and a big brother's protectiveness. Ages 2-7.

September 1, 2004
PreS-Gr 1-Neon-colored cartoons done in pencil, crayon, and watercolor chronicle the imaginative indoor play of a boy and his toddler brother. Petey shadows Sam, who wears a blankie cape, "flies" around the room, lifts a (toy) truck over his head, and saves his sibling when the child's finger is injured. Full spreads with minimal text, often repeating "super Sam," invite beginning readers to try this book on their own. A cozy tale of brotherly affection.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2005
A boy playing superhero meets his toughest challenge when he accidentally steps on his worshipful baby brother's finger; fortunately, it's nothing that a security blanket can't fix. Between the book's minimal text ("Run, Super Sam! / Fly, Super Sam!"), which may remind some readers of John Steptoe's "Baby Says", and the loose illustrations featuring crayon, the perspective stays wonderfully childlike throughout.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)