Max i els superherois

Max and the Superheroes is a charming and beautifully illustrated picture book by Rocio Bonilla and Oriol Manet. Aimed at children of between 3 and 5 years, it is a sweet story about a little boy called Max who loves superheroes with a gentle surprise at its heart.

We learn as the story begins that Max loves superheroes and even loves dressing up in superhero costumes. His grandfather tells him stories about superheroes and his friends - Leo, Martin and Emma – all have their favourites. But Max’s absolute favourite is Mega Power, and the story goes on to list all of Mega Power’s superpowers. She can programme computers, deactivate bombs and control robots. She can rescue cats – like the heroes Max’s grandfather tells him about – but she can tame animals too. She has X-ray vision and is so clever she can decipher any code as well as being incredibly strong. And of course, like any true superhero, she can fly and often takes Max with her. How can this be? Because Max knows Mega Power! And he knows what the best thing about her is not that she can control robots and tame animals, nor that she can decipher codes and has X-ray vision, but the moments when she puts on her mummy costume and gives him a goodnight kiss.

The strength of this book lies without doubt in the quality of the illustrations: they emphasise and underline the story on every page. There are myriad little details throughout that catch the eye, like a Batmobile discarded on the floor or a poster of Spiderman that children will enjoy picking out. As Mega Power’s true identity is slowly but surely revealed the pictures begin to change accordingly. The first image of her deciphering codes is covered with algorithms but the second is of her helping Max with his homework – subtly reinforcing the message of the story. I particularly liked the page where Max says her X-ray vision isn’t the best thing about her as the picture shows him sneaking off with a biscuit, and this subtle humour will be appreciated by parents reading the story to their children.

… Overall, I think this is a charming book with lovely illustrations that delivers a positive message.

From the reader´s report by Laura McGloughlin [1].