4 out of 4 stars
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Written by R.D. Base and illustrated by Debbie Hefke, Toni The Superhero is a children's book for kids between the ages of three and five. Little ones get to meet Toni, a terrific superhero who does ordinary things. Toni likes to read, jump, swim, play, help, dust, eat, and sleep, among other daily activities. For sure, little readers will emulate this joyful and relatable superhero. Parents can expect their children wanting to do all the activities that Toni does in the book.
This book is ideal for children who are learning to read because Base's writing style is easy for them to understand. She uses simple sentences with sight words, such as to, is, play, eat, and run. In addition, she employs the learning method of repetition. An example is the following: "Toni likes to read. Toni likes to rescue animals. Toni likes to draw." The repetition of simple and similar sentences is a proven method of literacy education. During their early years, children develop and strengthen the neural connections of their brains. The repetition of words, phrases, and sentences reinforces the new neural connections. As a result, children expand their vocabulary and language.
Another important advantage of this book is its colorful and vibrant illustrations. Hefke did a nice job creating cheerful, fun, and eye-catching illustrations. Certainly, little readers will spend some time looking at the lively illustrations. Furthermore, the illustrations depict diverse children, which is noteworthy because children of all ethnic backgrounds deserve to see themselves represented in books. In recent years, there has been a movement in the publishing industry to release more books with diverse characters. It is great that Base and Hefke contributed to this movement with Toni The Superhero. Parents looking for diverse books for their kids will appreciate this little superhero.
Note that the book is not plot-driven. Toni is just doing normal activities. The reason for this is because this children's book particularly targets kids who are learning to read. For that reason, this book might not be suitable for kids who already know how to read fluently. I recommend it to children who are in preschool and kindergarten.
Without a doubt, I rate Toni The Superhero 4 out of 4 stars. Base's use of simple sentences, sight words, and repetition will have children reading in no time. Hefke's illustrations will entertain them. Lastly, parents need to prepare themselves for all the activities their children will want to copy from the superb Toni.
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Toni the Superhero
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