I Just Want to Be Super!
June, 2020
Book description
One morning, Nino finds a mask that gives him amazing powers. He can’t wait to blast into action! But no one will let him do all the super things he wants to do. Instead, everybody tells him stuff like: Put away your dishes. Get dressed. Be CAREFUL.
Will Nino ever get the chance to show how super he can be?
With empathy, humor and exuberant imagination, dynamic writer-illustrator duo Andrew Katz and Tony Luzano tell a story all children will relate to, one about stretching their limits and discovering just what it means to be super.
Fans of Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes), Max (Where The Wild Things Are) and any kid with LOTS of energy will discover a kindred spirit in Nino. There are also character education lessons here, perfect for discussions both in the classroom and at home, on learning to use strength in a way that is positive and conscious of others
Wow!
Struggling to be super
Click below for an article I wrote for Canadian Children’s Book News about how high-energy kids, such as my nephew when he was five years old, can “struggle to be super”.
For teachers
Click below for a handout of Nino’s mask which you can print up and invite your students to color. If they plan to cut out the mask to wear it, it will be sturdier if they glue it to construction paper first. They can punch holes in the ends of it and attach a string or else glue a popscicle stick to the mask to hold it up in front of their faces.
This activity can also be an opportunity to discuss with students the diverse ways in which they themselves can be super—super fast, super creative, super kind . . . and many more.
