Send for a Superhero by Michael Rosen (review)

Elmer and Emily’s dad is reading them a bedtime story about Filth and Vacuum, the villainous Terrible Two who are going to slime the city of Townton and suck up all of the money. As the story goes on, with Townton youngster Brad 40 calling in superhero after hero to take on the villains, the art alternates between the events of Townton and the kids’ bedroom, with the comics-like panels depicting their dad’s bedtime tale while chunkily and boldly illustrated Emily and Elmer provide added commentary. When Steel Man, Super-Flying-Through-The-Air-Very-Fast Man, and Incredibly-Big-Strong-Green Man all fail to stop Filth and Vacuum, Brad 40’s idea of calling in Extremely Boring Man (who can send anybody to sleep) may just work for the kids, too—until they clamor for one more story. The playful silliness of the superhero romp complements the gentle intended bedtime tale, and a similar contrast develops between the grainy newsprint-inspired illustrations, with thin outlines and washed-out coloration, and the crayon-box (and even Day-Glo) thickness of the siblings’ world. Though likely too adventuresome for use as an actual bedtime story, this will be a nice intro for kids gearing up for skills in reading graphic formats and understanding metafictional devices.