Review by Booklist Review
At home, a young raccoon named Manny wears a variety of colored capes that conjure up specific powers, helping him to overcome imagined foes like sea monsters, zombie bears, and alien robots. At school, an invisible cape helps him get in touch with his inner power and stand up to a bully. In true hero fashion, his actions encourage other students to defy the bully and he may even get a sidekick. Richly colored digitally enhanced pencil-and-ink illustrations show that Manny lives with his family in a comfortable suburban environment. Detailed interior scenes make clear the genesis for his imagined foes: goldfish become sea monsters; teddy bears morph into zombie bears. The other students at Manny's school are an array of adorable wild and domesticated animals. Even the bully (a large pig) is not all that menacing. The brief and straightforward narration is enhanced occasionally by dialogue placed neatly in speech bubbles. Sweet and sincere Manny proves he has the mettle to stand up to foes real and imaginary.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At home, Manny, a small raccoon with a big imagination, has a wardrobe of superhero capes to match his pretend-play scenarios; wearing a blue cape while looking into the fishbowl, he feels "fearless" and imagines he's saving the world "from an ocean of unsavory sea creatures." Manny has a cape for school, too, though it's invisible to ensure that it remains "top secret undercover." When a hedgehog is bullied by a hulking pig in the lunchroom, Manny summons the power of all of his capes to say "Stop it"-first quietly, then assertively-and his courage reminds his classmates that they have invisible capes as well. DiPucchio's (Everyone Loves Cupcake) narration tends toward the literal, but her brevity and directness should make an instant connection with readers. Graegin's (Little Fox in the Forest) pencil-and-ink pictures seem unassuming and lighthearted (Manny's make-believe villains include robots who can't shoot straight with their laser-beam eyes), but when the lunchroom scene unfolds, the images take on surprising and touching drama, creating a powerful moment of truth. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
At home, raccoon Manny wears different-color capes that give him imagined superpowers. At school, he wears an invisible cape, which comes in handy when a bully picks on a schoolmate. Manny courageously speaks up, encouraging other students to don their invisible capes and join in. The appealing mixed-media illustrations show the impact one individual can have when speaking out against bullies. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This charming story marries the mania for superheroes with a potent anti-bullying message, making it an apt tale for present times. Super Manny, an imaginative raccoon child, after school regularly dons capes of various colors to battle everything from "an angry army of zombie bears" to "legions of alien robots with laser-beam eyes." During school he sports an invisible cape that allows him to continue his victorious voyage through his world incognito. Throughout, he declares out loud to the world his own fearlessness and strength in words that children will want to echo. But his courage is tested when Tall One, a lunchroom bully, threatens Small One. Although Manny initially freezes, he remembers his superhero status and his invisible cape and commands the bully to stop. This startles the whole lunchroom of animal kids into recalling their own capes of courage, and they all collectively stand up for Small One, making Tall One beat a hasty retreat. The whimsical illustrations and antics of imaginative Manny (and his new porcupine friend, Small One) will delight children and their grown-ups even as they take in the playfully delivered yet deeply felt message of the importance of standing up for others. Speech balloons vary in size according to the confidence level of the speakersa highly effective visual. With great read-aloud potential, this story could be used by both parents and teachers to introduce concepts of courage and standing up to bullies from the youngest preschoolers up. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
