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SuperHero ABC

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Learn the alphabet from A-Z with mighty superheroes! Silly and zany, and armed with the most unusual skills, the cast of superheroes that fill these pages will make learning ABCs an out-of-this-world experience. Meet B ubble-Man, who b lows b ig b ubbles at b ullies; L aughing L ass, who l aughs l oudly at l awbreakers; and many more hilarious and irresistible characters from renowned comic-book illustrator Bob McLeod. Drawn in comic-book style, this picture book is perfect for fans of DC Super Heroes ABC 123 by David Bar Katz.

40 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

7 people are currently reading
424 people want to read

About the author

Bob McLeod

393 books286 followers
I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. For most of my career I was an artist for Marvel and DC Comics, pencilling several issues of Star Wars, Spider-Man and Superman, and inking The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Batman and many more. In 1982, I co-created The New Mutants, a group of younger X-Men, for Marvel Comics.
In 2006, I wrote and illustrated my first children's book, SuperHero ABC, a humorous alphabet book of original superheroes which was published by HarperCollins and received starred reviews from School Library Journal and ABA Booklist. I teach part-time at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in Lancaster, PA.

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5 stars
271 (34%)
4 stars
264 (33%)
3 stars
172 (21%)
2 stars
71 (8%)
1 star
15 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
Profile Image for Jon Nakapalau.
6,490 reviews1,022 followers
March 18, 2024
One of my favorite comic artists; great ABC book that will help children learn and laugh. Perfect for a small child that likes comics; a great way to get them to expand their chose of books. Bob McLeod is a fantastic artist; this book really does have that 'comic book' feel to it that is often very hard to get for books.
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,962 reviews262 followers
May 11, 2022
Whether you're looking for an alphabet book or a super-hero one, Bob McLeod's Superhero ABC will fit the bill. From Astro-Man ("always alert for an alien attack") to the Zinger (who "zanily zigzags through the zero zone"), the figures profiled here all do super-heroic things, battling crime and protecting the innocent, all while exemplifying their corresponding letter...

Author/artist Bob McLeod, who has worked for both Marvel and DC comics depicting various famous and beloved characters, makes his children's books debut with Superhero ABC. Although not the keenest superhero fan myself, I found this an engaging picture-book, and suspect that young children will as well. There isn't really a story, per se, but rather an array of fascinating character depictions (arranged alphabetically, of course), paired with bright, colorful artwork. Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining alphabet books, as well as to youngsters with a superhero obsession.
32 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2011
My five year old daughter LOVES this book. She picked it from the library and after the third reading today said "Mom, wouldn't it be great if the librarian said I could keep this for TEN weeks?" While I have never had much interest in superheroes myself, my daughter likes them, so this book held her interest and sparked her imagination. "Rain Man" has been "living" in our house all afternoon. What I liked about it was that it sparked discussion about lots of vocabulary words that are good to know but not seen in any of her other favorite books, such as villain and even twin. A few of the characters had the typical young kid humor (Volcano Man who vomits and Upside Down man who wears his uniform under his underpants) but there wasn't anything too offensive.
Profile Image for Adrianne.
294 reviews
August 25, 2011
What's better than a book about a Superhero? A book with 26 Superheroes!

Cleverly drawn and written. Watch out for V.

Because of this book, my son makes sure that we never j-walk.
50 reviews1 follower
Read
November 13, 2015
This story includes a superhero for every letter in the alphabet. This is a great book for teaching new readers that reading can be fun!
Profile Image for Judy.
45 reviews
May 9, 2021
While it's admirable that this author wanted to make a children's superhero book for boys and girls, his attempt to paint women superheroes in the same light as men falls short in embarrassingly sexist and stereotypical ways. Let's look at the words and descriptions used for most of the male superheroes: awesome, cool, daring, exciting, happy to help, knows karate, mighty muscles, protects, valiant. Now let's look at how he describes the majority of the female superheroes: "she has fat feet," "she grins and giggles with glee," "her lips are like large," "she likes lollipops," "she's a little looney," "she winks and waves at whales," "she's wonderful to watch," and the worst of all "what a wild way to get wet." Are there some positives for the females? A few, like an invisible woman being called "impressive" and the little sister of Sky-Boy joining in to fight alongside her brother despite being younger. But overall, I'm severely put off by the painting of women superheroes as giggling, laughing, and pleasurable to look at, as it overshadows the support of the message that women can kick butt without having to please men at the same time. The only reason I'm holding on to this book is to be able to use it as an example in the teaching of sexism and the constant battles women have to fight in being judged on something other than their looks. I would encourage this author, who is clearly a talented artist, to reconsider the message he is sending about what it takes to be a superhero, as it's not huge lips and a love of lollipops. I don't care if she's laughing, too.
Profile Image for Evan Taylor.
50 reviews48 followers
November 28, 2012
“When I was having alphabet soup, I never thought it would pay off.” -Vanna White

It’s a bird, it’s a plane..no, it’s Superhero ABCs. Have you ever read through an alphabet book and already known that “A” would stand for apple, “B” for ball, “C” for cat and so on and so forth? You will not get this feeling when reading Bob McLeod’s SuperHero ABC, because he takes an innovative look at the alphabet through a heroic eye. Instead of “A” standing for apple, it stands for Astro Man who is “always alert for an alien attack”. Instead of “B” standing for ball, it stands for Bubble-Man who blows big bubbles at bullies. Also, instead of “C” standing for cat, it stands for Captain Cloud who calmly catches crooks. Who would not want to go on to read what D - Z stands for? What makes this alphabet book even more enticing is the illustrations throughout the book. Each page has a colorful picture of the superhero performing a heroic act. This book is probably so well done, due to the fact that Bob McLeod is a comic book illustrator who has worked on projects such as Spiderman and Superman! This book is great for any superhero fan and also for anyone who has grown tired of “A” only standing for apple. I would recommend this book to anyone due to the fact that it is a page turning and keeps both readers and listeners on the edge of their seats!
Profile Image for Annie.
44 reviews
February 5, 2015
SuperHero ABC is a book that both adults and children would love. It has brightly colored pictures of superheroes, each named with the letter of the alphabet. The pictures tend to span both pages with nice, large illustrations. Little boys and girls alike would love the pictures and the funny jokes. My favourite was Ll-the superhero with Big Lips.

I probably would have rated this five stars except for one major mistake. There is an invisible girl-only the bad guy goes right through her. There seems to be a mix up between invisibility and phasing-the difference is invisibility just means not visible. It might be a silly thing to quibble over, but I feel that as an educational book, it is misleading to a child.

Overall, it is still a wonderful ABC book. It would be great for in the classroom, and even the wiggliest little boys would sit and pay attention. Recommended for ages 3-7.
Profile Image for Chelsea.
28 reviews
September 18, 2013
This book travels through the alphabet with vibrant and active superhero characters. Each superhero goes with a letter of the alphabet with a mission to fight crime! This book is very creative and is a good read for both boys and girls of young ages. It is a good read aloud book because of the vibrant and fun illustrations. It will keep children engaged and wanting to come up with superheroes of their own. It would also be a fun book to have children act out. They can pick their favorite superhero! There are so many to choose from with fun names like Bubble Boy and Goo Girl. The illustrations really enhance the story and provide that extra bit of creativity to go along with the story and teaching children to read or learn the alphabet.
120 reviews7 followers
March 3, 2011
From Astro-Man to the Zinger, this ABC book is packed full of child appealing superheroes! The individual alphabet letters are bold and highlight a different superhero. Also, the added alliteration of the text effectively emphasizes the letter sounds: "Danger Man, Does Daring Deeds Every Day".

Early Literacy Skills:

Letter Knowledge
Vocabulary
Phonological Awareness
Print Awareness
Print Motivation

Went over great in Preschool Story Hour and older kids check it out too!
Profile Image for Amy.
1,132 reviews
December 29, 2011
My nephew loved this book! I love it too. It's a very cool way to work on the alphabet with kids. Bright, superhero colors, action packed illustrations, and a great mix of male and female superheroes. My nephew requested that we read a "cool book" a few days ago, and after we read this, he told me it was cool. Yea! :-) I'm glad he liked it! Oh, and he even pointed out to me that many of the bystanders in the pictures were wearing superhero T-shirts that had superheroes in the book on them! A nice clever touch!
Profile Image for Leslie Fisher.
810 reviews18 followers
January 18, 2015
This is actually a really great and fun book for learning the ABC's and their sounds. It has fun, colorful illustrations of super heroes, along with descriptions of the superhero containing lots of great words starting with the featured letter of the alphabet. I think this book really appeals to kids because of the super-hero concept, but it is also fun for the adults to read. Being a parent of preschoolers, I have read so many different ABC books, but this one is one of the best ones that I have read.
29 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2018
This book would be a hilarious learning experience for children. Its full of funny characters with strange and also funny powers like Astro-Man who is always alert for an alien attack and who also has asthma and avoids asteroids or the Quiet Knight who keeps kindergarten kids safe and know karate or The Odor Officer who obviously objects to offensive odors. The book has a letter on every page and it also has a superhero on the page whose name and powers start with that letter. The pictures are amazing and the book is full of action.
300 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2011
I've checked this book out to a preschool and had them renew it three months in a row.
I've seen this book be the most popular in a first grade classroom.

ABC are often dull for me. They're long, repetitive, and really hard to innovate. The great draw of this book is that it has superheroes, and kids crave superhero stories at preschool age but none of the stories, cartoons, or comics are quite appropriate for them yet. This is an excellent bridge to those years.
Profile Image for Theresa.
85 reviews
May 7, 2009
This review is based on what Geoffrey says. When I asked him if he was done with the book and if I could take it back to work, he said yes and "It is a very good book." Scott read this to him several times. The book combines the elements small boys find appealing: superheros, bold and colorful illustrations, great and fun alliteration.
Profile Image for Haley Heinkel.
24 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2011
I loved this book! Super Heros ABC is a great mix of the ABC's and superheros. the illustrations were amazing and the texts on each page were creatively written in bubbles. Each letter has a super hero. Kids will love the dramatic comic-style illustrations and big bubble letters. There is all different types of superheros traditional and non traditional all funny and interacting. Indubitably.
114 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2014
Superhero ABC is a magnificent way to teach kids about their abc's! A new hero is introduced for each letter sound with very unusual powers. The majority of the words on the page use alliteration of the letter being discussed. A similar technique is used for the vowels.

Both men and women are portrayed as heroes, making the book appeal to boys and girls.
Profile Image for Ellen.
78 reviews22 followers
November 28, 2008
Julian, age 5, says: "I really like the Volcano man who vomits on villians. It's so funny. I also like the Yellow Yeller and the Zinger who zooms through zeroes. I like everything in the book. It's one of my total favorites."

Mom likes it, too.

Profile Image for Sandra Vicars.
88 reviews
September 15, 2011
A comic book style ABC book sure to capture the attention of young boys (and girls too!). Kids will love the superpower for The Volcano! The graphics are interesting and will delight young readers. Provides many vocabulary words for each letter. What superhero lies within you?
Profile Image for Jenae.
24 reviews
October 30, 2013
One of our local authors (and his wife is my Avon customer!) ... my boys have always loved this book. The illustrations are very vibrant and full of life. We have it in paperback and hardcover! Bob's a great guy too! :)
Profile Image for Emily.
54 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2014
This book would be a real hit with my students, especially those who love graphic novels and comics. A neat activity would be to have the students create their own superhero posters with an A-Z acrostic poem.
Profile Image for Derek.
165 reviews17 followers
January 5, 2016
Teaching your kids the alphabet and inspire a love of comics at the same time? Sign me up. We loved reading the fun characters. My daughter is 8 and still remembers how much fun this was to read way back when.
Profile Image for Kaethe.
6,567 reviews534 followers
July 16, 2014
To be properly enjoyed, when I read this everyone has to choose their favorite superhero to be.

2010 April 15

Interesting thing I noticed last night for the first time: all the bad guys are, in fact, guys.

Profile Image for Erin.
16 reviews7 followers
August 10, 2014
Great book! It is so hard to find "boy" books, but I used to read this to my nephew years ago. He was never a patient listener, but he would sit for multiple readings. I now give this to any expectant mother who knows there is a boy on the way. Wonderful and creative.
Profile Image for Liz  Arcand.
27 reviews8 followers
December 10, 2013
My kids loved this book! Even the boys, who usually are not thrilled when it's time to read a book, we're enthralled! Highly recommended!
154 reviews
May 11, 2015
This book is totally awesome! My 3 year who is in utter fascination with all things superhero was glued to the illustrations and adored the funny descriptions!
31 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2018
Cute book with super heroes teaching ABC's. It's like a comic book for young readers. The pictures are cool and fun. Each letter has their own super hero and own super powers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews

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