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SOMETHING STRANGE HAS happened to the birds of GOTHAM CITY. Pigeons are causing traffic jams, seagulls are making trouble at a nearby beach, and ostriches have escaped from the zoo! THE PENGUIN has enlisted his fine feathered friends to distract the DC SUPER FRIENDS while he swoops in and plucks GOTHAM’s biggest bank clean! Will BATMAN, SUPERMAN, and the other DC SUPER FRIENDS get there in time?

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

89 people are currently reading
275 people want to read

About the author

Nick Eliopulos

117 books68 followers
Nick Eliopulos was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, where he grew up on a steady diet of super-hero comics and “non-fiction” books about alien abductions, psychic phenomena, and Sasquatch. He was fortunate to have parents and teachers who encouraged his off-beat reading habits, which ultimately led him to pursue a degree in cultural studies at the University of Florida.

Shortly after graduating, Nick moved to New York to work in publishing. In the course of his thirteen-year career as a children’s book editor, he had the opportunity to write for a number of licensed properties, from Thomas the Tank Engine to DC Super Friends and Scholastic’s New York Times bestselling multiplatform series Spirit Animals. His original comics work has appeared in anthologies Stuck in the Middle and First Kiss (Then Tell).

Nick’s debut novel, The Adventurers Guild, will be published by Hyperion in October 2017. Co-authored with his best friend Zack Loran Clark, the book is heavily inspired by the duo’s collaborative storytelling experiences with tabletop role-playing games; they’ve been in the same weekly gaming group for nearly a decade.

Nick lives in Brooklyn with his husband, a fellow editor, author, and Southern transplant. He’s currently employed as a narrative designer for an indie video game studio. He still reads super-hero comics and harbors an ever-dwindling hope that Sasquatch might be out there.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
315 (44%)
4 stars
159 (22%)
3 stars
147 (20%)
2 stars
51 (7%)
1 star
33 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for itchy.
2,940 reviews33 followers
September 15, 2021
This is a preschool to kindergarten picture book. Kids today have all the fun.

I've never known Batman operate during daytime.
Profile Image for Miloš & Brontë.
50 reviews6 followers
September 9, 2009
Papa: So Beans, what did you think?

Miloš: I thought that...well...really Green Lantern shouldn't help Superman, but that was nice, and at the beach it's cool that they put Josephus in there.

Papa: Yeah that's one of my favourite parts too.

Miloš: I like when the Penguin robs the bank. I like that he got stopped by Batman.

Papa: Hang on.

Miloš: What?

Papa: Why did you the Penguin to lose to Batman? What's wrong with robbing a bank?

Miloš: Nothing.

Papa: Why is there nothing wrong with robbing a bank?

Miloš: I don't know.

Papa: So you're just saying that because you think it is what I want you to say.

Miloš: Yeah, I am.

Papa: But what do you really think? What do you think? Did you want Batman to win?

Miloš: I wanted him to win.

Papa: How come?

Miloš: Because sometimes he's not a Super Friend. Sometimes he's just by himself, sometimes he's just a man. I like that he has a rope, and that he can be black Batman or blue Batman. So blue Batman means that he is going out in the day and black Batman means that he is going out at night.

Papa: Cool. Do you want to say anything else?

Miloš: No.

Papa: You sure?

Miloš: Yep.
Profile Image for Ryan.
5,677 reviews33 followers
July 1, 2020
Birds are going crazy. Batman, the Flash, and other DC characters have to save the day. Which dastardly DC character could be at fault? This was a fun book, and not a bad easy reader for one with popular characters.
#BBRC #ER #Popularcharacter
#MountTBR
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,432 reviews38 followers
August 22, 2013
Cute and fun little reader to get children interested in reading through their favorite super-heroes.
Profile Image for Angie.
2,849 reviews15 followers
April 25, 2016
Synopsis: "SOMETHING STRANGE HAS happened to the birds of GOTHAM CITY. Pigeons are causing traffic jams, seagulls are making trouble at a nearby beach, and ostriches have escaped from the zoo! THE PENGUIN has enlisted his fine feathered friends to distract the DC SUPER FRIENDS while he swoops in and plucks GOTHAM’s biggest bank clean! Will BATMAN, SUPERMAN, and the other DC SUPER FRIENDS get there in time?"

My Review: This is a great level One reader, it has simple sentences with simple and familiar words. It is also packed with all the favorite super heroes for those young fans and a message about working together to do the right thing. This will be a popular book for those budding readers.
Profile Image for Asho.
1,846 reviews12 followers
May 14, 2018
Another superhero easy reader book that S checked out at the library. This has been by far his favorite genre this spring. This is a true easy reader and he was able to read almost the whole thing by himself. At first we thought the whole story was just going to be a problem with birds, which would be strange, but then the Penguin showed up as the villain. Predictable, but nice for someone like S who is into superheroes.
3 reviews
March 5, 2017
Your book is ok

Gym
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Chair
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Pretty hubbub bhai b v v v v gov vCard v vv h
Profile Image for Darinda.
9,137 reviews157 followers
October 2, 2017
A level 1 reader. A short superhero story that includes Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Superman, and Green Lantern. The villain in the story is the Penguin.
Profile Image for Ashley.
335 reviews20 followers
read-to-the-kids
September 5, 2021
The ebook came across a little weird - picture, then text, then picture. Sentences were split across pages, making it awkward for me to read so I can imagine it would be even more awkward for early readers.
60 reviews1 follower
July 1, 2020
I like this book because I like super heroes.
350 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2021
My kid loves birds, and I want him to love Batman, so this book about birds AND Batman is the perfect gateway drug.
Profile Image for Pinky.
7,034 reviews23 followers
July 22, 2021
The Super Friends stop a bird brained attack on Gotham City by Penguin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Adam.
285 reviews
October 22, 2024
(read aloud by himself at 4yo, no words missed)
Profile Image for KaitandMaddie.
4,262 reviews12 followers
May 10, 2025
Not bad, though of course the problem with these levelled readers is the text and sentences are short but the words themselves are not easy.
109 reviews2 followers
January 12, 2012
This is step 1 in the Step into Reading series. This book follows Batman, Superman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern as they fly around town helping the Gotham City from the antics of the Penguin. This is a great book to engage young boys in reading about their favorite super heroes. The text is simple and largely printed.

Merged review:

This book is an introductory to reading book level one for preschool and kindergarten readers. As stated on the back cover of the book, the font is large, the words "easy" to read and the flow of the book has rhyme and rhythm. This is a great book to use with young boys especially to encourage and interest them in reading about things they like such as super heroes.
Profile Image for  Davis Jennifer.
325 reviews12 followers
July 12, 2014
I recently bought this book in a set for my 6 year old son.

The birds are going crazy in Gotham. Batman figures out that the Penguin is up to no good. The Penguin has made a machine that is upsetting all the birds, hoping that the Super Friends will remain detracted while he robs the bank. Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman work together to save the day. Easy text, and great illustrations. My son needed very little help with reading this book.
Profile Image for Jake.
109 reviews
Read
August 13, 2008
For some random reason, I drive mommy crazy requesting she read this book multiple times a night. Mommy doesn't understand why Batman and Superman would be hanging out (along with the 3 other guys) . . . wouldn't it make more sense to split up and help more cities? If the super heroes are SUPER, they don't really need to tag team. Or so mom says.
Profile Image for Amy.
1,132 reviews
December 20, 2011
My nephew loves super heroes. This is his first super hero book, and boy, did we read this one a lot! I appreciated that this book wasn't a traditional comic book, but instead an early reader in traditional early reader style format. This was a great merger of the super hero tale he wants, and the early reader book format that I want.
Profile Image for Beth.
250 reviews29 followers
October 16, 2011
Normally with the kids books, I don't pay much attention to plot, especially with these early readers. This one was just plain goofy with the birds distracting the Super Friends. But superheroes are my son's favorite thing right now. So he loved it and I laughed at how bad it was.
Profile Image for jacky.
3,496 reviews93 followers
January 2, 2013
Natalie really likes superheroes, but finding nonviolent stories is a little tricky. This one did a pretty good job. It focused on her favorite (Batman) and kept things simple. Not sure she understood about robbing the bank, though.
255 reviews1 follower
Want to read
May 1, 2011
Given to us by Eric and Whitney. The boys aren't quite up to comic book heroes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

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