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libby_gt's review
4.0
This book brings together six traditional tales from around the world, all of which feature a “superhero” and their adventures in overcoming adversity or outwitting villains. There is “The Legend of Hua Mulan” (from China), “Hanuman, Demon Fighter” (from India), “Inanna in the Underworld” (from Ancient Sumer), “Shahrazad the Storyteller” (from the Middle East), “Loki and the Magical Hammer” (from Scandinavia) and “Anansi the Spider-Man” (from Ghana). I picked it up because I loved this idea of extending the concept of “superheroes” beyond the white, male archetype that often fixates on physical strength.
For this reason, my favourite story was “Shahrazad the Storyteller”, as Shahrazad is a “hero” as a result of her intelligence and eloquence rather than fighting. She charms King Shahriyar with one thousand exciting stories over the course of one thousand nights and escapes the fate of being killed by him. I was already familiar with the “tales of 1001 nights” but found this to be a succinct and effective retelling for the context.
I also particularly enjoyed “Anansi the Spider-Man”, where Anansi, the spider son of the sky god, uses cunning tactics to free all of the world’s stories from a locked box kept by his father. It certainly challenges the Hollywood image of “Spider-man” but is just as full of excitement and wonder.
This would be an excellent feature of a reading corner in KS2 or to use as a whole class to talk about stereotypes and different cultures. Some of the vocabulary is challenging (including some long, unfamiliar character names) but the individual stories could also be read aloud and/or discussed with younger year groups. I found “Hanuman, Demon Fighter” a little hard to keep up with but (as with all the tales) the illustrations helped carry the storytelling.
David Solomons writes in the introduction that “If you imagined that being a superhero was all about super-strength and super-speed, then you only know half the story”. The overall message of the text is that there is power in intelligence, hard work, wit and kindness. Alongside the fact that it incorporates a diverse range of voices and traditions, it is a great resource.
For this reason, my favourite story was “Shahrazad the Storyteller”, as Shahrazad is a “hero” as a result of her intelligence and eloquence rather than fighting. She charms King Shahriyar with one thousand exciting stories over the course of one thousand nights and escapes the fate of being killed by him. I was already familiar with the “tales of 1001 nights” but found this to be a succinct and effective retelling for the context.
I also particularly enjoyed “Anansi the Spider-Man”, where Anansi, the spider son of the sky god, uses cunning tactics to free all of the world’s stories from a locked box kept by his father. It certainly challenges the Hollywood image of “Spider-man” but is just as full of excitement and wonder.
This would be an excellent feature of a reading corner in KS2 or to use as a whole class to talk about stereotypes and different cultures. Some of the vocabulary is challenging (including some long, unfamiliar character names) but the individual stories could also be read aloud and/or discussed with younger year groups. I found “Hanuman, Demon Fighter” a little hard to keep up with but (as with all the tales) the illustrations helped carry the storytelling.
David Solomons writes in the introduction that “If you imagined that being a superhero was all about super-strength and super-speed, then you only know half the story”. The overall message of the text is that there is power in intelligence, hard work, wit and kindness. Alongside the fact that it incorporates a diverse range of voices and traditions, it is a great resource.
gracegreenlaw's review
4.0
6 tales of superheroes from traditional tales all over the world. Beautifully illustrated.
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