Max - Softcover

Bob Graham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0744598273 ISBN 13: 9780744598278

Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks, 2005

Synopsis

Winner of the 2000 Smarties Prize Gold Medal. It's not easy being the son of legendary superheroes Captain Lightning and Madam Thunderbolt. Max has a cape and a mask, but he doesn't fly. His parents can't understand it. It seems that Max is just an ordinary boy, until finally, to save a falling baby bird, Max discovers he can fly! He'll be a small hero, doing small deeds. "The world needs more of those," says his mum. A funny and touching tale about little Max, the reluctant superhero. Bob Graham has three times won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award, in addition to the Smarties Book Prize Gold and Silver Awards and the Kate Greenaway Medal.

About this title

About the Author:

Bob Graham is a Kate Greenaway-winning author-illustrator who has written and illustrated many acclaimed children's picture books including How to Heal a Broken Wing, Max, Jethro Byrde: Fairy Child and April Underhill: Tooth Fairy. His 2011 title, A Bus Called Heaven, is endorsed by Amnesty International UK and was the winner of the 2012 Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award - a prize Bob has won an unprecedented six times. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1-Max has been born into a family of superheroes, but, despite his cape, mask, and his parents' encouragement, he just can't seem to get the hang of flying. By the time he starts school, he still prefers the ground, and even his classmates' taunts don't prod him to change. However, when a baby bird falls from its nest, Max throws caution (and thoughts of himself) to the wind and leaps to save the fledgling, the first step toward his becoming "a small hero doing quiet deeds." Now Max flies all around and spends his days quietly helping others and, sometimes, flying around with his parents just for the fun of it. The simple, straightforward story has just a slight dose of tension provided by Max's grandfather, who is baffled by his grandson's reluctance to fly. However, the support and acceptance the boy receives from his parents are heartwarming and reassuring. The colorful ink-and-watercolor cartoon illustrations are the strength of the book. Done in a mix of comic-strip boxes and full-page spreads, they give the story an appealing look and feel, and clearly reinforce the play between fantasy and reality. Storytime listeners are sure to delight in the masked faces of Max's parents, Captain Lightning and Madam Thunderbolt, and his slightly lumpy, superhero grandparents. A welcome, gentle look at the world of superheroes.
Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0744598273
• ISBN 13: 9780744598278
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32