I wish I could be a superhero by Susan Hall

Ill. by Cheryl Westenberg. National Library of Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780642278890
(Age: 3+) I wish I could be a Superhero written by Susan Hall and illustrated by Cheryl Westenberg is a gorgeous picture book about Wesley Wombat who is desperate to be a superhero like his friends. Each page showcases the 'superpower' of one of his Australian animal friends, and repetitively ends with But when he tried . . . enabling younger readers/listeners to join in the story and turn the flap to reveal his attempts. My daughter enjoyed naming the all of the Australian animals and the book enticed interesting conversations about what these animals could do and also about their habitats. The illustrations are bright and colourful, but not too cluttered so the visual information is easily seen and deciphered. I really enjoyed the addition of the extra information about each of the animals at the back of the book. It was easy for younger children to understand (as young as 3) and also provided interesting facts that captivated both myself and my 7 year old. I personally thought that there were perhaps too many animals in the book (7) as the repetitiveness was slightly frustrating and by the end my 3 year old had lost interest in the extra information by animal 4; however for the target audience of pre-schoolers this book is a winner as they get both the picture book/fiction story and then the information. Introducing non-fiction information in this context is also a great way to increase interest and learning with our younger readers. Target audience 3+.
Lauren Fountain