Super Manny Stands Up!

by Kelly DiPucchio, Stephanie Graegin (Illustrator)

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Stephanie Graegin bring a lionhearted new hero to life in this tender, sparkling story about standing up for what’s right—and finding your inner superpowers.

Every day after school, Manny saves the world from formidable foes.
I AM FEARLESS!
I AM STRONG!
I AM BRAVE!
I AM POWERFUL!
I AM INVINCIBLE!

Zombie bears, evil cloud monsters, and alien robots with laser beam eyes are no match for Super Manny. But when Manny encounters a real-life nemesis in the school cafeteria, will he be able to summon his superhero strength to save the day?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481459600
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/04/2017
Series:	Super Manny
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kelly DiPucchio is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Grace for President and numerous other books for kids, including Super Manny Stands Up!; Crafty Chloe, Zombie in Love, Gaston, and Antoinette. She lives with her husband and three children in Michigan. You can find out more about Kelly and her books at KellyDiPucchio.com.

Stephanie Graegin is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Super Manny Stands Up! by Kelly DiPucchio; Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins; Happy Birthday, Bunny! by Liz Garton Scanlon; Peace Is an Offering by Annette LeBox; and Listen by Gabi Snyder. She earned her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA in printmaking from Pratt Institute, and she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit her at Graegin.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2017
At home, Manny, a small raccoon with a big imagination, has a wardrobe of superhero capes to match his pretend-play scenarios; wearing a blue cape while looking into the fishbowl, he feels “fearless” and imagines he’s saving the world “from an ocean of unsavory sea creatures.” Manny has a cape for school, too, though it’s invisible to ensure that it remains “top secret undercover.” When a hedgehog is bullied by a hulking pig in the lunchroom, Manny summons the power of all of his capes to say “Stop it”—first quietly, then assertively—and his courage reminds his classmates that they have invisible capes as well. DiPucchio’s (Everyone Loves Cupcake) narration tends toward the literal, but her brevity and directness should make an instant connection with readers. Graegin’s (Little Fox in the Forest) pencil-and-ink pictures seem unassuming and lighthearted (Manny’s make-believe villains include robots who can’t shoot straight with their laser-beam eyes), but when the lunchroom scene unfolds, the images take on surprising and touching drama, creating a powerful moment of truth. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Sweet and sincere Manny proves he has the mettle to stand up to foes real and imaginary."

May 2017 Booklist Online

"A highly topical subject, and the book is realistic about the difficulty of speaking up and encouraging about the value of even a small intervention.... This could be a useful discussion-opener, and maybe some young superhero fans will take Manny’s cue for superheroism in their own lives."

June 2017 The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

08/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Every day at home, Manny the raccoon dons a different color cape and becomes by turns fearless, strong, brave, powerful, and invincible. But Manny always saves his top secret undercover cape for school because it is invisible. So one day, when a classmate was being bullied by another, taller student, he works up the courage to intervene, inspiring his peers to remember their invisible capes. Soon they are all standing up against the bully. Young readers and listeners will be cheering for Manny's heroic endeavors while subtly digesting a deeper message of antibullying. The pencil and ink drawings sweetly depict the childlike qualities of Manny and his animal classmates. VERDICT This wonderful read-aloud is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Recommended.—Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

2017-04-17
This charming story marries the mania for superheroes with a potent anti-bullying message, making it an apt tale for present times. Super Manny, an imaginative raccoon child, after school regularly dons capes of various colors to battle everything from "an angry army of zombie bears" to "legions of alien robots with laser-beam eyes." During school he sports an invisible cape that allows him to continue his victorious voyage through his world incognito. Throughout, he declares out loud to the world his own fearlessness and strength in words that children will want to echo. But his courage is tested when Tall One, a lunchroom bully, threatens Small One. Although Manny initially freezes, he remembers his superhero status and his invisible cape and commands the bully to stop. This startles the whole lunchroom of animal kids into recalling their own capes of courage, and they all collectively stand up for Small One, making Tall One beat a hasty retreat. The whimsical illustrations and antics of imaginative Manny (and his new porcupine friend, Small One) will delight children and their grown-ups even as they take in the playfully delivered yet deeply felt message of the importance of standing up for others. Speech balloons vary in size according to the confidence level of the speakers—a highly effective visual. With great read-aloud potential, this story could be used by both parents and teachers to introduce concepts of courage and standing up to bullies from the youngest preschoolers up. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews