Arnold the Super-ish Hero

Arnold the Super-ish Hero is a charming picture book that tells a story about what it truly means to be a hero, super or not. From the front cover with its bold design, bright colours and outdated price in the corner (if only it was 5 cents!) the artwork immediately lets you know that this is a story inspired by superhero comics but its protagonist may not be exactly what you’d expect.

The hero of this story is Arnold who, despite having a family full of superheroes, has yet to find his own power. He can, however, work the phones, taking “important messages with really neat printing”, eat really fast and feel sort of invisible sometimes. One day the family’s hero phone rings and no one but Arnold is around to answer the call. Arnold bravely leaps (and falls) into action, borrowing his great grandmother’s mask and cape and taking the city bus to the park where the “crime” is afoot. In the park, Arnold finds a lot of crimes that turn out not to be crimes, but he lends a helping hand anyway, figuring out simple solutions and helping the people go about their days in peace.

When Arnold does finally locate his mystery caller, he is able to solve the case using his superior message taking abilities and reunite a lost child and her friend. Arnold returns home that day to witness his entire family praising a mysterious superhero featured on the news who has made headlines, not for stopping the bad guys, but for helping the good guys. Arnold chooses to keep his status as the newly dubbed “Super Nice Guy'' to himself, content to be seen as merely the phone guy with the superpower of being “pretty good at keeping secrets”. The story ends with Arnold’s continuing to do good in his secret identity of Super Nice Guy and “sometimes” answering phones.

Arnold the Super-ish Hero is a humourous and engaging story with a heartfelt message that everyone has a power no matter how everyday it may seem and that true heroes are those who take the time to commit simple acts of kindness when no one else is watching. Arnold’s refusal to share his newfound secret identity is also an interesting choice, with Tekavec valuing the small unsung hero over the big and flashy heroes of Arnold’s family who, in many of the park scenes where Arnold is helping people, can be seen in the corners and backgrounds of panels signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans while Arnold does the real work. This subtle addition really aids the story, showing how taking credit for being a hero actually gets in the way of being a hero as none of Arnold’s family members were available to take the call because they were busy with fans.

Like superhero comics (which are clearly Tekavec’s inspiration), the pages are split into panels, with illustrations conveying action and movement in a dynamic and eye-catching manner. Perreault’s illustrations are simple but capture a surprising amount of depth, emotion and movement. The bright colours and patterns engage the eyes of the readers and direct them throughout the story and feel seamlessly tailored to the progression of the narrative. Details in the corners and backgrounds of pages (as mentioned above) give child readers plenty to spot while reading alongside parents and caregivers.