Atomic Ace: He's Just My Dad

I reviewed Jeff Wiegel's other book Atomic Ace And the Robot Rampage, and this book is much like that in quality and effect. Jeff Wiegel's comic-book hero illustrations are perfectly executed. Scenes are colorful and nicely composed. It's not even "kiddie", though not ground-breaking, if you're the "graphic novel" aficionado. The text is a rhyming poem, once again, and his meter is all busted up, here and there. That's the plus and the minus of the quality. But here's the effect: your toddler won't care --- he'll ask you to read it five times a day. You'll go buggy with the rhymes (Mr. Weigel knows a few words that rhyme with "dad" and he'll show you often), but the time you spend with your toddler (reading books, even!) will be worth the purchase. Did I mention that my kid (3 y/o) loves these Atomic Ace books? Maybe because of all the flying, crime-fighting, and shooting of energy beams from Ace's fingers. (I wouldn't call this book "violent", in the scale of what's out there. Atomic Ace's school-age son is the narrator, though this point of view isn't very strong.)

I checked this book out from the library - after seeing the colorful cover and guessing the general story line - because both my kids (4 & 8) love superheroes. This was a wonderful book to read and both of them loved it. It has a funny story line (and the little comic inserts are cool too - like "Meanwhile Downtown trouble Is Afoot") and also reading about how the son considers his superhero Dad just a normal guy is a nice family-centered touch. I guess the reading skill level of the book depends on your children, but my 4 yr old re-read it after we were done and it was something my 8 yr old could finish in about 5 min. With the colorful pictures, imaginative story line, and rhyming dialogue, this is a great kids book. I plan on buying it and the other "Atomic Ace" book for the kids today.

What's a guy to do when he has a super hero for a father? After all, most dads can't fly (on their own) or battle robots or catch bank robbers. But, if he's the only dad you've ever known that's just normal. Your mom is just your mom and your dad is just your dad. Unfortunately, some of the kids at school tend to think this particular father isn't normal at all but rather weird. Granted, it is unusual to have a father who is sometimes zapped by rays and shrunk to six inches tall or left with an ant head by an arch enemy. When news gets around that dad has the face of an ant the kids at school really begin to tease. However, good triumphs over evil and Atomic Ace captures the Insect King, thus restoring dad's normal face. Now, dad is a hero to everyone. But, to one boy his dad is just his dad, and he likes it that way. "Atomic Ace" is a fun and imaginative story focusing on familial love and support. - Gail Cooke