MIGHTY MAX!

Mighty Max, as he calls himself, is an ordinary young boy who likes to wear a red cape. But Max doesn’t think he’s ordinary, much to his dad’s chagrin. And though Max’s father does his best to rein in his spunky, silly, daredevil of a son, Max continues to find ways to be the superhero he believes he was meant to be. He climbs rock piles, rides his bike without hands or feet pretending to be Evel Knievel and selflessly saves threatened sand castles at the beach. Whenever Max’s dad tells him to sit down, which is often, Max does—“but not for long,” as Ziefert's text repeats over and over, ending with this sing-songy reprise. Kreloff’s simple childlike drawings appropriately leap off the page. Thick black lines with shots of big color and collage elements seamlessly communicate Max’s wild innocence and ebullience. Though Mighty Max may not actually save the day, and certainly deserves a more heroic ending, he’ll put smiles on readers’ faces. (Picture book. 4-6)