SUPER MAGIC BOY

A boy and his toy dinosaur leave the planet in search of the perfect present.

Hugo and his dino sidekick made their debut in a flurry of messy, creative backyard adventures. In their second outing, their antics take them out of this world, on a fantastic, apparently imaginary voyage to the planet of Space Tigers. Their purpose? To find a present for Hugo’s mother, whose birthday is approaching. When Dino asks what Mami likes, Hugo replies, “weird rocks!” And what better place to find them than in outer space, “where everything is weird!” In short order, the pair blast off to Space Tiger planet, whose feline inhabitants have run out of power because they’ve lost their Magic Power Stone. Hugo gleefully transforms himself into an extraterrestrial feline to uncover a series of clues and solve this mystery. The hunt leads through spikes and sludge, a treacherous tunnel, and finally to a volcano filled to the brim with pie. The duo’s original mission becomes a bit secondary to the quest, but Roselló's chaotic, comedic stream-of-consciousness voice perfectly captures the zigzagging narrative logic of a young mind at play. Hugo, Dino, and their new Space Tiger buddy are all delightfully wild-eyed and wiggly-limbed, and the illustrations buzz, pop, and wobble their way to their final flourish—a ride home on a speeding asteroid! Hugo and his parents are brown-skinned and cued Latine.

A satisfying and silly journey that revels in imaginative play.