MO AND JO

The newest addition to the Toon Book early-reader series presents brother and sister Joey and Mona, who are always fighting. The only thing they agree on is their favorite superhero, the Mighty Mojo. The kids are astonished to learn that the mailman is Mojo in disguise; retiring to Miami, he bequeaths to them the red-and-yellow costume containing his superpowers. When the squabbling siblings rip the costume, Mom sews two costumes from the halves, and now they each have one superpower: Mona’s arms can stretch and Joey has powerful magnetic boots. Called to action, they must save the star of the parade, the giant inflatable hippo, from the villainous gator-thing Saw-Jaw! Still bickering, the siblings almost botch the job until they realize that working as a team is a better way to fight crime. Lynch provides classic comic-book repartee in beginning-reader–friendly vocabulary ably matched to Haspiel’s bold images and zippy colors; this high-quality production supplies good, old-fashioned fun and a superhero lesson that packs a wallop. (Graphic early reader. 6-9)