We Are Heroes

 Title: We Are Heroes

Author: Kyle Hart

Publisher: Sleepy Robot Books

Pages: 30

Genre: Children's Fiction

My Review:

The cover of We Are Heroes is what drew my attention to this work. I cannot recall another book off the top of my head with a father and his son represented on the front cover. We Are Heroes is a debut children’s book by aspiring writer, Kyle Hart. Kyle graduated from Marietta College with a degree in history and theatre.  He and his family reside in Marietta, Ohio.

Heroes come in many different shapes and sizes and that is the message of this story. In this delightful book, the adventures are endless between the father/son duo. Their imagination transports them from racing cars to scaling mountains, to flying planes and beyond. The story glides from one adventure to the next. It is easy to read and the number of words on each page is appropriate for maintaining a preschooler’s attention.

So many stories are made with families. Most of them feature both parents, or the mom and the children. It is rare to encounter a story with just the father portrayed. This story is refreshing because it features the adventures of a dad and his son. This unique attribute is also what will make this picture book stand out among other books.

The illustrations are inviting and realistic. They speak just as loud and clear as the words do. You can feel the joy exploding off the pages and the father’s apprehension on another page. The illustrations communicate the feeling of all things boy.

I found the terminology to be worded weirdly in some places. For example, “Pilots we are of fast planes, never wanting to come down.” It sounds odd when reading in your head, but it will sound worse when read aloud. Since this book is suited for younger children, more concise speech would be better here. More diversity in the other people portrayed would have added another noteworthy feature.

We Are Heroes encourages children to explore the world around them. It also encourages parents and children to pursue adventures together. It invites parents to set aside their reservations and revisit their imagination. I would recommend We Are Heroes to children from about 3 years old to 8 years old. While I think this book will appeal more to boys than girls, I do think young girls will enjoy the book as well. This book would make a splendid gift for your car racing, space-loving, rough, and tumble boy. Additionally, it would be an excellent addition to any local or private library. Thank you to Reedsy Discover for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★/5

Synopsis:

“Dad! Do you wanna be astronauts?! Oooo, how about superheroes!"

In this epic father/son tale, action and adventure are only limited by our heroes’ imagination.

Explore the open seas and scale the highest peaks in this heartwarming lyric that celebrates the spirit of imaginative play between parent and child. Whether they are exploring deep space or flying fast planes, We Are Heroes suggests that heroes can emerge in all walks of life and aren’t only realized in the world of make believe.