Superheroes Are Everywhere

by Kamala Harris, Mechal Renee Roe (Illustrator)

Overview

From Vice President Kamala Harris comes a picture book with an empowering message: Superhero's are all around us—and if we try, we can all be hero's too. Now a #1 New York Times bestseller!

Before Kamala Harris was elected to the vice presidency, she was a little girl who loved superhero's. And when she looked around, she was amazed to find them everywhere! In her family, among her friends, even down the street—there were superhero's wherever she looked. And those superhero's showed her that all you need to do to be a superhero is to be the best that you can be.

In this empowering and joyful picture book that speaks directly to kids, Kamala Harris takes readers through her life and shows them that the power to make the world a better place is inside all of us. And with fun and engaging art by Mechal Renee Roe, as well as a guide to being a superhero at the end, this book is sure to have kids taking up the superhero mantle (cape and mask optional).

Praise for Superhero's Are Everywhere:

"This [book] offers a solid message: a superhero could be anyone, including you." —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984837493
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/08/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	114,850
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kamala Harris (kamalaharris.org) is the vice president of the United States of America. Before assuming the vice presidency, she served as a senator from California, worked in the Alameda County district attorney’s office, and was later elected district attorney of San Francisco and then Attorney General of California. The second Black woman and the first person of Indian descent ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and the first woman, Black person, and person of Indian descent ever to hold the office of vice president, she works hard to make sure all people have equal rights, especially kids. She’s married to Douglas Emhoff, and loves being a stepmom to Ella and Cole. You can follow Kamala Harris on Facebook at Facebook.com/KamalaHarris or on Twitter @KamalaHarris.

Mechal Renee Roe is an artist, designer, writer, and all-around creator. She loves creating for books, film, art, and animation. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. You can follow Mechal Renee Roe on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @happyhairgirls and @mechalroe.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Superhero's Are Everywhere:

"This [book] offers a solid message: a superhero could be anyone, including you." —Booklist

From the Publisher

03/01/2019

K-Gr 2—Harris (the first woman of South Asian descent and second woman of African American descent to serve as a U.S. Senator) examines the people and values that shaped her life from childhood onwards. Each spread proclaims something about heroes, e.g. "Heroes are kind," shows an example of an everyday hero from Harris's life, and asks readers directly about people in their own lives, e.g. "Who is kind to you?" Cheerful illustrations show a brown-skinned, puffy-pigtailed young Harris with heroes like her first grade teacher, and then older versions attending Howard University or standing in front of the U.S Capitol. The tone is optimistic and the focus is on individual goals like following one's dreams, pursuing higher education, and treating others well. There are very brief mentions of fighting systemic injustices, as when Harris describes the attorneys she admires. These mentions raise more questions than they answer, and readers will have to look elsewhere to learn why, for instance, India was once not a free country, or what exactly Constance Baker Motley argued for in court. Charming endpapers feature family photographs of Harris and the everyday heroes, and back matter includes a "hero code" pledge for children to follow and a time line of Harris's life. VERDICT This title may be useful for units on character education, women's history, or African American history, or for families curious about the Democratic Party nominee for President.—Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-01-08

The junior senator from California introduces family and friends as everyday superheroes.

The endpapers are covered with cascades of, mostly, early childhood snapshots ("This is me contemplating the future"—caregivers of toddlers will recognize that abstracted look). In between, Harris introduces heroes in her life who have shaped her character: her mom and dad, whose superpowers were, respectively, to make her feel special and brave; an older neighbor known for her kindness; grandparents in India and Jamaica who "[stood] up for what's right" (albeit in unspecified ways); other relatives and a teacher who opened her awareness to a wider world; and finally iconic figures such as Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley who "protected people by using the power of words and ideas" and whose examples inspired her to become a lawyer. "Heroes are…YOU!" she concludes, closing with a bulleted Hero Code and a timeline of her legal and political career that ends with her 2017 swearing-in as senator. In group scenes, some of the figures in the bright, simplistic digital illustrations have Asian features, some are in wheelchairs, nearly all are people of color. Almost all are smiling or grinning. Roe provides everyone identified as a role model with a cape and poses the author, who is seen at different ages wearing an identifying heart pin or decoration, next to each.

Self-serving to be sure but also chock-full of worthy values and sentiments. (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris reads her own work, which features everyday family and friends as superheros. Harris enthusiastically describes her earliest supporters and inspirations and kindly poses questions about who in young listeners’ own lives champions them and their dreams. Harris is not a seasoned narrator, of course, but her earnestness is fitting for a text full of sentimentality and empowerment. She varies her pace and inflections when necessary, and the listener can hear her smiling as she thanks her loved ones for their encouragement. Harris’s voice becomes the most natural and comfortable at the very end when she reads a timeline of her life and impressive accomplishments. Overall, Harris gives a spirited narration of her own story and uplifting message for children. E.A.N. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2019 - AudioFile

Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris reads her own work, which features everyday family and friends as superheros. Harris enthusiastically describes her earliest supporters and inspirations and kindly poses questions about who in young listeners’ own lives champions them and their dreams. Harris is not a seasoned narrator, of course, but her earnestness is fitting for a text full of sentimentality and empowerment. She varies her pace and inflections when necessary, and the listener can hear her smiling as she thanks her loved ones for their encouragement. Harris’s voice becomes the most natural and comfortable at the very end when she reads a timeline of her life and impressive accomplishments. Overall, Harris gives a spirited narration of her own story and uplifting message for children. E.A.N. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2019 - AudioFile