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To coincide with the release of Man of Steel, Harper has released a slew of Superman books aimed at young readers. Here’s a rundown.

 

Harper’s book are geared for readers of different ages and reading levels. The I Can Read!series, for developing readers and featuring a mixture of short and medium-length sentences, has two books: Superman’s Superpowersand Friends and Foes. The former details the Man of Steels various awesome abilities, while the latter very briefly summarizes the plot of the movie (but without the controversial ending depicted in the film).

 

Superman Saves Smallville andThe Fate of Kryptonare for slightly older readers (still suggested for ages 4-8, but with their longer sentences, more detailed illustrations, higher reading level, and more intense storylines, these skew toward the top of that age range). These are fun and certainly more comic-book-like: Some of the illustrations (both books are drawn by artist Jeremy Roberts, who’s done plenty of traditional comic book work) are fantastic.

 

The Early Yearsis a “junior novel” for readers 8-12. A few images from the movie are featured, but this is a prose book describing how young Clark Kent grew to discover his unique abilities. It’s a little light and, disappointingly, it doesn’t challenge young readers the way it could. (In 1978, for example, Elliot S. Maggin wrote a Superman: The Movie tie-in called Last Son of Kryptonthat was over 200 pages and gave young readers a meaty, heavy, engaging story to really sink their teeth into…it’s a shame the same can’t be said here.) Still, The Early Yearsis pleasant and quite readable and enjoyable. Kids will get a true sense of who Superman is and how he came to be the world’s greatest hero.

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