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From School Library Journal

June 23, 2023

PreS-Gr 2-The first book in the new "Animal Heroes" series, this title features amazing animal mothers. Each mom featured does something unique to care for their young. Some of the examples will especially delight young audiences as they feature extreme or what some might consider gross behaviors. For example, the red-knobbed hornbill mom seals her nest with mud and poop and stays inside with her young for three months. The strawberry poison frog separates her tadpoles so they won't kill each other. Illustrations using multiple panels per animal capture the supermoms and their young in action. Back matter adds more, albeit minimal, facts to the portrayals of these amazing animal mothers. Links to further resources as well as to the research process used in the making of this book are included. While the text does not include enough information for research, this title would be a useful introduction to a wide variety of animals as well as to the diversity of behaviors that can be found in the animal kingdom in relation to how animals care for their young. VERDICT Highly browsable and entertaining nonfiction.-John Scott

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

May 8, 2023
A groundhog, strawberry poison frog, emperor penguin, and bearded capuchin monkey are just a few of the “supermoms” featured in this fact-filled, comics-style ode to real-life parental “heroes.” Informative text and humorous speech-bubble asides spotlight the impressive and surprising work that different maternal species do to support their young—providing food, homes, protection, transport, and valuable instruction. Harper’s textured digital and traditional collages, presented in panels throughout, portray the wildlife with big personalities. Two red-knobbed hornbill chicks hold and fan their beaks, gagging from the stench of the mud-and-poop seal their mom creates in their nest’s entrance. And a baby American alligator asks, “Ma, are you flossing?” as it crawls from its mom’s jaws, having ridden inside her mouth for transport. Most of the creatures’ efforts have a true wow factor that, combined with comedic commentary throughout, results in a super silly tribute to supermoms. Facts and further resources conclude. Ages 3–7.

From Booklist

February 15, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 Lang introduces animal mothers who go above and beyond in raising their progeny. Some build safe homes (strawberry poison frogs find separate pools for each youngster so they don't eat each other); others are great providers (denned polar bears feed their young for eight months); a few utilize unusual transport (alligators carry babies in their mouths); still others excel at protection (giraffe mothers kick); and many are excellent educators (river otters teach their young to swim). Harper's playful, comics-style artwork employs traditional and digital collage. The opening spread poses these moms together as if waiting to soar (� la Superman) off the page. Speech balloons permit these cheeky children and moms to remark about the scenes depicted, and formal text is kept minimal, allowing the colorful art and humorous commentary to take center stage, as when female elephants (allomothers) form a circle (""Bums together, ladies!"") around a young calf (""Is this really necessary?""). Appended with further information and resources, this will be popular with browsers and intriguing for primary science units.

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From Kirkus

December 1, 2022
Mothers in the animal kingdom have surprising superpowers. This lively riff on superheroes, the first in a projected new series of science books, explores the mothering habits of 18 different animal species. These animal supermoms have been loosely grouped into categories. Some, like groundhogs, make good homes for their offspring. Others, like alligators and wolf spiders, carry them in surprising ways. Some, like the giant Pacific octopus, are superprotective. And animals like river otters and bottlenose dolphins teach their little ones important skills. Each species is introduced in a panel or series of panels, with cartoon illustrations of the family in its habitat and a line of text describing the mother's behavior. ("A giraffe mom kicks to protect her calf.") Speech bubbles carry imagined commentary, mostly from the youngsters. ("Take that!" says an impressed giraffe calf as Mom fends off some predatory hyenas.) A final spread identifies each mother by name and superpower ("super determined" penguin, "super sneaky" piping plover, "super caring" orangutan). Using speech bubbles again, each mother describes where she lives and what she eats and offers a surprising fact. For youngsters who like learning about the animal kingdom, this work offers a pleasing variety. A page of backmatter provides extensive options--books, videos, and websites--for further exploration, and the authors promise further resources in their own websites. (This book was reviewed digitally.) For Mother's Day or any day, an appealing take on animal factoids. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

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