This inspiring picture book explores the process of following and honing natural interests and abilities to discover individual strengths, all with a superheroic twist. Young Deshaun Prime comes from a family of superheroes–his father is strong, his mother is fast, and his sister, Janet, can fly. Amidst all of these exceptional abilities, Deshaun feels left out: “What about Deshaun’s superpower? He hadn’t a clue. In a family of superheroes, he had nothing to do.” With his parents’ encouragement, Deshaun starts honing his own innate skills, such as mathematics and physics, and he ends up building a robot that can help his super family.

Deshaun’s story is told in pleasing, unforced rhyming verse, accompanied by clever and relatable illustrations appropriate to the superheroic milieu. Bowen Jiang’s drawings are sharp, colorful, and expressive, with the characters’ faces displaying clear emotions that enhance the impact of the text, particularly for children and young readers. When Deshaun is sulking in his room over his lack of superpowers, his mother gets down on his level and places her hand on his cheek while his father kneels behind her, his face concerned yet comforting. The skillful depiction of nuanced emotions, along with playful bursts of comic book-style action, make this appealing title stand out. There’s a lesson in it, of course, but young fans of superheroes will also find it fun.

The Colemans, a husband-and-wife writing team, have dedicated this book to their own daughter, and have crafted the story with the goal of inspiring children of color to explore concepts and careers in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. After reading, parents and children will want to discuss their own strengths–especially because just like Deshaun, their most important gift might not be what they first imagined. “I knew it all along,” Deshaun’s father tells him. “Your power is your mind” –and the ability to think deeply and create might be the most vital superpower of all.

Takeaway: This inspiring story of a superhero family’s son without (apparent) powers encourages heroes-to-be to hone their talents.

Great for fans of: Keith Negley’s Tough Guys Have Feelings Too, Aviaq Johnston’s What’s My Superpower?.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A+
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+