The Adventures Of Sparrowboy

Rating:
Summary: Be careful what you wish for...
Review: An ordinary paperboy named Henry has a very extraordinary day. It all begins when he wishes for the help of the comic superhero "Falconman." After an encounter with a mysterious sparrow his wish comes true, but with a twist. He finds himself in the center of the action.

Scratchboard illustrations add an interesting textural element. This 1997 Boston Globe Horn Book Award winner uses a colorful comic-book style to engage the reader's interest. The text compliments the pictures well, although the pictures could tell the story by themselves.

This book really captured my attention, so much that I was disappointed when it ended. However, I felt that the book ended with the perfect open-ended conclusion.

Rating:
Summary: Henry's paper route becomes an adventure
Review: Before starting his paper route, Henry always reads the first page of the paper and then the comics. One morning, after reading some depressing headlines, Henry is transformed into "sparrowboy" a comics-like hero. As Sparrowboy, Henry's paper route becomes an adventure as he "rights wrongs" and "saves the day", so to speak, all in the course of delievering his papers. The appealing story with comics like illustration shows that an ordinary boy can make an important difference in others' lives. Thumbs up Henry !

Rating:
Summary: A young boy becomes a superhero in this unusual book.
Review: One day, while enroute to deliver his newspapers, Henry has a strange encounter with a little sparrow. Like his favorite comic strip hero, Falconman, Henry is given the power to fly. As he delivers his papers from the air, he rescues neighborhood children from a bully and his mean dog and saves the sparrow who can no longer fly. When Henry realizes he has the power to restore the sparrow's flight, he returns to the spot where the encounter took place. The comic book format and spare text will be very attractive to young readers and older "reluctant" readers as well. Pinkney's signature scratchboard illustrations are bright and provide an unusual background for this contemporary superhero. The hopeful ending leaves the possiblility of a sequel open.