What's My Superpower?

by Aviaq Johnston, Tim Mack (Illustrator)

Overview

Nalvana feels like all of her friends have some type of superpower. She has friends with super speed (who always beat her in races), friends who can fly (or at least jump from a swing and seem to fly across the playground), and friends who are better than her at a million other things. But when her mom shows Nalvana that she is unique and special, she realizes that her superpower was right in front of her all along.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772271409
Publisher:	Inhabit Media
Publication date:	06/21/2017
Edition description:	English Edition
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Aviaq Johnston is a young Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut. Her debut novel Those Who Run in the Sky was released in the spring of 2017. In 2014, she won first place in the Aboriginal Arts and Stories competition for her short story “Tarnikuluk,” which also earned her a Governor General’s History Award. Aviaq is a graduate of Nunavut Sivuniksavut, and she has a diploma in Social Service Work from Canadore College. Aviaq loves to travel and has lived in Australia and Vietnam. She spends most of her time reading, writing, studying, and procrastinating. She lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Tim Mack is a Canadian-born Illustrator living in Montreal, Quebec. He has worked in various industries including children's books, animation, and video games. When not making art, he can be found looking for somewhere to swim and read.

Editorial Reviews

09/04/2017
In a story dotted with Inuktitut words, Johnston (Those Who Run in the Sky) introduces Nalvana, a girl who wears a blanket cape and an old pair of snowmobiling goggles—it’s her superhero costume. Newcomer Mack draws Nalvana with a button nose, dots for eyes, and an excited smile; her pet husky galumphs along beside her bicycle. The Arctic village they cycle through is lined with small, wooden houses, the landscape rocky and treeless. Nalvana longs to have a superpower, the sort she readily sees in her friends: Davidee “can run faster than a Ski-Doo,” Maata can swing high, and Joanasie can make an inuksuk out of stone and an iglu from snow. Nalvana praises and encourages them all. It’s Nalvana’s mother who identifies her daughter’s talent: “Your superpower is making people feel good about themselves.” Readers who struggle with doubts about their own abilities will be reassured while simultaneously recognizing that children who live in distant places have problems not so different from their own. A glossary is included. Ages 3–5. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

2017-09-18
Young protagonist Nalvana lives in a small town with long winters and struggles to find her own superpower.Wherever Nalvana goes in her town she wonders what it would be like to have a superpower. She dresses like a superhero with a yellow cape and snow goggles instead of a cowl as she works to discover her special talent. On the first day of school in gym class, a classmate runs so fast he is a blur, so she tells him running must be his superpower. Later when she tells her mother about him over a snack, she wonders aloud if she might have a superpower too. "I'm sure we will find out soon," her mother says. As time goes by, Nalvana observes one friend after another exhibiting their own superpowers. She congratulates them on their amazing abilities, but when she tries to do each one herself, she fails. However, in talking things out with her mother, Nalvana discovers she has a superpower, too. Inuit author Johnston's text seamlessly blends fantasy with reality, sprinkling culturally specific details such as inuksuit and Inuktitut words into a universal story. Mack's illustrations and soft palette match the tone of the story, printlike textures creating a cozy feel for Nalvana's far north home.Nalvana is a bundle of creativity, spunk, and determination—readers will be happy to know her. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews

Nalvana is a bundle of creativity, spunk, and determination—readers will be happy to know her.” — Kirkus

“. . . [A] book kids will clamor to read, even as they learn terms like ‘anaana’, ‘inuksuk’, and ‘panik’. That’s it's superpower.”—School Library Journal

"[W]ell-written, heart-warming, set in a unique part of the country, and features a young superhero everyone can relate to." — Quill & Quire

“Aviaq Johnston has made her story one of inclusivity, not exclusivity.” — CanLit for Little Canadians

From the Publisher