Teaching Children's Literature
“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” ~C.S. Lewis
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man. Written by Michael Chabon and illustrated by Jake Parker. HarperCollins, c. 2011.
Reading Level: 600L
Synopsis: The story of Awesome Man is every young boy’s fantasy. He has just about every superpower that super hero can possess, as well as a sidekick dog named Moskowitz. He fights his enemies and spies on his sister, yet he is able to hide by using his secret identity which is revealed at the end of the book.
Rationale for classroom use: The most important reason to use this book in the classroom is its appeal to young boys. Often, young boys have few characters to relate to, so using The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man as a read aloud could be the hook that begins an interest in reading.
Common Core Connection: Reading literature standard that uses information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
