Gr 3-5–Creators of superheroes, video game protagonists, an animated television star, and an inspirational doll are presented in these six volumes. High school friends Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who shared an interest in science fiction and cartoons, invented the character Superman. Ruth Handler worked for three years developing Barbie. Satoshi Tajiri’s Pokémon now has 16,000 different trading cards. Manga enthusiast Shigeru Miyamoto developed the Mario Brothers game while working for Nintendo. Stan Lee’s idea for Spider-Man was brought to life by artist Steve Ditko, and marine biology teacher Stephen Hillenburg wanted children to appreciate the animals of the sea and thus SpongeBob SquarePants was born. Photos of the subjects and their works accompany the straightforward narratives. The volume on Lee and Ditko addresses the difficulties they had in their working relationships, otherwise the subjects are presented in a positive, upbeat manner. The texts are informative and direct; fans will appreciate learning the backgrounds of the people behind these various entertainment icons that have maintained their popularity over the years.
VERDICT: Superman, Barbie, Pokémon, etc., still have many fans and these titles will attract those readers. Selectors should consider.
