Guidance: Recommended Superhero Books for Children
What are the best superhero-themed books for schools and classrooms?
Our superhero booklist for EYFS features the perfect selection of books for your next primary school superhero topic. From fictional stories about relatable superheroes – like the popular favourite Super Daisy – as well as books about the most memorable superhero characters for children including Supertato and Julia Donaldson’s Superworm.
Teachers looking to inspire their classes with tales of real-life heroes should try Dr Ranj’s A Superhero Like You or the DK picturebook celebration of Real Superheroes.
The BooksforTopics Superhero Booklist has everything you need to make your superhero topic a super-sonic success! Schools can buy full packs of the books via Peters.
What are the most popular superhero books for EYFS children (ages 3-5)?
For EYFS, we recommend choosing superhero books with memorable characters or interactive elements. Children in the Early Years love counting stories featuring superheroes, like Ten Little Superheroes and Knock Knock Superhero – both top preschool and reception choices and ideal for young children to join in with.
We also highly recommend Kate Thompson’s empowering rhyming story Superheroes Don’t Get Scared… Or Do They? for fun hero-themed storytimes in EYFS.
We can’t fail to mention the most famous potato-sized superhero of all, Supertato. There’s a whole series of Supertato’s fantastic adventures to be enjoyed – including The Great Egg-scape and Carnival Catastro-Pea, which feature on the BooksForTopics Easter Booklist and list of Books about Festivals and Celebrations respectively. These action-packed veggie escapades never fail to be a hit with EYFS. For avid Supertato fans who’ve read them all, check out our Branching Out booklist featuring Books for Fans of Supertato.
Which superhero books are best for gentle storytimes or bedtime stories?
Not all superhero fans are there for heroic stunts and fast-paced action. Some children will respond best to gently empowering stories that encourage quieter children to harness their inner superhero qualities. Max by Bob Graham is an uplifting tale about doing good things, written by an award-winning author. Max is the son of superhero parents and there is a lot of pressure on him to live up to family expectations. But Max discovers in time the true value of being a small hero doing everyday good deeds.
Another recommendation for a gently encouraging hero story is A Superpower Like Mine, by Dr Ranj. The story promotes real ‘superpowers’ like kindness, bravery, creativity and patience. We really enjoyed this empowering and inclusive picturebook about seeing the best in others and yourself.
Which superhero stories are best for children in Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)?
Our review panel’s top recommendation for KS1 is Traction Man – a super-popular picturebook full of detailed comic-style illustrations. It follows the adventures of an Action-Man style hero with an outfit for every occasion. His daily superhero challenges include rescuing lost toys, diving in the sieve wreck and saving distressed damsels. With lots of witty visual humour and plenty to spot, this book also features on our Best Books for Year 2 recommended booklist.
Another top choice of superhero story for 5-7-year-olds is the action-packed Supermouse and the Volcano of Doom, which combines cheese-themed puns, fast-paced peril and interactive flaps and folds to enjoy.
Can you recommend any superhero books for older readers?
Yes, we can! Although our superhero booklist is aimed at younger children (ages 3-7), we can share a few book recommendations for older superhero-loving children too. Children ready for their very first chapter books will no doubt be charmed by the short, illustrated adventures of Marv. Readers in the 7-9 age bracket are likely to enjoy the adventures of Jeremey Strong’s Cartoon Kid, the hilarious tales of reluctant schoolgirl-turned-superhero Pizazz or the graphic-novel-style stories of superheroes vs villains in The Super Sidekicks: No Adults Allowed.
Older readers ready for more complex chapter books might enjoy the humorous Iguana Boy series or Phil Earle’s Superhero Street, which follows the story of one boy’s secret efforts to become a superhero. We also recommend David Solomon’s books for older superhero fans – try starting with My Brother is a Superhero and working through this high-octane adventure series in order.
The Miles Morales graphic novels featuring a Marvel Spiderman-style superhero in New York are also popular with children aged 9-12.
Which other booklists for EYFS are available?
Our popular 50 Recommended Read booklists are available for each primary year group, including Best Books for Preschool and Best Books for Reception.
If you are looking for more picturebooks that young children will love listening to over and over again, our EYFS Storytime Favourites list will help you to build a quality story collection for children aged 3 to 5. Should you be looking to diversify your reading collection with diverse books for Early Years children, we’ve put together an additional special collection of Diverse and Inclusive Books for EYFS, which has been specially curated to help schools and parents to select more diverse books for young children.
We know how big the step of preparing to start primary school for the first time can feel to some children, and to help preschoolers to prepare for their journey to Reception, we’ve also put together a list of children’s books about starting school.
Many preschool and nursery children become fans of the most popular picturebook characters like Supertato and the Gruffalo, and to help with inspiration to find even more story characters to love, parents and teachers might find our Branching Out booklists useful with Books for Fans of Julia Donaldson and Books for Fans of Supertato.
Be sure to check out our EYFS topic booklists if you are looking for children’s books themed around a particular topic, like Colours or Festivals. Here are a few popular favourites you might also like:
Where can I purchase the books on the BooksForTopics superhero topic booklist?
