I’ve often said that Michael Chabon is one of America’s preeminent contemporary authors, so when I heard he had a children’s picture book available, I jumped at the chance to procure one on behalf of my three-year-old.

Michael Chabon’s The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is cute and innocent and consistent with what we know and love about super heroes.  The story follows the adventures of Awesome Man as he teases an astonishing secret throughout.

Personally, I found it a tad violent for my three-year-old because of the hitting and fighting.  Also, some of the language was not appropriate for her (but we’re talking “kick a little behind” and “what the heck” … nothing too serious).  I have no doubt that in another year or two I’ll be more comfortable letting her look at it.

It should be noted, however, that my daughter asked me to read it to her for three days straight after reading it to her only once … and she referred to it as “Awesome Man,” so clearly the one time I read it to her resonated.

Jake Parker’s artwork is beautiful.  The pictures are fun, colorful, charismatic, and I love the dots in places replicating the way comic books were once colored.

An instant favorite with my daughter, The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is a harmless, engaging picture book that, while a tad too violent for my three-year-old because of the fighting, will surely delight those a little older.