Before school started, we filled our front-facing bookshelf with all sorts of school stories and first-day-of-school books, but our bookshelf only holds so many books… So after the first week of school, I switched it up to focus on kindness and inclusivity (a topic about which we have SO MANY books that we’re still rotating through some that I want to be sure to get on that shelf). A stand-out from the last month of kindness and inclusivity books has been Super Manny Stands Up! by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. Have you read this one yet? Read on to see why my girls love it, and why I think it’s an important addition to home and classroom libraries!
Super Manny Stands Up! is the story of Manny, a little raccoon with a big imagination! Each day after school, Manny dons a different cape and fights off various enemies. He smoothly and easily conquers these imaginary foes while wearing his colorful capes, but he saves his most important, invisible cape for school. Most of his opponents at school are also imaginary, until one day, Tall One starts to push Small One around in the lunchroom. At first, Manny isn’t sure what to do, but then he remembers his invisible cape and the courage it gives him to stand up…
My girls love all of Manny’s special powers. As with many 4- and 6-year-olds, they love to wear their own capes and masks and pretend to be superheroes. They can identify with his imagination, but they are also inspired by how he stands up to Tall One at school.
And me? I love this inspiration! I love that we can talk on the way to school about invisible superhero capes and what kinds of powers they can give us. Yes, these capes can help us stand up to kids who are making unkind choices, but they can also inspire us to help others, to keep the school and playground clean, to try something new, and so much more. The conversations that Super Manny Stands Up! have inspired us to have about our very own, very real, superpowers have been incredible and impactful. This is a book worth owning, especially if your children, like so many, love superheroes and dressing up.
Below is an image of what our “kindness and inclusivity” shelf looked like one day. Do you see any favorites?
childrenslitlove.com 
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