KIDS’ BOOK OF THE WEEK

SUPERHEROES

by Sophie Thakur, illustrated by Denzell Dankwah, Merky Books, £16.99 (ebook £7.99)

★★★★✩

At school, performance poet Sophia Thakur says she “only saw black people in history textbooks, in chains”.

This chunky celebration of talent is her riposte, celebrating people of colour who have succeeded in art, research, sport, science and food.

After an introduction by Stormzy – who founded the #Merky Books imprint – fullpage, comic-style portraits by Denzell Dankwah accompany a galvanising biography.

A particularly nice touch is how each description captures the subject’s personality: Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s bio puts us trackside during an explosive athletics event.

If read through in one go, the heightened language can get a bit much, so it’s better to dip in and out.

This is a book filled with inspiring journeys, to encourage and empower youngsters to harness their power, and become their own superhero.