Hero Reader! MIGHTY READER and the Big Freeze by Will Hellenbrand

The bus driver closed the door.

Hugo looked for an empty seat.

All he saw was a pack of unfamiliar pooches.

But new-pooch-on-the-bus Hugo is in luck. When he finds a place to sit, he finds that his seatmate, Barkley, is both friendly and an eager reader. He shares his favorite book, The Adventures of Mighty Reader, and passes along the good news:

"You picked a great day to start. We're having a substitute teacher and an author visit today."

Their substitute, Mr. Wulff, introduces Hugo, shows the class a book, Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story a hot-off-the-press book by their visiting author, and chooses Barkley to read the visiting author's book, which is--Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story.

But then the unthinkable occurs! Barkley the Bulldog has a total BOOK BRAIN FREEZE!

But PRESTO-CHANGE-O! Little Hugo the Hound suddenly morphs into a caped crusader--MIGHTY READER. He reminds Barkley that he's read other books by the same author. He advises him to observe what's happening in the illustrations on each page and look for words he knows. And then, the big book freeze is on meltdown, and Barkley speed reads through the WHOLE BOOK, acting out the pictures and reading with great expression like a true SUPER READER!

Barkley is just taking a bow when the visiting author arrives--a shaggy dog bearing a bunch of story books by the famous writer and illustrator--Will Hillenbrand, who admits some of his secrets:

"There are many ways to make a story, but for me the pictures always come first. Oh, I hit bumps along the way. Mistakes often help me see how to make my work better."

Barkley checks out all of Hillenbrand's books!

"I don't think you can have too many favorite books."

Author-illustrator Hillenbrand uses comic-book-style panels and speech bubbles to promote reading (and to plug a bunch of his books) in his latest, Mighty Reader and the Big Freeze (Holiday House, 2019). With over 70 books under his belt, this new one by Will Hillenbrand is the perfect choice for author visits and Library Week events, along with good advice for the reluctant or novice readers out there who could use a little superhero assistance in morphing themselves into power readers.