Super Goat Girl

The eponymous protagonist of this classroom-set picture book experiences new-kid woes after starting at a school for superheroes. Her classmates have laser-beam eyes, do “a zillion math problems every second,” and can stretch in every direction. Super Goat Girl, they point out, doesn’t even have a cape. Yet when nemeses arrive to wreak havoc—aimed mostly at teacher Miss Damsel—Super Goat Girl seems to have the crucial talent. She chews through evil aliens’ seemingly impenetrable rope and bleats at a frequency that routs a giant gorilla. Initially skeptical or grudging (“Is chewing even a superpower?”), her classmates finally pull together to help Super Goat Girl achieve the day’s final rescue. Irreverent text from Baptiste (Mermaid and Pirate) is filled with running jokes and winks to goats’ cries (“Is eeevery day like this?”), while digital artwork by Adeloa (Speak Up!) both pays tribute to and gently spoofs classic superhero comics. It’s a funny, high-energy take on how embracing one’s unique talents is the surest path to becoming the GOAT. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones, some fanciful. Ages 4–8. (July)