CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE AND THE SPACE SHAPES

Captain Invincible is a sandy-haired boy astronaut, off on a space mission with his sandy-haired space-dog, Comet, in this addition to Murphy’s popular MathStart series (Seaweed Soup, below, etc.). Boy and dog are trying to return to Earth in their spaceship with the help of a control panel that contains six buttons in different three-dimensional shapes. They encounter some deep-space dangers (a meteor shower, a cloud of poison gas, a flying saucer, a galactic beast) and activate the three-dimensional buttons in turn to produce special effects to fight off the various threats. Each 3-D shape is described within the text, and the special effect or weapon incorporates a similar shape (for example, the cone-shaped button activates a large cone that sucks up all the poison gas). Finally the last button, a rectangular prism, releases the rectangular landing gear, and Captain Invincible and Comet crash-land in the center of the captain’s bedroom, where he returns to being a regular boy named Sam. The first-person text is told in speech balloons (except for the last page), in divided panels that coordinate with Simard’s cartoon-style illustrations. Teachers who are looking for stories that incorporate math concepts will use this space adventure with primary-grade students, and the comic book–influenced format will also appeal to older, more reluctant readers. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-8)