Wonder Woman has graced comic books with her presence since 1941, and in recent years the Amazon princess has made her debut in picture books and novels for young readers looking for their first introductions to the beloved superhero. Here are some of my favorite books beyond the comics that even the youngest Wonder Woman fans will enjoy.
Wonder Woman: The Story of the Amazon Princess
Author and illustrator Ralph Cosentino tackled DC Comics’ “Big Three” in picture books for kids, and Wonder Woman: The Story of the Amazon Princess has been a long-time favorite bedtime story in our house. Cosentino tells Diana’s origin story with vivid illustrations and eye-catching text that emulates comic books in a way that young readers can follow.
The story tells how the Greek gods created Diana out of clay for the Amazon queen Hippolyta, which in our house has sparked some initial curiosity into Greek mythology. The picture book also shows off Wonder Woman in action as she fights her biggest foes, including Ares and Circe, and a little bit of Diana’s softer side as she vows to “show the world how to live in harmony with nature.”
I Am Wonder Woman
I Am Wonder Woman, written by Erin Stein and illustrated by Rick Farley, is an “I Can Read” book that also tells beginning readers in simple sentences the story of how Diana becomes Wonder Woman. Like the picture book, I Am Wonder Woman depicts Diana secretly entering the tournament to best the competitors and become the Amazons’ champion.
To my daughter’s delight, Superman and Batman also make an appearance, and fight against Wonder Woman as they train for combat. Showing my four-year-old that Wonder Woman can hold her own against the two is the high point of this book, although I have to admit that the following pages hinting that Diana then prepares them a meal makes me wince a little.
Wonder Woman: Power Outage
I am Wonder Woman! Er, I mean, my daughter is. In Wonder Woman: Power Outage by Michael Teitelbaum, young readers (ages 8-12) become the Amazon princess to investigate why her powers are abruptly disappearing and reappearing. As a “Choose Your Fate” novel, you’ll hear your little Wonder Woman flipping from page to page as Diana relives some of her toughest battles and investigates the cause of her sudden vulnerability.
I picked up this book under the pretense of saving it for our daughter one day, but I have so many fond memories of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books that I couldn’t resist reading it myself. The story is interspersed with illustrations based on the Justice League TV series Wonder Woman, and I was particularly impressed with the puzzles with solutions that point the reader toward the right choices.
As there are so few Wonder Woman comic books that my daughter can read at this age, I’m so glad to find these age-appropriate stories for her so that she can share my adoration. Wonder Woman: The Story of the Amazon Princess has set her well on her way, inspiring my daughter upon every reading to shout at the top of her lungs, “WONDER WOMAN!”
My 5-yr-old daughter was on a Wonder Woman kick and we found a FANTASTIC collection of stories under the DC Super Heroes imprint. A quick Amazon search turns up a bunch (http://goo.gl/ArNvI); but we found a more than this at our local library (which is really the best bet, since a lot of them seem to be out of print).
Those DC Super Heroes books look like a lot of fun — I’ll have to see if our library has them. Thanks!
I read about another WW collection that’s also out of print (http://amzn.com/0060565179) and I wish I could get my hands on those, too.
Oh yeah – we found that one at the library as well. It’s a fun reboot; but I could only find the origin book. Did they write more of those?
Aaaaand, scrolling just a liiiiiitle bit down on the page you linked, I’ve answered my own question. 😉
No worries. 🙂
So glad to see WW is getting her due. Now where can I get her bracelets?