Superduper Teddy Book

For my second post about the Riverside Kids series, I'm focusing on the only book starring Teddy, who is Nora's younger brother. This book was originally published in 1980, with illustrations by Susan Jeschke, but the copy I read was published in 1990 and illustrated by Lillian Hoban.

Unlike Nora, whose main goal in life is to know the names of all of her neighbors, Teddy is quite shy, and clings to a superhero cape as a security blanket. In the opening chapter of the book, he is stressed out by the fact that he's gotten an invitation to a birthday party. He says that he hates to play games, and would much rather stay at home. As the book progresses, however, Teddy begins to come into his own. Not only does one of the neighbors hire him to care for her cat, but by the end of the book, he also brings his entire kindergarten class to his apartment for a spur-of-the-moment visit and snack.

Also appearing in this volume is Nora and Teddy's grandfather. There have been a few chapters with Grandpa throughout the series so far, and in each one, he retells a fairy tale story casting himself as a minor character. While most of the book is focused on mundane happenings in the life of a five-year-old, Grandpa's story shows huge creativity and imagination. Kids who know their fairy tales will really get a kick out of the tall tales he tells in each book.

Here, in random order, are some of my other observations about Superduper Teddy:

This is the first book where Nora and Teddy really argue. I found this somewhat refreshing, since the first few books seemed pretty devoid of realistic conflict. Siblngs fight, and for these characters to be fully well-rounded, they need to fight sometimes too.

Teddy goes to morning kindergarten, whereas Nora went in the afternoon. Half-day kindergarten is kind of obsolete now, but that was a detail I picked up on.

Nora refers to her pants as slacks. I feel like kids don't know that word now.

I also think it would be virtually impossible for a child to parade his entire class through his apartment with paperwork and permission slips.

This book really didn't grab my attention very well, even though I think it was well-written. I would recommend it to parents looking for a quiet, tame story to share with their kindergarteners, especially kids who might be shy or uncertain about making new friends. Also, unlike Nora and Mrs. Mind-Your-Own-Business, it doesn't spoil the truth about any childhood beliefs.