Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident

Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident is a science fiction children's picture book written by George McClements in 2008.  This story is unlike any of the other children's picture books I have read so far this semester as it features superheros in the text.  Baron von Baddie is an evil supergenius who tries to outsmart his nemesis Captain Kapow.  Baron von Baddie freezes Captain Kapow so that he can in turn take over the world with his evil actions, however he soon realizes being bad is no fun when there is noone there to stop him.  As the story comes to a close, Baron von Baddie unfreezes Captain Kapow and in turn is taken back to jail where he stays for three hours before escaping again.  George McClements uses many elements in this text which make it a really fun book for readers to read.  The story is told from an onlookers point of view and it has a large amount of the author's voice as he tells the story and adds many comical comments to make the story funny.  The illustrations in the text also add to its science fiction feel as the superheros are all cartoons and the readers can use these cartoons to aid in reader comprehension.  Many of the illustrations also contain word bubbles which display each individual character's thoughts.  These word bubbles serve as a different way for readers to read dialogue throughout the story. Take a look at an example above of the word bubbles that are present throughout the story!