Supergirl’s Pet Problem!

Benjamin Bird's Supergirl's Pet Problem is a short, super-fun Superman story for 6 year olds about a fluffy rescue that turns into a very BIG mistake.

What happens

Superman and his cousin Supergirl are flying high above Metropolis when Supergirl spots a tiny furry animal standing in the middle of busy traffic. FWOOSH! Down they dive, and she scoops it up.

It's soft and fluffy and it goes "Eep! Eep!" Of course she wants to keep it. What child hasn't begged to keep an animal they've just found?

Superman starts on the big talk about pets being a responsibility. You have to feed them and walk them and... WEE-OOO! A fire engine siren cuts him off. Supergirl rockets away to help, promising to walk her new pet later. And the Man of Steel is left holding the furball.

That's when things get interesting. The little creature blinks, and when its eyes open again they're glowing red. It starts to shake. Then it grows. And grows. Soon it's as tall as a streetlight, roaring, and it swats Superman straight into a building (he's fine, obviously, he's Superman).

Why does Superman hesitate when he could just freeze it with his breath? And who's really behind all this? The answer comes in the third and final chapter, along with a sweet little twist on Supergirl's promise.

It's a lovely one to read aloud. The sentences are short and punchy, and the sound effects are brilliant fun to shout (SMAAAAASH!). There are just three short chapters, so it works for a bedtime story or for a newly confident reader to try on their own.

At the back there's a little glossary explaining words from the story like "responsibility", "rubble" and "villain". That's handy if your reader is just starting to read by themselves and wants to check what something means.

The best joke in the whole thing is the pet talk every parent has given at some point. Supergirl learns that pets really are a BIG responsibility, just not quite in the way Superman meant.

If you've got a little superhero fan who likes their action quick, funny and not too scary, this is spot on.

What to read next

For another Superman team-up in the same short, snappy style, try Magic Monsters. This time a mischievous imp called Mister Mxyzptlk sets a dragon, a one-eyed giant and a tentacled beast loose on Metropolis, and a boy who shouts SHAZAM! joins the fight.