Royal Rodent Rescue - (DC Super-Pets) by John Sazaklis (Paperback)

About the Book

The evil cat ROZZ has kidnapped a priceless hampster and STREAKY THE SUPER-CAT must save the day.

Book Synopsis

While napping in the FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, STREAKY THE SUPER-CAT is suddenly awakened by a television news alert. The evil Siamese cat ROZZ has kidnapped Prince Zouli, a noble hamster from the village of Kardamyla. UP, UP, AND AWAY! The CAT OF STEEL is on the case and quickly tracks down the royal rodent. Unfortunately, the fearsome feline has a few tricks up his fur. When ROZZ reveals a chunk of KRYPTONITE in his collar, STREAKY must help the hamster, and save himself as well.

Review Quotes

"It's a bird, it's a plane.....it's a cat?" Have you ever wondered what type of pets the most famous super heroes on our planet would have? You can find out in the fabulous DC Super-Pets new children's chapter book series. My five year old son is learning to read and his eyes almost bulged out of his head when he saw this new book series. He immediately wanted to "practice" his reading skills so we sat down to read the adventure title, "Streaky the Super-Cat" who proceeds to battle his arch nemesis, "Rozz the Evil Siamese" who has kidnapped a royal hamster. Will Streaky the Super-Cat be able to save him..........? Written by John Sazaklis and illustrated by Art Baltazar this book is thoroughly fun and entertaining. It is also written in a style that is very attractive to young children. My son was thrilled with the words that he was able to read himself and I was happy to fill in the blanks for him. My husband tells me that Super-Pets have occasionally appeared in DC Comics before but this particular series gives them lead character role. Released by Capstone Publishers, this series is geared for early readers in grades 1-3. There are currently six titles available with 24 total books scheduled in this series. Overall this is a very fun adventure series that has really encouraged all of my children to practice their reading and pre-reading skills. http: //simplystacie.net/dc-super-pets-book-series-review/-- "Simply Stacie"

apstone Publishers and DC Comics have joined forces to produce a new children's books series, DC Super-Pets. The series will focus on the super-powered pets of heroes like Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Green Lantern. Art Baltazar will illustrate the project. The first six of the 24 books will be available this month. The titles include: The Fastest Pet on Earth, Heroes of the High Seas, Midway Monkey Madness, Pooches of Power, Royal Rodent Rescue, and Super Hero Splash Down. Here's more from the release: "These intrepid Super-Pets--Krypto the Super-Dog, Ace the Bat-Hound, Streaky the Super-Cat, Beppo the Super-Monkey, Jumpa the Super-Kangaroo, and their friends--save the day and foil the evil plans of the universe's most dastardly super villains. The books have been specially designed for children just learning to read independently." http: //www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/dc-comics-capstone-launch-dc-super-pets-series_b20588-- "GalleyCat"

Capstone has launched DC Super-Pets, a new line of chapter books for early readers, and they are adorable. With art by Art Baltazar, who illustrates DC's Tiny Titans line, each book tells the story of an iconic superhero's pet: Batman's Ace the Bat-Hound, Superman's Beppo the Super-Money, and Supergirl's Streaky the Super-Cat. The animal companions of Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman also get to tell their own stories. Unlike Tiny Titans, which relies heavily on the actual series for storylines and gags, the Super-Pets books are accessible to new readers, and each starts with a little infographic about the pet and its superhero companion. Background information is introduced throughout the story, so even a reader who has never seen superheroes before can enjoy these books. http: //blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/goodcomicsforkids/2011/02/14/capstone-launches-super-pets-line-with-contest/-- "Good Comics for Kids Blog"

I recently received a stack of review copies from DC's new Super-Pets children's book series. These brightly colored little books all turned out to be of consistent quality and tone, so I decided to do a little round-up review for the whole set. According to the press information, the six books above are the first releases in a projected series of 24. Each is illustrated by Art Baltazar, celebrated for his Eisner Award-winning work on DC's All Ages Tiny Titans comic series. They're available in both a softcover digest format and hardcover, which is listed on Amazon as "Library Binding." That description is fair, because while the more durable format is probably a wise investment for libraries and schools, most families may find it easier to fit the 4.95 list price softcovers into their budgets. The softcovers are still quite nice, with clear high quality paper, lovely color printing, and durable feeling bindings despite their small size. They will feel much at home in smaller hands, whose owners probably won't be afraid to bend the book while hovering over their favorite pages. The books are designed from the ground up as a set. Each one follows a simple and informative format. The bright, pastel cover opens to the DC Super-Pets! logo followed by a two page spread of the series cast (repeated in the back of the book.) Then comes a title and credit page, with floating heads of a couple of the featured pets. After that, we find out who is starring in the book, on a single page introducing the pet, their nemesis, and usually the superhero or villain counterparts. Across from this page there is a colorful table of contents. Then we get a computer file on our main super-pet, which is fun - under the heading "Paradise Isle Royal Computer" for example. This file shows abilities, points out costume pieces, includes a height line up, and bio plus information like Species, Place of Birth, Age, and Favorite Food. After that there's about 42 pages of illustrated story. The stories are mostly large-type text punctuated by special font sound effects and the odd floating head showing relevant expression. Every couple pages has a half or fourth page illustration, with the odd full page or 2-page splash mixed in. The end is followed by a "Know Your Super-Pets!" 2-page spread, with the hero and villain introducing their associate animals - "Aw Yeah, Hero Pets!" There's also single pages in the back devoted to "Aw Yeah, Jokes!", "Word Power!", "Meet The Author/Illustrator!" and, of course, an advertisement/listing of the other books in the series, the publisher's website, and publication information. Now that you've got some idea of the format, I should talk about the actual content. While each book features work by Art Baltazar (a great idea to keep a single illustrator to build recognition among the kids), the authors vary. J.E. Bright, Sarah Hines Stephens, John Sazaklis, and Jane Mason have all turned in work similar enough that it should be totally indistinguishable to young readers. That, in itself, isn't a bad thing - you don't have to worry about any of these books being terrible or suddenly offensive. But the series probably won't gain any of them particular individual acclaim. Baltazar's art is nicely printed and of his usual high quality. The bright and often pastel color scheme is warm and inviting and his expressions should be immediately understood by all readers. If I had any complaint at all, it's only that I wish these were actual comics so we could see more drawings. Which isn't really a complaint - I hope they inspire many readers to seek out his comic work. The stories feature the pets almost exclusively. While there is the odd appearance by owners, usually at the start and end of a story, these animals are their own heroes. They solve problems and build relationships all on their own. The solutions they find are generally competitive but non-violent. They're sometimes surprisingly coopera-- "Trade Reading Order"

I'm excited to share with you a fantastic and engaging new series for young readers. DC Super-Pets Books are early chapter books about the super pets of familiar superheros and super villains like Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Catwoman, and Aquaman. The Super-Pets are these Superhero's pets -- Streaky the Super-Cat and Jumpa the Super-Kangaroo, for example. The pets fight crime often perpetrated by Super-Pets of Super Villains and always save the world. Each book is illustrated by Art Baltazar, the Eisner Award-winning artist, with fantastic, colorful comic-style graphics and the text is large and easy to read. My third grader thought they were great and so do I. The first six books in the series came out January 2011 and are: The Fastest Pet on Earth Heroes of the High Seas Midway Monkey Madness Pooches of Power Royal Rodent Rescue Super Hero Splash Down http: //imaginationsoup.net/2011/02/superhero-pets-for-early-readers-series/-- "Imagination Soup"

I'm so excited about this new book series for early readers (grades 1-3) debuting from Capstone Publishers. The series is called DC SUPER-PETS, and it's created in conjunction with comic book giant DC. These books feature action-packed stories about the pets of the world's greatest superheroes -- Supergirl's cat, Aquaman's seahorse, Superman's monkey, Green Lantern's chipmunk, Wonder Woman's kangaroo, and Batman's dog -- as they do battle with the pets of famous villains! The first six titles in the planned 24-book series are: Heroes of the High Seas Midway Monkey Madness Super Hero Splash Down The Fastest Pet on Earth Pooches of Power! Royal Rodent Rescue Here's a fun book trailer about the series... [Email subscribers, please click on the title of this post to view the video online.] My boys are in first grade, and these early chapter books are perfect for them! They're just the right level for kids who are just getting into chapter books, and the colorful illustrations by award-winning comic illustrator Art Baltazar definitely keep my boys' interest. They've really been enjoying this fun and exciting book series! http: //susanheim.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-dc-comic-book-super-pet-series-for.html-- "Susan Heim on Parenting"

If characters like Streaky the Super-Cat, Rozz the Evil Siamese, and Catwoman sound interesting to you, then you'll love John Sazaklis' book Royal Rodent Rescue from the DC Super-Pets series. Meet Streaky, one cool Super-Cat complete with x-ray vision, super breath, and a red cape that allows him to fly. Rozz, a Siamese feline owned by evil villain Catwoman, wants to become a cat burglar by kidnapping the royal hamster, Prince Zouli. Streaky must save the day. Is that a chunk of kryptonite in Rozz's collar? Look out Streaky! Each DC Super-Pets book has a page of jokes that correspond to the theme of the story. Sazaklis' book features cat jokes. Why did the cat get a computer? So he could have his very own mouse! What do cats eat for breakfast? Mice Crispies! Do you know why cats aren't good storytellers? They only have one tail! http: //www.portlandbookreview.com/childrens/royal-rodent-rescue-dc-super-pets/-- "Portland Book Review"

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a super-pet? Yes, the pets of the DC superhero universe have their own new series. Featuring Baltazar's bright, graphic cartoons, these books are great additions for the early-chapter-book set. In the first book, Streaky the Super-Cat saves Queen Markela of Kardamyla's pet hamster, Prince Zouli, from the clutches of the evil cat, Rozz. In the second, Beppo the Super-Monkey battles Gorilla Grodd when Bazooka's Carnival comes to Metropolis. A day of fun turns into a nightmare when the evil ape starts opening cages, freeing wild beasts and terrorizing humans. Beppo saves the day, aided by the Wonder Twins, Jayna and Zan, and Gleek, their space chimp. Both books are full of action, including colorful graphics within the text, reminiscent of the old live-action Batman TV show. Each title has a colorful spread in the heat of the action. Solid introductions to comic-book-style writing.S-- "School Library Journal"

Now that the DC Super Pets books are available, I'm considering letting each of the kids pick one out the next time I place an Amazon order. The books are geared towards early readers, ages 4-8, which means they are at the right level for The Comic Wizard, but would be beneath the recommeded reading level for Super Reader. Despite that, I suspect she'll still be excited for the books because of the characters and illustrations by Art Baltazar. Let's take a look at the first six releases: The Fastest Pet on Earth by J. E. Bright The speedy super-villain CHAUNCEY THE CHEETAH is loose on PARADISE ISLAND! However, WONDER WOMAN'S SUPER-PET, JUMPA THE KANGAROO, isn't worried. This blazing-fast bouncer is the quickest critter on Earth. Or is she? When CHAUNCEY challenges JUMPA to a race, the kangaroo must prove her swiftness and her cleverness. But this criminal cat is chasing more than bragging rights. She's seeking JUMPA'S tiara as top prize. If the SUPER-KANGAROO doesn't have a few tricks in her pouch, she might lose in more ways than one. Heroes of the High Seas by J. E. Bright Deep beneath the ocean, TOPO THE OCTOPUS plays some relaxing music for AQUAMAN. Suddenly, a huge whirlpool appears in the distance, threatening the city of ATLANTIS. Without a moment to lose, AQUAMAN leaps aboard his SUPER-SEAHORSE, STORM, and jets toward the liquid tornado. While the SEA KING rescues a whale caught in the deadly current, his SUPER-PETS discover the source of the problem . . . MISTY and SNEEZERS, the BLACK MANTA'S minions! TOPO, STORM, and ARK THE SEAL, must stop these evil rays, or their underwater city could be lost again. Midway Monkey Madness by Sarah Hines Stephens When the carnival comes to METROPOLIS, BEPPO THE SUPER-MONKEY isn't far behind. This CHIMP OF STEEL can't wait to chow down on chocolate-covered bananas and other fair foods. Unfortunately, the world's evilest ape, GORILLA GRODD, has other plans. He wants to turn this festival of fun into a day of destruction. With a little help from the WONDER TWINS and their space chimp, GLEEK, BEPPO must somehow stop GRODD'S midway monkey madness. Pooches of Power by Sarah Hines Stephens When sardines go missing from the GOTHAM CITY Marina, ACE THE BAT-HOUND investigates. This clever canine quickly discovers a couple of clues, but something still smells fishy. To help solve the case, ACE calls on the most powerful pooch around . . . KRYPTO THE SUPER-DOG! They track down three fowl felons, the PENGUIN'S BAD NEWS BIRDS, ARTIE, GRIFF, and WADDLES. Working together, the doggy duo must recover the stolen sardines and throw those dirty birds in the can. Royal Rodent Rescue by John Sazaklis While napping in the FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, STREAKY THE SUPER-CAT is suddenly awakened by a television news alert. The evil Siamese cat ROZZ has kidnapped Prince Zouli, a noble hamster from the village of Kardamyla. UP, UP, AND AWAY! The CAT OF STEEL is on the case and quickly tracks down the royal rodent. Unfortunately, the fearsome feline has a few tricks up her fur. When ROZZ reveals a chunk of KRYPTONITE in her collar, STREAKY must help the hamster, and save herself as well. Super Hero Splash Down by Jane Mason After traveling through the universe, the GREEN LANTERN B'DG chills out at a water park on Earth. However, when the RED LANTERN DEX-STARR shows up, his day in the sun is anything but fun. This fearsome feline chases B'DG through the pool, down the waterslide, and into outer space. While there, the two opponents discover a common enemy . . . the SINESTRO DOG CORPS! These parched pooches are looking for a place to soak their snouts. If B'DG and DEX-STARR don't team up and stop them, their favorite water park will become mutt puddle. Many of these pets have already shown up in the pages of Tiny Titans, so the kids are familiar with them. Beppo is one of their favorites, so I imagine Midway Monkey Madness will be their top choice. As for the other... I'm not sure. Pooches of Power-- "The Brave and the Old"

One of the highlights of every month around our house is the arrival of the latest issue of Art Baltazar's Tiny Titans, the all-ages title from the Johnny DC line. Consistently one of the best reads of the month, it's at the top of the To Read pile both for me and for my six-year-old daughter Georgia. I like it because it is (a) funny, (b) beautifully drawn and written, and (c) makes great use of the DC Universe that I've spent so many years exploring. Georgia likes it because it's a funny, well-drawn book about kid superheroes-but best of all, because we sometimes get to see their pets. My kid loves animals, to put it mildly. And her favorite issues of Tiny Titans usually involve the "Super-Pets" in one way or another (she's a huge fan of the Krypto The Super-Dog cartoon for the same reason). So when we heard last year that Baltazar was going to be doing a line of Super-Pets chapter books with Capstone, we were very interested. And now they're here... There are six books in the line all together (and hopefully more to come), and in the week or so since they arrived from Amazon we've read more than half of them. They are FANTASTIC. Anyone who is familiar with the DC characters at all will recognize all sorts of clever little nods and winks, but for young readers who have never encountered that world before these serve as a great introduction. I recommend them to anyone, whether you've got kids or not, but if you do have kids then you must get them. http: //www.chrisroberson.net/2011/01/23/aw-yeah-super-pets/-- "The Myriad Worlds of Chris Robertson"

Supergirl's cat Streaky takes center stage in Royal Rodent Rescue. While Supergirl and Batgirl team up to battle crime in Metropolis, Catwoman heads Gotham City to wreak havoc. With Catwoman away, her cat Rozz decides to check out the city. Rozz finds the King and Queen of Kardamyla are in town with their prized royal rodent. Rozz quickly comes up with a plan to kidnap the rodent and request a huge ransom. When Rozz appears on the news with her demands, Streaky sets into action. There's a big problem, however. Rozz knows of Streaky's aversion to Kryptonite and will use it to keep Streaky from spoiling her plans. Royal Rodent Rescue is another of the DC Super-Pets chapter books. It's perfect for advancing readers who still like plenty of pictures but want longer stories. The DC Super-Pets books are usually no more than 50 pages long. The vocabulary is broader and for tough words, there is a Word Power section in the back offering definitions. http: //roundtableforkids.blogspot.com/2011/01/dc-super-pets-royal-rodent-rescue-john.html-- "Roundtable Reviews for Kids"

There's an undeniable appeal in the idea of superheroes, especially to kids- the ability for good to reign supreme over evil, all those powers, the awesome gadgets and costumes! The major superheroes are well-known, but with a new series, the attention turns to the animals who work with the heroes we all know and love. DC Super-Pets! brings to life a large cast of superhero pets, from Batman's pal Ace the Bat-Hound and Krypto the Super-Dog friend of Superman, to Wonder Woman's Kangaroo Jumpa and B'Dg, The Green Lantern's Space Chipmunk, among others. The first six books of the series have released in January aimed at children in grades one to three, including Pooches of Power, Midway Monkey Madness, Super Hero Splash Down, Heroes of the High Seas, The Fastest Pet on Earth, and Royal Rodent Rescue. These short chapter books are geared toward newly independent readers, with brightly colored illustrations incorporated throughout the text, although I have to say that my younger children have been fascinated by the books and keep begging to hear the stories. Each adventure sees a super-pet or two working to defeat the actions of the super-villain pets. Oh yes, some of the most well-known villains also have pets, and they need to be stopped! The story lines are creative and appropriate for young children, yet still filled with action and adventure. Also included at the end of each book are pages with silly jokes and definitions for the most challenging words from the text. http: //www.5minutesforbooks.com/12359/dc-super-pets/-- "5 Minutes for Books Blog"

With a small suite of writers, Art Baltazar has created a new line for DC Comics and Capstone publisher, six new books based around the Super Pets. JE Bright, John Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens have written stories around the pets of the Justice League and villainous pets they must combat. Out in the New Year, here is a Bleeding Cool sneak peek... http: //www.bleedingcool.com/2010/11/23/preview-alt-baltazars-super-pets/-- "Bleeding Cool"

You root for Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and even Aquaman. You love to hate The Penguin and Catwoman. But what about their pets? What do they do all day? Lounge in the sun? Nah. Apparently they're quite busy. There is a new series of books out which is centered around the adventures of the Super Pets of the heroes and villains of DC comics. The first six books of the 24 book series are now available and are aimed at grades 1-3, with plenty of colorful artwork and a second grade reading level. To get a feel for the series, check out the book trailer. Each story contains an exciting adventure, jokes, definitions, and a guide to all the pets of the DC Super Pets. The books definitely have a Superfriends kind of feel, for those of you who watched that show back in the 1970s. (It sure was one of my favorites.) Books have plenty of bolded words and interspersed onomatopoeia, like in the old Batman series ("Kapow!"), which really gives a sense of action. Each book has usually at least a couple of good pets, and often at least two bad pets. There are plenty of happy endings and lots of saving the day. To me, the books are a lot of good fun. To my son in the first grade, they're pet-rific (his word). He especially loves the jokes. The series's publisher, Capstone, is also sponsoring the My Pet is Super! writing contest that goes through the end of February. Kids in grades 1-3 are asked to write a newspaper article about their pet for The Daily Planet. The writer of the winning submission will have his or her pet drawn by Art Baltazar, the illustrator for the series, and have the pet appear in a future book in the series. The winner and his or her school will also receive books. For complete rules and to enter the writing contest, visit the Capstone Kids website. The DC Super Pets books retail for $4.95 each. They're cartoony, superhero fun for early elementary kids. http: //www.geekmom.com/2011/02/animals-save-the-day-with-dc-super-pets-plus-a-writing-contest/-- "Geek Mom Blog"