When it comes to reading material for children (books, comics, graphic novels, etc.), superheroes have always held a special place in children’s imaginations. Fancy costumes, capes, gadgets galore, secret hideouts and daring rescues, all these different elements spark excitement in young readers, even getting them to dream big and help others. But what makes modern children’s superhero books particularly delightful is the way they blend classic hero with humour, heart and wildly inventive worlds. Young page turners today are aren’t just getting masked crusaders; they’re getting animal heroes, food‑themed heroes, eco‑heroes and characters whose powers are as quirky as they are entertaining. These stories don’t just celebrate bravery, they celebrate creativity, teamwork and the joy of being wonderfully different. Zoopertown: X‑Ray Rabbit fits beautifully into this genre, offering young readers a fast‑paced, colourful adventure packed with energy and charm.
Zoopertown: X‑Ray Rabbit is written by Jem Pack and illustrated by Emily Fox. It is a fun story that introduces children to the bustling, brilliantly bonkers world of Zoopertown where animal superheroes, known as the Zooperheroes, live. These characters include Crash‑Bang Koala, Zip‑Zap Giraffe, Snap‑Crack Croc, Zoom‑Zoom Zebra and, of course, X‑Ray Rabbit.
As for the story, the first in the Zoopertown series, all is not well. The Zooperheroes day begins with a mystery: breakfast has vanished – toast, cornflakes, waffles, pancakes, all gone. And it’s not just their breakfast that’s disappeared. Across town, the residents preparing for Mayor Go‑Go Gorilla’s birthday picnic discover that every treat, including his prized giant banana birthday cake, has also been stolen. Who would do such a thing?
This sets the stage for a classic superhero mission. Mayor Go‑Go Gorilla rushes back to his office, picks up and his Zooperphone to call for help. But who does he call? No, not the Ghostbusters, but the Zooperheroes. In case you haven’t heard of the Zooperheroes, they are:
- Zoom-Zoom Zerba, who is super fast
- Zip-Zap Giraffe, who has red-hot, super-blasting, light-up laser power
- Crash-Bang Koala, who has high-kicking Kung-Fun power
- Snap-Crack Croc, who has super-strong chomping power
- X-Ray Rabbit, she has super-duper, extra-amazing x-ray power
For this very important job, X-Ray Rabbit leaps into action, or rather, leaps on her Zooper Scooter to race to the scene and investigate. As her superpower is the ability to see through things, it makes her the perfect hero to track down the culprit. Following a trail of banana skins through Zoppertown, across a frightful forest and finally to the ominously named Atrocious Tower of Terror. There, she discovers the villain behind the chaos: Kaboom Baboon, who is sulking after not being invited to the picnic and has decided to steal all the town’s goodies in revenge.
What follows is a fast-paced, high‑energy rescue mission filled with action, humour and plenty of onomatopoeic fun. But will X-Ray Rabbit and the other Zooperheroes manage to save the day and the Mayor’s birthday picnic?
Overall, Zoopertown: X-Ray Rabbit is an excellent fun and exciting tale that children will love. The story is simple, fast-paced, action-packed and lots of fun. Children will relish the “kabooms”, “zooms” and “swooshes”. And the comic-book style illustrations are bold, bright and colourful, expertly helping young readers to visualise the story.
The story by Jem Packer is easy to read and digest: food from the town has gone missing and the Zopperheroes need to find it and save the day. The storytelling is told with ease, balancing humour with heart. While the plot may be delightfully silly with stolen breakfasts, banana skin trails and a naughty baboon with a flair for mischief, it also carries gentle underlying messages about inclusion and hurt feelings. Kaboom Baboon’s jealousy stems from being left out, a situation many children can relate to, and rather than discuss it, a different path was chosen. This allows the opportunity for readers to have discussions about friendship, forgiveness and how exclusion can lead to bigger problems.
As for the illustrations by Emily Fox, they cover every page in full bold, bright colour and humorous action-packed scenes. The illustrations bring the characters and situations to life in a fun and expressive way.
We think that Zoopertown: X Ray Rabbit is a joyful and engaging introduction to superhero storytelling. It’s funny and packed with enough action to keep even the most energetic little readers engaged. With its fun blend of animal characters, comic-book style drama and playful language it makes it a perfect pick for that all-important bedtime reading, classroom story time or independent reading.
It’s a fun and imaginative picture book that helps to encourage children to embrace reading with enthusiasm. It’s a story that celebrates bravery, problem‑solving and the power of being uniquely yourself, perfectly wrapped up in a riot of colour and creativity. Young readers will adore X‑Ray Rabbit’s determination and cleverness and they’ll be eager to return to Zoopertown for more adventures with the Zooperheroes.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (Paperback) / £5.59 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
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