Koalas in Capes: the Zombie Chickens

This comedy superhero story for children is the first in a new series set in Pawtopia, celebrating the antics of two superhero koalas as they come to terms with their new powers and responsibilities.

As in Chilvers’ previous book, Snails of the Unexpected, the koala heroes – Archie and Bob – are somewhat reluctant to embrace their amazing new powers. Life for a lazy, eucalyptus-munching koala is pretty sweet, so having the responsibility of invisibility and flight thrust upon them feels a little too much like hard work!

With the evil ostrich Doctor Colosus and his gaggle of robber ducks terrorising the neighbourhood and stealing heirlooms from the museum, Pawtopia really needs a superhero. But a series of unfortunate (and funny) misunderstandings means that the help of Bob and Archie is not particularly welcome, especially from the stern police officials, the ‘kangatroopers’.

Fortunately (and predictably) the duo have help from a wise and enigmatic benefactor (Quinn, the aardvark) whose scientific skills help them to overcome their nerves and re-focus on their heroic deeds. You have to be very brave if you are going to sneak into a supervillain’s ball and take on zombie chickens, but Archie and Bob show great resilience to take on the task.

This isn’t the only book up for review this month that features koalas. It’s not even the only book up for review that features a koala hero called Archie! However, Koalas in Capes is not without originality. The villainous Doctor Colosus is especially funny and he has various menacing henchmen who threaten the koalas throughout. Children will enjoy the zombie chickens, too, whose arrival in the story is skilfully delayed until just the right comedic moment.

Lively and playful illustrations add further comedy to the story and make the animals stand out from the page. There is plenty of pace and action but, despite enjoyably silly moments, there is not enough to make the koalas in capes stand out from similar stories in this genre.