Almost everyone – children, teenagers, and even adults – have fondness on superhero characters with a special superpower to fight bad people, create peace, and change the world into a better place presented in books, movies, and games. Fascinated by the ability and the figure of superhero presented in the media, they, especially children, often dream to become one of them – a human being with a superpower. There are many varieties of imaginative and creative portraits of superheroes and superpowers in the children’s picture book. Written and illustrated through the point of view of a child, many of them could empower children’s awareness and empathy to help people and other living beings such as animals and plants in their surroundings. Nevertheless, whether or not the meaning of superhero and superpower imagined in children’s picture book always entails the same characterization deserved further investigation. This is because the myth of superpower and heroism in children’s literature is diverse and strongly influenced by the ideology and culture of the society producing the story. This article examines Johnston's What’s My Superpower? and focuses on the concept of superpower, its significance in children’s self-development, and the discourse of heroism constructed along the story. This study argues that it is pertinent to facilitate children with their fantasy of superpower into reality. This could shed confidence and make them emotionally competent.

Keywords: superpower, superhero, children’s literature, picture book