Benjamin Bear in Brain Storms!

August 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Benjamin Bear is back for more gags and jokes that will make kids think and laugh out loud. Whether Benjamin Bear is teaching math or logic, waiting for a date, or navigating across mountains, he is always hilarious, and each one-page comic delivers a fun and sometimes-whimsical payoff. Kids will enjoy revisiting each page over and over and sharing the jokes with their friends. The zany humor paired with single page comics makes this an imaginative read. VERDICT A must-have for early readers who would like to try a graphic novel or comic.-Krishna Grady, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015
Grades K-2 The inscrutable Benjamin Bear returns with another couple dozen or so single-page gag comics that fit right in line with his previous antics in Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking (2011) and Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas! (2013). Coudray's particular skill in crafting subtle, clever, and well-timed jokes makes them nearly impossible to describe. But, just to get an idea, in one strip Benjamin's rabbit pal asks if he can break a hulking tree in two. Of course! Benjamin says, easily snapping the end off a low-hanging branch. Et voila: tree broken! Coudray's forest critters are approachably cute, and they make for a gentle, unfrenzied introduction to the joys of absurdity. Unlocking what makes each strip funnywhich is often purely visual and sharply unexpectedwill reward bright kids with odd-shaped funny bones, and the added element of picking up some new vocabulary in the process is pure icing on the cake. For any kids who get in on the jokes, this one should have great replay value.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)