Benny and the Binky

Rating:
Summary: Oh for crying out loud
Review: Benny and the Binky is a very funny book written in a wonderfully simplistic way that I'm sure children would love. The illustrator is brilliant, and Benny's expressions are just priceless. You will laugh out loud at the "three tough pigs." For those of you who find it appalling that the three tough pigs want to punch Benny in the snout -- perhaps you should stick with gentler classics such as "Little Red Riding Hood." Benny and the Binky is just plain fun for kids and adults.

Rating:
Summary: Oh for crying out loud
Review: Benny and the Binky is a very funny book written in a wonderfully simplistic way that I'm sure children would love. The illustrator is brilliant, and Benny's expressions are just priceless. You will laugh out loud at the "three tough pigs." For those of you who find it appalling that the three tough pigs want to punch Benny in the snout -- perhaps you should stick with gentler classics such as "Little Red Riding Hood." Benny and the Binky is just plain fun for kids and adults.

Rating:
Summary: Benny and the Binky
Review: Benny and the Binky. By Barbro Lindgren. Illustrated by Olof Landstrom. R & S Books, 2002. 24 pages. [money](Preschool)

A binky may be the only thing that calms a screaming baby pig, but the excruciation of growing out of that binky is the ingenious subject of the irresistibly hilarious Benny and the Binky by Olof Landstrom (Benny's had enough, 9/99). Benny finally has the new baby brother he has been waiting for. But all Benny's new sibling does is scream - until he receives a binky from his mother. Now Benny wants one too, but he's told he's too old. This causes Benny to "steal" his brother's binky and hit the road, but he soon realizes why he's too old when several groups ridicule him during his adventures for being some "kind of oddball". The comedy of Benny's journey (with binky in mouth) comes through the cast of characters he meets along the way, including "three tough pigs with soccer shoes (on)." They are shown preparing to chase Benny, each in a three-point stance, in the masterfully done illustration that tells the story even better than the text itself. Each character's personality is colorfully brought to life as each page is turned. Unlike the classic picture books, Benny and the Binky uses modern-day concepts and ideas, such as a dog working on a laptop computer and listening to headphones, in a progressively entertaining way. As all of us have a favorite picture book from our childhood, I feel that many of today's preschool aged children will someday look back at this book with the same fond memories. At the same time I, as a 28-year-old man, had several entertaining laughs at the "corky" humor throughout this book and will enjoy reading it to my children.

Rating:
Summary: Cute, but sends BAD messages
Review: I am a writer, so I can really appreciate all the funny, superbly written sentences in this book. The illustrations are precious, too. But c'mon, do we really want to raise kids who think these things are funny: three bully pigs punching a smaller, more helpless piglet in the snout because they think he's a "baby"; an "adult" dog threatening to bite children if they don't behave; an spiteful older sibling who sticks his newborn brother outside in the cold while he steals his pacifier, or -- worse of all -- the mother pig who doesn't pay enough attention to know any of this is going on. Perhaps in this generation of violent computer games and television shows, this book is the lesser of two evils? I say don't waste your money on bad messages for this impressionable picture-book set, even if the pictures are darned cute.

Rating:
Summary: This is too much!
Review: This book just grows and grows on you. The text is simple enough for the youngest toddler, and the illustrations make it so funny that you will not mind the repeated requests for "read it again!" Every kid and adult can identify with the myriad kidlike emotions in this book. Get it.