  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 03/01/2009 In this delightful sequel to Benny and Penny in Just Pretend (2008), the mouse siblings have a new neighbor whom they suspect might be a thief, because Benny’s pail is missing. When they look over the fence into the backyard, they see strange footprints. Then Benny falls into the yard, Penny follows, and they find a pail, mudpies, and a hedgehog girl wearing swim goggles and fins on her feet. They accuse each other, the hedgehog girl flings mud at the others, and the two mice go back to their yard—where Penny finds Benny’s pail in their sandbox. Now they have to go back and apologize. Young readers will recognize the misunderstanding and the bad first impressions people will sometimes make as Benny and Penny—and Melina—learn a lesson about making friends. Hayes draws charming little animal children with highly expressive faces, and he uses great dialogue, easy-to-follow panels, and fun sound effects; children will repeat his muddy “splop!” with gusto. - Copyright 2009 Booklist. School Library Journal - 05/01/2009 PreS-Gr 2 –Bliss has created an ideal graphic novel for emerging readers. While his dad is engaged in “boring talk” with a friend, Luke notices a flock of pigeons and chases after them. The birds lead him out of Central Park through Manhattan and across the Brooklyn Bridge to a quiet rooftop. The cartoon panels are so successful at engaging readers that young children do not have to be able to read the text to enjoy the story. Each drawing is filled with humorous details. In one scene children see a man proposing to his girlfriend before Luke leaps over his caf table. Though he creates havoc wherever he goes, he remains oblivious to everything but the pigeons he is chasing. Children will enjoy his rambunctious adventure as he takes them on a spirited tour of New York City. In Benny and Penny , the children are suspicious that their new neighbor has stolen Benny’s pail, so they sneak into her yard even though they know it’s a “big no-no!” Through many misunderstandings, they learn to apologize and make a new friend. The simple text uses basic vocabulary and repetition, making it accessible to emerging readers. Young children will love the graphic-novel format and the sweet, charming illustrations will draw them into the narrative. Fans of Geoffrey Hayes’s popular Benny and Penny: Just Pretend (Toon Bks., 2008) won’t be disappointed with this sequel.–Mari Pongkhamsing, St. Perpetua School, Lafayette, CA - Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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