"What Are You Doing Benny?" - a bookwrap

Unwrapping

What Are You Doing, Benny?

By CARY FAGAN

Illustrated by KADY MACDONALD DENTON


* Ages:  3-7
* Grade Levels:  PS-2
* Publisher: Tundra Books
* Pub. Date: February, 2019
* Hardcover, ebook



Praise for the book

“Relating the tale in the first person by the younger fox in child-friendly dialogue and with delightfully imaginative imagery, Fagan treats the sibling relationship with humor and kindness, leading to a win-win outcome. . . . A lovely, gentle exercise in getting along.” --Kirkus Reviews

Unwrapping some amazing illustrations for you to enjoy

Unwrapping the book

"Benny and his little brother live in a cozy foxhole under a hill. Benny has a lot of projects underway and his younger brother knows he would be very helpful.

What are you doing, Benny? Building a fort?

Neat! I'm really good at building forts.

So can I help, Benny?

No, said Benny."

Benny is a busy big brother fox who has tons of activities that he likes doing. He builds forts, makes excellent paper airplanes to fly and a yummy sandwich, rides his bike, plays his guitar and all the while his little brother ( who is nameless in the story ) asks to join in and be included with his brother's projects.  Each time little brother asks to hang out with Benny he is answered in the negative.... "No".  Oh my!

Feeling hurt and rejected little fox retreats to his room and gives his big brother his own space. While there he gets busy playing with his puppets and putting on a puppet show all alone.  Benny has a time to reflect on his behaviour and how he has been treating his younger sibling.  Redemption reigns in Benny's heart and he brings his little brother a sandwich and then stays and plays puppets with him.  This makes both boys very happy as they spend some quality brother-to-brother bonding time together.  

I love the watercolour and gouache illustrations.  They are full of action, emotion and humour and perfectly drive the text along.  The message of the book is positive and is a lovely life lesson highlighting the importance of spending time with family members whether they be young or old.  I highly recommend this book. 

Storywraps Rating - 5 +++ HUGS!!!!!

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Meet the author

CARY FAGAN is an award-winning author for children and adults. His kids' books include Mort Ziff Is Not Dead, the Kaspar Snit novels, the two-volume Master Melville's Medicine Show, Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas and the picture books Little Blue Chair and Mr. Zinger's Hat, winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the IODE Jean Throop Award. He has also won the Jewish Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, and has been shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award (five times), the Rocky Mountain Book Award (twice), the Hackmatack Award (twice), the Norma Fleck Award, the Shining Willow Award and others. Cary lives in Toronto with his family.

About the illustrator

KADY MACDONALD DENTON is an award-winning and New York Times-bestselling illustrator. In 1998 she was awarded the Governor General's Award for A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Her books have also won the 2008 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize, the 2006 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award and are regularly featured on the Junior Library Guild Selection and the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens list. Her illustrations for Bonny Becker's A Visitor for Bear and its sequels are instnatly recognizable around the world.

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