Our favorite French bear is back! Benjamin Bear, star of last year’s Toon book, Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, is the star of an all-new book of one page gags that will have readers, young and old LOL-ing all over the place. Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas has a whole fresh crop of comedic comic vignettes, a different one on each page; each story is not only extremely humorous, but thought provoking as well. With his pal Rabbit and other assorted wildlife, Benjamin and his stories will keep readers engaged and wanting to read them over and over again.
This isn’t a “regular” comic book. There is no ongoing story to follow; each page is a short comic story/joke unto itself. These one page comic strips are made up of anywhere from 3-6 panels per story. In case you haven’t had the pleasure of reading a Toon book, you are definitely in for a treat! Toon books are early readers in comic form and are designated as being either Level 1, 2 or 3. Benjamin Bear has been labeled as a Level 2 book, which means word bubbles are used sparingly throughout and stories are kept short with minimal characters. The stories are funny on many levels, so both kids and adults will find humor throughout. Many pages will also leave readers thinking about why such a so-called simple joke is so funny, as well as about what actually made the comic strip funny in the first place.
Both the story and drawings are wonderfully done by Philippe Coudray. The illustrations are brightly colored, extremely vivid, and very neatly drawn. Benjamin and Rabbit are both expressive and their personalities shine through their drawn appearances. They really do become like friends to readers due to the approachable and engaging way they are drawn. Another great early reader comic from Toon Books.
Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas!
by Philippe Coudray
ISBN: 9781935179221
Toon Books, 2013
