Skip to main content

Ben Rides On

By



Ben Rides On
by Matt Davies
Roaring Brook Press, 2013. Unpaged.  Picture Book

     Ben loves to go to school--now that he has the bicycle of his dreams.  Each morning, like Stephen Leacock's Lord Ronald, he "flung himself  upon his [bike] and rode madly off in all directions."  Sometimes, just for the fun of it, he takes the long way to school.  Sometimes even the long, long way. And occasionally "even the very, very long way." For some reason, Ben is accompanied on each trip by a spindle-shanked, raggedy crow but his bird friend cannot save him when Adrian Underbite, "perhaps the world's largest third-grader" takes a shine to his bicycle and then takes his bike. On his dreary way home, Ben sees his ruined bike hanging from a tree limb, and then someone calling for help: Adrian, hanging from a branch just below the cliff's edge.  Ben likes the idea of Adrian dangling for eternity, but decides to go back and manages to rescue his tormentor who at first doesn't seem to have mended his ways, but . . . . Ben Rides On is a terrific little story about a doing the right thing when you really want to do something else.  Best of all, though, are Davies' pictures, so witty, so charming, so helter-skelter all over the page and back again.  Definitely a keeper.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

By Anonymous
J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.
Post a Comment
Read more