Benji's doll

Alicia Acosta

Book - 2021

"Benji wanted a doll. He wanted on really badly. Then, one day, mom and dad gave him a big box wrapped in a shiny ribbon..."--Back cover.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Madrid, Spain : NubeOcho 2021.
Language
English
Spanish
Main Author
Alicia Acosta (author)
Other Authors
Luis Amavisca, 1976- (author), Amélie Graux, 1977- (illustrator), Robin Sinclair (translator)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
"Original title: La muñeca de Lucas"--Colophon.
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 26 cm
ISBN
9788418133404
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Benji wants a doll more than anything else in this world, especially after hanging out with his best friend, Jenny, and playing with her beautiful doll. One day, his parents grant his wish and buy him the most adorable redheaded doll. Elated, he takes it to the park, where he and Jenny play "mommies and daddies." When their friends Eva and Pablo join them, a mishap occurs: Pablo squeezes Benji's doll too hard and one of its eyes pops out. Though it was an accident, Pablo feels bad and brings Benji a peace offering the next day. Benji reluctantly takes the box and finds a tiny eye patch inside. Charmed by the gift, Benji forgives Pablo, and all four friends play happily together. Many useful concepts are modeled in this brightly illustrated story, including allowing children to form their own identities and interests, learning to resolve simple conflicts, and admitting to mistakes. Teachers will find this work useful for units on friendship and conflict resolution.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2--Charlotte Zolotow's illustrious William's Doll first took on the then-uncomfortable notion that boys could be loving and nurturing, too, and might want dolls. It was a quiet, sweet book. This is the comedy version! Benji, white with brown hair, loves playing with Jenny, who has brown skin and a black bob; he shares his truck when she shares her doll. Then his parents give him his own red-haired doll. She starts out with two green eyes, but when Pablo, who also has brown skin and black hair, squeezes her too hard, one eye pops out. This is a shock to all, including Pablo. He turns up the next day to make amends, giving Benji an eye patch. All is well, and the friends now have a new game, called "Pirate Dolls." This is laugh-out-loud funny, and just the right ending. VERDICT With highly comic illustrations, children with good hearts, and a happy ending, this is not just another doll story.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

More than anything, a little boy wants a doll. Freckle-faced, buck-toothed Benji (a little White boy who bears a curious resemblance to Howdy Doody) has made birthday wishes, Christmas lists, and even tossed all of his coins from his piggy bank into a fountain, desperately hoping for a toy doll. His best friend, Jenny, has one (the doll has the same dark brown skin tone as Jenny), and Benji loves to care for it. One day, Mom and Dad give him a large present. An aptly placed page turn keeps readers in suspense, wondering what choice the parents have made. It's a doll! Benji rushes to the park to show it off. Unfortunately, a bully, a brown-skinned boy named Pablo, grabs the doll and squeezes it so hard one of the eyeballs pops out (a dramatic scene). All seems hopeless, but Pablo (who feels remorse and, it turns out, just didn't have the social skills to enter the group's play) comes up with a clever reparation. Facial features are exaggerated in this Spanish import--eyes are large, noses upturned, ears stick out--but no one exudes a more toothy joy than Benji when his wish for a doll finally comes true. Some readers may wonder what took Mom and Dad so long since they are clearly not opposed to giving their son a doll. Still, though slight on story, it's big on heart and makes for a long-overdue replacement for the venerable William's Doll, by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by William Pène Du Bois (1972). The original, Spanish edition, La muñeca de Lucas, publishes simultaneously. Friendship trumps gender norms. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.