"Bink & Gollie" by Kaye DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, Illustrated by Tony Fucile: Review & Giveaway

ISBN 9780763659547
Paperback $6.99

 About the book:  Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls--one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. No matter where their roller skates take them, at the end of the day they will always be the very best of friends. Full of quick-witted repartee, this brainchild of Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and award-winning author Alison McGhee is a hilarious ode to exuberance and camaraderie, imagination and adventure, brought to life through the delightfully kinetic images of Tony Fucile. 

My thoughts:  Typically I'm not your "cartoon/graphic art" book reader.  But when Bink & Gollie arrived I couldn't help but chuckle at the image of each of them.  The droll Gollie - tall, thin, calm - and the whimsical, mischievous, daring Bink with her spiked, yellow, out-of-control hair.  The drawings which so aptly demonstrate each personality and each incident along side the dry humor are reminiscent of Garfield or Calvin & Hobbs  but in a more "chapertized" format that will appeal to young readers but also adults with a sense of humor.

There are three stories or chapters in this little volume capturing episodes in the lives of Bink & Gollie.  Authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee with illustrator Tony Fucile have got the eye glances, body language, verbiage, amount of color vs black and white images, and vocabulary down to a tee that combines to bring a delightful reading adventure to any reader.

Friends are what Bink and Gollie are.  And as friends they have differences because they have such completely different personalities.  Bink discovers some truly atrocious (in Gollie's eyes) socks of a multitude of colors.  The war of differences begins.  But ultimately as friends they resolve and compromise - right to the end of the book when ice skating one of the remaining socks is now a scarf for Bink (she just couldn't quite rid herself of both socks).

Then as friends they must settle the fact that sometimes it is good and desired to do something simply by one's self.  For example Gollie wishes to climb to the top of the Andes (while remaining in her living room), but Bink simply keeps disturbing her and knocking on her door. 

And finally, the issue of venturing forth with new friendships and the resolution of sharing friendships while recognizing the value of special friends is faced.  Also, the act of a friend in saving another friend's relationship with one "outside" their circle because it is the right thing to do.

I can see parents and teachers using this delightfully entertaining book as a teaching tool with children.  I can also see adults recognizing themselves and their children in the characters Bink and Gollie and laughing at their own circumstances.

GIVEAWAY:  Candlewick Press is providing a giveaway copy for one of Chat With Vera's readers to win.  Use the Rafflecopter Entry Form below. Contest is open in US only. (Please wait while Rafflecopter loads)

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DISCLOSURE:  Candlewick Press provided a complimentary copy of Bink & Gollie for me to render my honest review and I was not required to post a positive review.