Benji's Doll

by Luis Amavisca, Alicia Acosta, Amélie Graux (Illustrator)

Overview

Benji wants a doll more than anything in the world. When he finally gets one, he can´t wait to take it to the park to show his friends… An up-lifting story to remind us that there are no toys for boys and toys for girls – there are just toys. By the authors of I Love My Colorful Nails, Alicia Acosta and Luis Amavisca.

También disponible en español. (Also available in Spanish.)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788418133404
Publisher:	NubeOcho
Publication date:	10/11/2021
Series:	Egalité
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.75(w) x 9.75(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Luis Amavisca is a well-known visual artist and writer for kids in Spain. He has worked and written about equality, solidarity, environment and non-violence. He has published several books including “Princess Li” and “Bang Bang I Hurt the Moon”, this last one being the runner-up for the Most Inspirational Children's Picture Book by the International Latino Book Awards.

Alicia Acosta is a professional storyteller from Andalusia, Spain. Using her background as a psychologist, she works with children in schools to promote a love of reading. Her book, Little Captain Jack, was a finalist for the International Latino Book Award in the Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book in English.

A well-renowned international artist who was born in Paris in 1977.She studied animation in Paris and directed her first and only short film "Who wants some liver paté?", awarded at the Annecy Festival. She has illustrated several books with publishers such as Gallimard, Flammarion, Milan, Nathan, Didier Jeunesse, Little Urban and NubeOcho.

Editorial Reviews

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. 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). Friendship trumps gender norms. — Kirkus

From the Publisher

2021-06-29
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)

Kirkus Reviews