Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
CHARACTERS: The story follows Bonnie and Ben, two young children who go on a walk with their friend, Skinny Doug. Bonnie and Ben are illustrated as young and excited children, while Doug looks like he is a caring and playful adult. Doug encourages Bonnie and Ben to continue thinking of rhymes during their walk and singing them aloud. The story is focused on word relations and rhyming, instead of a specific cultural context. The rhymes that are shared in the book are typical English language storybook rhymes.
While Bonnie and Ben are illustrated to be a White girl and boy, the characters they meet along the way are illustrated to have various skin tones, which helps students see themselves in these rhymes. Outside of the illustrations there is not any mention of cultural or character diversity.
SETTING: The book is set in a very vague place and time. It appears to be contemporary with the way that the characters are drawn and dressed, but there is not a specific location. Throughout the story, Bonnie, Ben, and Doug walk around a field near their house.
CULTURAL VALUES: Since this book is not set in a specific location, it’s difficult to review any cultural values. It feels like the book is more aimed at a universal childhood experience, especially for English speaking students. Most kids who read this book may already know these nursery rhymes and be able to identify them. There is not an emphasis on gender roles in this book either, as both Bonnie and Ben share the spotlight when playing together.
OVERALL QUALITY: Overall, I do really appreciate this book, especially as an early-childhood educator. Rhyming is one of the skills that students tend to struggle with, so providing a fun and easy book to read through common nursery rhymes is good practice for students. The pictures are drawn very simplistically while using eye-catching colors. There is only a sentence or two on each page, which makes it easier for young readers to follow along. Almost all of the nursery rhymes within the book are typed in a pink colored font, which helps the reader identify what is a nursery rhyme and what is regular text.
REVIEWS AND AWARDS:
- Kirkus, 2020: “Fox’s inimitable rhyming text and Horacek’s buoyant illustrations offer youngsters another winning choice.”
School Library Journal, 2019: “VERDICT Lighthearted fun for nursery rhyme themed story times and one-on-one sharing.”
After reading the book, students can take turns acting out the nursery rhymes.
Students can read more nursery rhymes in books like Where is the Green Sheep? and Good Night, Sleep Tight by Mem Fox.
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