Bink and Gollie

Oh, happiness! Move over Pippi Longstocking!…Bink and Gollie…join the ranks of George and Martha, Frog and Toad, Zelda and Ivy, and all the other resilient pairs that celebrate the challenges and strengths of a great friendship—The New York Times Book ReviewGollie is reed thin, geeky, and archly judgmental; Bink is petite and down to earth…<B><I></I></B>The plots serve mostly as a framework for DiCamillo and McGhee's sharp, distinctly, distinctly ungirly dialogue that makes every page feel like a breath of fresh air. And true to his background as an animator for Pixar and Disney, Fucile makes his inklike digital illustrations crackle with energy and sly humor.—Publishers Weekly (starred review)All three stories, written with short sentences, abundant dialogue, and some contemporary expressions, offer delightful portrayals of two headstrong characters who, despite their differences and idiosyncratic quirks, know the importance of true friendship.—School Library JournalReality is gleefully suspended here…appealingly oddball elements (roller skates, pancakes, rainbow socks)…expressive, cartoon-style drawings, including several wordless spreads, extend the sense of character, story, and madcap adventure. Children will have fun filling in all the spaces this high-spirited, quirky, and warmhearted offering leaves to the imagination. r.—BooklistEntirely successful in portraying the bumps in the road and bruised feelings that can come with friendship. The rewards, though, are also apparent…Fucile’s unfussy digital illustrations with lots of white space perfectly highlight this odd couple’s particularities.—Horn BookAn especially overt love letter to friendship…One of those books that doesn’t fit neatly into any category….But wouldn’t you be proud if you spied your 6-year-old daughter rehearsing such lines as ‘Bink: I implore you, do not knock.’ Indeed you would….Who says simple words must come first to readers?….Love of language is one of the tried-and-true ways into the reading life.—Los Angeles TimesAn effervescent and endearingly quirky chapter book by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee….Both writers are known for their amusing and sometimes arch narrative style, and here, in three short chapter-stories, they give us two girls who delight and vex each other in equal parts….Tony Fucile's illustrations of the girls are comic and full of zip.—Wall Street Journal