Benjamin and the Word [Hardcover]

Daniel A. Olivas (Author), Don Dyen (Illustrator), Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

While Benjamin waits for his father to pick him up from school, he doesn’t hear the screams of the kids playing dodge ball on the playground. The only thing he hears is, "a word. The word." Earlier that day, Benjamin beat his friend James while playing handball, and James retaliated by calling Benjamin "the word."

With soft, watercolor illustrations that compliment the text, Benjamin and the Word / Benjamín y la palabra is a gem of a picture book. When confronted with James’ epithet, Benjamin and the reader set off on a poignant journey to understanding and forgiveness. Exploring tough issues of bigotry, racial dualities, and cultural difference, Benjamin, James, and the reader will never be the same after bigotry on the playground.

Originally published as a five-part series in the Los Angeles Times’ Kids’ Reading Room section, Olivas’ book has already won acclaim from readers and even received a letter of praise from the Anti-Defamation League. A perfect discussion-starter both in the classroom and at home, Benjamin and his struggle will enrich the way that readers aged 4 to 8 think about diversity and tolerance.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–As Benjamin waits for his father to pick him up after school, he is oblivious to the beauty of the cloud floating overhead or to the noise of his schoolmates playing. Only one thing runs through his head–the hurtful word that his friend James called him at recess. His father points out that Benjamin is a wonderful mix of his own Hispanic heritage and the boy's mother's Russian-Jewish background. This insight enables the boy to return to school, confront James, secure an apology, and tell him not to call him names any more. The word is never specified, and that will surely lead to rampant speculation on just what it was that James said. The Spanish translation is both accurate and adequate. Dyen's realistic watercolor illustrations are executed in a pale palette that is a little washed out for sharing–and that is, in fact, the problem with the book. It is just a bit bland. The issue is a real enough one, however, and given the dearth of books dealing with it, this is an acceptable bibliotherapeutic addition to most collections. For a really inspired treatment of the impact of less-than-polite language, it is hard to beat Audrey Wood's Elbert's Bad Word (Harcourt, 1988).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"In the pressure-cooker of elementary school, where high stakes testing is winning out over funding for anti-bias education, Olivas helps us understand the effect name-calling has on young people and how parents can effectively talk to their children about hate." ----Abraham Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League

"A perfect discussion starter for name-calling and bullying." ----Teaching Tolerance --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pinata Books; Bilingual edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558854134
• ISBN-13: 978-1558854130
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,130,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel A. Olivas (www.danielolivas.com) is the author of "The Book of Want: A Novel" (University of Arizona Press, 2011); "Anywhere But L.A.: Stories" (Bilingual Press, 2009); "Devil Talk: Stories" (Bilingual Press, 2004); "Assumption and Other Stories" (Bilingual Press, 2003); "The Courtship of Maria Rivera Pena" (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000); and the children's book, "Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra" (Arte Publico Press, 2005).

Olivas is editor of the landmark "Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature" (Bilingual Press, 2008), which brings together 60 years of Los Angeles fiction by Latino writers.

Olivas has written for many publications including the Los Angeles Times, the El Paso Times, Exquisite Corpse, THEMA, California Lawyer, and The Jewish Journal. His writing is featured in many anthologies including "Sudden Fiction Latino" (W. W. Norton, 2010); "Hint Fiction" (W. W. Norton, 2010); "Mamas and Papas" (City Works Press, 2010); "Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers" (Bilingual Press, 2001); and "Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers" (Lee & Low Books, 2001). He shares blogging duties on La Bloga (http://labloga.blogspot.com) which is dedicated to Chicano and Latino literature.

Olivas is the grandson of Mexican immigrants and is the middle of five children. Born and raised near downtown Los Angeles, he converted to Judaism in 1988. Olivas received his degree in English literature from Stanford University, and law degree from UCLA. By day, he is an attorney in Los Angeles with the California Department of Justice in the Public Rights Division where he has practiced law since 1990. Olivas makes his home in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Culturally responsive book, February 15, 2009

By 

JMN (Midland, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benjamin and the Word (Hardcover)

This book was one of ten books that addressed bullying that was randomly chosen for a content analysis. Five questions were presented: Does the book explain what bullying is? Who the bully and who the victim is? Does the book explain what to do if bullied? Does the book explain that bullying is not gender specific? And, does the book explain that there are different kinds of bullying? This particular book addressed the first three questions very well. That is an important issue if we use the book to educate our children about bullying. However, this is the only book out of ten that addressed culture. We as a society need to be culturally responsive, educating our children about other ways, ideas, beliefs and lifestyles. We need to teach our children that it is alright to be different! This book addressed that. The bi-lingual text was a plus also. JN

5.0 out of 5 stars Empathetic Father and Mixed-Race Child, August 14, 2009

By 

Jyotsna Sreenivasan "Gender Equality Bookstore" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Benjamin and the Word (Hardcover)

Benjamin is half Hispanic and half Jewish. I read this to my seven-year-old son, who is also mixed-race, and he seemed very absorbed by the story. I like the fact that Benjamin's father is empathetic and nurturing, and I like the fact that the incident is resolved without a lot of drama. The issue of name-calling is handled in a realistic way in this book. I included this book on my web site, Gender Equality Bookstore, which features books that help kids break out of gender stereotypes: [...]

4.0 out of 5 stars great discussion starter, April 2, 2009

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Benjamin and the Word (Hardcover)

Benjamin is playing with a friend named James on the playground. They are playing handball and Benjamin ends up winning the game. This does not sit well with James. He gets angry with Benjamin and calls him a bad name! After school Benjamin's father comes to pick him up and can tell that he has had a bad day. They start to talk about what happened. Benjamin's father has a few good ideas on how to deal with the perpetrator and Benjamin takes his father's advice and the situation is dealt with. This book is a great addition to the bilingual collection at the local library.