Bink and Gollie (Junior Library Guild Selection (Candlewick Press)) [Hardcover]

Kate DiCamillo (Author), Alison McGhee (Author), Tony Fucile (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2010 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Bink and Gollie

In a brilliant collaboration, best-selling authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, along with acclaimed illustrator Tony Fucile, introduce an outrageously funny pair of friends.

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-3–In three humorous interconnected stories, Gollie, a self-confident girl who lives in a fashionable, contemporary house, and Bink, her rumpled but lovable, impish friend, are adventure-seeking companions, each with her own strong will. In the first tale, Bink's outrageous socks offend Gollie's sartorial eye, but the two compromise for friendship's sake. The second story sends Gollie on an imagined climb up the Andes, shutting Bink out of the house until she arrives at the door with a sandwich, which they share on top of the “mountain.” In the final episode, Gollie is jealous of Bink's new pet fish until Bink reassures her that no one can take her place. 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. The delightful digitalized cartoon illustrations–mostly black and white, with color used for the two characters and in strategic splashes throughout–reinforce the humor of the text. Filled with movement, they successfully portray the protagonists' changing moods. Elementary listeners and readers will have no trouble relating to the two friends' antics and the bond they share.Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FL
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

From two high-profile authors and an award-winning illustrator comes this zany hybrid of picture book, graphic novel, and early reader that introduces an endearing new pair of odd-couple friends. Short, blond, sprout-haired Bink and tall, tidy Gollie are complete opposites, but they’re also devoted pals who visit each other every day: Bink from her tiny rustic cottage; Gollie from her sleek, chic tree house filled with mid-twentieth-century furniture. Three episodes explore common friendship dilemmas: in the first, the girls discuss the meaning of compromise; next, Gollie longs for personal space; and finally, Bink’s new pet sparks Gollie’s jealousy. Reality is gleefully suspended here; parents and school don’t seem to exist. Although the scenes don’t quite combine into a developed story, the repetition of phrases and appealingly oddball elements (roller skates, pancakes, rainbow socks) create a sense of cohesion, while Fucile’s 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. Grades K-3. --Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick Press; First Edition edition (September 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076363266X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763632663
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.6 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Feelings on This One, September 19, 2010

By 

Mary Kate (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bink and Gollie (Junior Library Guild Selection (Candlewick Press)) (Hardcover)

My rating is 3.5 stars.

The delightfully fun drawings of Tony Fucile are, IMHO, worthy of top billing in this short collection of three stories by popular children's authors Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie) and Alison McGhee (Someday). I loved the black & white illustrations and the punches of color that drew the eye.

To my surprise, while I thought the writing was fine (though not stellar), I was less than enamored with the stories & the character of Gollie. The lovable Bink completely won me over, but Gollie? Not so much.

Here's why:

Story 1: Bink & Gollie go into a store where Bink buys some brightly striped socks. She loves them. Gollie does not. Later the girls "compromise" and Bink wears only one of the socks.
My thoughts: Why the heck does Bink have to stop wearing something she loves in order to ensure Gollie's friendship?
Story 2: Gollie is in her bedroom imagining a mountaineering trip and Bink is having some difficulty understanding the "Keep Out" signs on Gollie's door.
My thoughts: Wanting some time alone is understandable and I don't have any problem with it. But why was it only when Bink showed up with food that Gollie relented and let her in? Was she hungry?
Story 3: Bink buys a fish and is thrilled to death with it even though Gollie tells her it's a lousy pet. When the girls are roller skating together - along with the fish, who is in his bowl - Gollie quickly saves the fish when the bowl breaks.
My thoughts: Just how far were the girls from a house where they could have gotten a cup of water to put the fish in while they took it back home? Instead, Gollie "saves" the fish by putting it into a pond where, coincidentally, it will no longer compete with her for Bink's time. (Not to mention that, even though we see the fish beneath the ice in a drawing with the girls ice skating, in reality it probably would have died.)

Thinking I must be missing something, I gave it a second read when I was back at the bookstore a couple of days later. But my reaction was the same. Maybe I'm just being weird about these stories, interpreting them poorly or seeing things that simply aren't there. But I know the book isn't going into my collection. In addition, if I were Bink's mom, I think I'd tell her that she could do better in the best friend department.

So - 5 stars for Fucile's great artwork and for the adorable Bink (who I would love to see much more of); 2 stars for Gollie as portrayed in these pages. That averages out to 3.5 stars. I rounded up to 4 stars because of my admiration for many of DiCamillo's other stories and because my annoyance over the whole sock incident (seems minor, I know, but it just bugged me) may have colored my interpretation of Gollie's actions in the other two stories.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool, January 15, 2011

By 

Swapna Gupta - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bink and Gollie (Junior Library Guild Selection (Candlewick Press)) (Hardcover)

I picked this book up from the local library for my nephew. I loved it and so did my nephew. The pictures, the personalities of the two characters and their language, make both you and your child smile. And you think to yourself I need to look for more Bink and Gollie books. I didn't find them at the library. And now that I am searching here on Amazon, it seems there are no more. I wish there were!

Oh and I forgot to mention, next time I visited my nephew, he said "Greetings Boo E" ("Greetings" is how Bink and Gollie greet each other. Boo E is just what my nephew calls me.).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darling and Original, September 27, 2010

By 

Nicole Hunt - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bink and Gollie (Junior Library Guild Selection (Candlewick Press)) (Hardcover)

My two kids (and me) are huge Kate DiCamillo fans. For my daughter (10) it all began with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and for my son (7) the Mercy Watson series. Bink and Gollie is just plain fun! Quirky and original which is what my kids are drawn to. My daughter is also a fan of co-author Alison McGhee and her Julia Jillian series so naturally we were excited about theit collaboration. This adorable short chapter book about two friends subtlely conveys the beauty of relationships and self-discovery that these two authors are so great at. Simple and sweet.