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Benjamin Bear
Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking: Toon Books Level 2
The silly logic of a very serious bear!
Benjamin Bear does everything in his own funny way, whether it's drying dishes on a rabbit’s back or throwing a ball at a friend to make him play. In this series of gags starring a very loopy bear, Philippe Coudray creates a zany world that makes kids think and solve puzzles, drawing all readers into the game.
Benjamin Bear does everything in his own funny way, whether it's drying dishes on a rabbit’s back or throwing a ball at a friend to make him play. In this series of gags starring a very loopy bear, Philippe Coudray creates a zany world that makes kids think and solve puzzles, drawing all readers into the game.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 2011
2 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Philippe Coudray
71 books12 followersPhilippe Coudray loves drawing comics, and his many children’s books are often used in schools in his home country of France, where his work was chosen by elementary school students for the prestigious Prix des Écoles d’ Angoulême. He relishes any opportunity to collaborate on children’s books and comics with his twin brother, Jean-Luc, who is also a humorist. Philippe lives in Bordeaux and enjoys painting, creating stereoscopic images, and traveling each year to Canada, where he searches for Bigfoot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
May 2, 2016
Den andra samlingen med den franska barnserien Benny Björn/L´ours Barnabé, som är precis lika underlig och samtidigt pedagogisk som den tidigare volymen. I min recension av den första samlingen Benny Björn på rätt spår jämförde jag denna serie med den absurda Cowboy Henk, och det intrycket består. Kul, oväntat drastisk och samtidigt hela tiden med ett öga på att lära ut saker om hur vår värld fungerar till unga läsare. Så långt ifrån träiga, pedagogiska serier man kan komma. Uppfriskande.
English:
The second collection of the French children's comics Benjamin Bear/L´ours Barnabé, which is just as strange and at the same time pedagogical as the previous volume. In my review of the first collection Benny Björn på rätt spår I compared this series with the absurd Cowboy Henk, and that impression remains. Fun, unexpectedly drastic and at the same time always with an eye on teaching young readers things about how our world works. So far from dreary educational comics as you can possibly get. Refreshing.
English:
The second collection of the French children's comics Benjamin Bear/L´ours Barnabé, which is just as strange and at the same time pedagogical as the previous volume. In my review of the first collection Benny Björn på rätt spår I compared this series with the absurd Cowboy Henk, and that impression remains. Fun, unexpectedly drastic and at the same time always with an eye on teaching young readers things about how our world works. So far from dreary educational comics as you can possibly get. Refreshing.
November 10, 2011
This is another winner from Toon Books. Their graphic novel line up for elementary aged children manages to be funny, smart and perfectly age appropriate. Originally published in France, this graphic novel has a certain elegance and style. Each comic in the book ranges from three to six panels, telling small stories in a quick, simple way. The humor ranges from a quiet contemplative joke about friendship to a physical slap-stick style. Coudray has woven those styles together so the book moves from one level to another seamlessly, creating a dynamic and surprising reading effect.
Coudray’s humor is multi-faceted and great fun to read. The book moves from one sort of humor to another with great ease. The illustrations are colorful but in a more sophisticated palette than many children’s books. A lot of the humor is physical, so the illustrations convey much of it. Even in the broadest of slapstick, there is a feel of style that makes it a unique read.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny and also great fun to share aloud with children. This is a graphic novel that belongs in all public libraries, because it is a great hook for reluctant readers. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Coudray’s humor is multi-faceted and great fun to read. The book moves from one sort of humor to another with great ease. The illustrations are colorful but in a more sophisticated palette than many children’s books. A lot of the humor is physical, so the illustrations convey much of it. Even in the broadest of slapstick, there is a feel of style that makes it a unique read.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny and also great fun to share aloud with children. This is a graphic novel that belongs in all public libraries, because it is a great hook for reluctant readers. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
April 17, 2015
Evaluation: Each page is a different short story -- the panels are clean and easy to read, not convoluted and usually only one or two speech bubbles. While incredibly simple, the premise requires students to think about the object of the “lesson” or “reasoning” which does encourage a reader reflect on each panel, use the title, and context clues to help them understand the plot of the particular panel.
Audience and Application: The audience for the book is primarily for early readers or emerging readers. It is quick and not hard to follow, instructors can use the panels to challenge students to think on whether the logic is faulty or not, and to even reason why the bear chose a certain action (character analysis).
Positive Attributes or Cautions/Concerns: Positively, the book will encourage students to use reasoning skills and has a sweet almost Winne the Poo-like friendship and lessons. I do caution it is very simple and quickly read, an educator would have to be involved in order for the student to exercise their comprehension of the stories.
Audience and Application: The audience for the book is primarily for early readers or emerging readers. It is quick and not hard to follow, instructors can use the panels to challenge students to think on whether the logic is faulty or not, and to even reason why the bear chose a certain action (character analysis).
Positive Attributes or Cautions/Concerns: Positively, the book will encourage students to use reasoning skills and has a sweet almost Winne the Poo-like friendship and lessons. I do caution it is very simple and quickly read, an educator would have to be involved in order for the student to exercise their comprehension of the stories.
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April 26, 20141. Benjamin Bear could easily be read by first graders, but they wouldn’t get the humor. The play on words or puns, and the sarcasm is not easily understood by young students. Also the picture comedy is sometimes too subtle and needs a high level of inferencing on the part of the reader.
2. The book would be good to teach how to read graphic novels because each story is one page. The frames are easy to follow. The humor is probably more appropriate for 2nd grade on up. Otherwise the teacher would be doing a lot of explaining. This book could be used with children who need practice with visual cues.
3. (2011, Oct. 15). Booklist. http://titlewave.com/search?SID=1bb4a...
2. The book would be good to teach how to read graphic novels because each story is one page. The frames are easy to follow. The humor is probably more appropriate for 2nd grade on up. Otherwise the teacher would be doing a lot of explaining. This book could be used with children who need practice with visual cues.
3. (2011, Oct. 15). Booklist. http://titlewave.com/search?SID=1bb4a...
September 7, 2016
My four year old is entranced by Benjamin Bear, and not just because the quadruped shares his name. These easy-to-follow beginning reader books work better than most comic formats as read-alouds for pre-readers, and the expressive but quirky characters lend themselves to childish retelling. This is one of the books he will pull out and 'read' to himself, rather than asking for someone to read it to him. He's especially fond of the snow episodes. There are some practical jokes pulled by characters on each other that Mommy disapproves of, but certainly fewer than those in the Trucktown series.
January 17, 2012
Many of these cartoon panels are hilarious, and readers will either groan in agony or laugh out loud. Benjamin is a pretty serious bear, and he approaches life in a serious fashion. Whether he's using his body to block the snow or enlisting a bunny friend to dry his dishes with his fur, grazing his way through the grocery store, he provides a unique perspective on everything. Young readers will find it challenging to figure out some of the punch lines in some of these panesl,
October 13, 2011
I loved Benjamin Bear! There are a few panels that I am not sure which age kids would get, but they made me laugh.
November 16, 2019
Benjamin Bear does everything in his own way. Benjamin bear shares his sweater without taking it off, takes a fish and bird down into the ocean to see whats under the water, and cleans dishes using a waterfall and a rabbits back. In this very kid friendly graphic novel, Benjamin Bear solves problems in his own and unique way.
The use of images and speech bubbles makes this graphic novel very appealing for young readers. There are multiple stories within this book that the reader would be able to read easily, fluently, and on their own. The book is level 2: 1-4 panels per page, short sentences and/ or repetition, 300-600 words.
Book to connect with:
1. Benjamin Bear in Brain Storms! by, Philippe Coudray
2. Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas! by, Philippe Coudray
Quote:
Bear "Too high!"
Bear "Sometimes you need someone bigger than you."
Rabbit "...or smaller!"
Then bear holds up rabbit to reach an apple on the tree
The use of images and speech bubbles makes this graphic novel very appealing for young readers. There are multiple stories within this book that the reader would be able to read easily, fluently, and on their own. The book is level 2: 1-4 panels per page, short sentences and/ or repetition, 300-600 words.
Book to connect with:
1. Benjamin Bear in Brain Storms! by, Philippe Coudray
2. Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas! by, Philippe Coudray
Quote:
Bear "Too high!"
Bear "Sometimes you need someone bigger than you."
Rabbit "...or smaller!"
Then bear holds up rabbit to reach an apple on the tree
June 16, 2017
I may be writing very similar reviews for a little while. I'm looking for comics which would appeal to the type of students I work with -- mostly boys, mostly on the ASD spectrum, mostly immigrant or African American, mostly picture oriented, kinesthetic learners, mostly emergent, some in third grade reading at kindergarten level. This is a level 2 Toon Book. It's full of six-frame, one-page stories. It may be perfect. I have no real feel for Benjamin Bear. They don't have the personality of Toon's Ape and Armadillo.
April 6, 2019
Short little one-page comics. We have these in our beginning reader section at the library, and they've been pretty popular lately. Bear punches a cow in one comic (cow insulted his artwork), but the rest of it was pretty positive.
September 29, 2017
This book is an adorable collection of short comics for early readers. I think kids as young and 5 could enjoy it, but the jokes are clever enough that a parent won't mind reading it either.
May 27, 2018
Love these plays on words and visual humor!
February 4, 2019
I laughed so many laughs. Benjamin Bear: A Good.
March 2, 2019
Fantastic series for emergent readers. So engaging. The illustrations and jokes really push my son to figure out trickier words. These bear books are hysterical.
February 21, 2020
I’d like to do a page a day with my class and enjoy these little humorous moments.
May 12, 2020
What a fun read!
July 3, 2020
Very clever.
February 18, 2021
They're so so so so so so so so so (a billion more) funny.
September 3, 2021
Read this after reading the first 3 volumes, so perhaps the character has grown on me. Thus, 5 stars. :-)
November 7, 2021
Really funny comic strips cracked up😹😹😹😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😅😅
February 17, 2024
Mostly four-panel gags. Classic style, often corny.
April 22, 2024
A level 2 beginning reader graphic novel by French import, Coudray, contains single page cartoons of the antics of a funny ol' bear who always seems to do things in an unusual way.
August 18, 2025
Very cute comics!! Cool to learn this is used in schools in France.
December 8, 2016
This book is best suited for 1st to 2nd graders. Each page is actually a comic strip that follows Benjamin Bear and his bunny friend. Benjamin is clever and arrogant in that he will do anything to prove someone wrong, even if he understands how ridiculous it is. For example, a fox karate chopped a cinder block and told Benjamin he couldn't do it, so he picked up the fox and threw him at the cinder blocks. I thought all the stories were very funny and enjoyable, especially for kids. I had not heard of the character before, but I am definitely intrigued as to what other things Benjamin Bear does. This book is also designed for emerging readers, so it has sight words throughout and about 300-600 words. I do not see this book as particularly having an academic purpose, but I would definitely include in my classroom library so that children can gain enjoyment out of reading in order to build a strong base. I could also perhaps use this book as a model for an activity in which my students use a comic strip to explain something. I remember doing something like that in elementary school and enjoying it, but being confused as well.
March 12, 2012
Benjamin Bear In Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray is a series of one page comic stories starring a zany bear, with unusual thought processes.
Coudray's artwork was drawn in india ink and colored digitally. Many of these stories rely on a sight gag. Stories vary from 3 to 7 panels in length. My favorite images occur in the stories A Big Fish, Karate, a Long Nap, Man in the Moon, Help Your Friends, At the Store, a Good Friend, and Back to School.
This is a unique, off-beat collection that young readers should enjoy.
I didn't like the hitting in Painting and I Want to Play. I enjoyed the humor and Bear's friend rabbit. Trying to figure out the humor for some younger readers will involve some critical thinking. With the hitting I'd rate this a 3.5: otherwise it would have rated at least a 4.5.
For ages 5 to 9, animals, graphic-novel, beginning-reader, comics, humor, and fans of Philippe Coudray.
Coudray's artwork was drawn in india ink and colored digitally. Many of these stories rely on a sight gag. Stories vary from 3 to 7 panels in length. My favorite images occur in the stories A Big Fish, Karate, a Long Nap, Man in the Moon, Help Your Friends, At the Store, a Good Friend, and Back to School.
This is a unique, off-beat collection that young readers should enjoy.
I didn't like the hitting in Painting and I Want to Play. I enjoyed the humor and Bear's friend rabbit. Trying to figure out the humor for some younger readers will involve some critical thinking. With the hitting I'd rate this a 3.5: otherwise it would have rated at least a 4.5.
For ages 5 to 9, animals, graphic-novel, beginning-reader, comics, humor, and fans of Philippe Coudray.
February 8, 2017
Its awesome!
December 6, 2016
Type: Fiction, picture book
Genre: Graphic novel
Awards:
Summary: Each page shows Benjamin Bear solving problems in funny ways, usually with a friend.
Critique: Some of the gags were very clever, others not so much. The book does make you think though. You have to look closely at the pictures to understand what is happening and then think about the pictures to understand the joke which is good for students in developing reading strategies.
Prompts: At the end of each page the teacher could have students explain how Benjamin Bear solved the problem and what the joke is.
Craft elements: Students can make their own gag in graphic novel form.
Genre: Graphic novel
Awards:
Summary: Each page shows Benjamin Bear solving problems in funny ways, usually with a friend.
Critique: Some of the gags were very clever, others not so much. The book does make you think though. You have to look closely at the pictures to understand what is happening and then think about the pictures to understand the joke which is good for students in developing reading strategies.
Prompts: At the end of each page the teacher could have students explain how Benjamin Bear solved the problem and what the joke is.
Craft elements: Students can make their own gag in graphic novel form.
September 30, 2011
Grades K-3
Young fans of comics will enjoy this French import, a collection of one-page graphic stories about Benjamin Bear and his various animal friends. The humor is simple enough for young children to grasp, yet clever enough for older readers to appreciate. There is a slapstick quality to the action that combines nicely with the unexpected ways that Benjamin Bear solves his problems. The drawings are full color and engaging. An excellent introduction to the world of graphic novels for primary students.
Young fans of comics will enjoy this French import, a collection of one-page graphic stories about Benjamin Bear and his various animal friends. The humor is simple enough for young children to grasp, yet clever enough for older readers to appreciate. There is a slapstick quality to the action that combines nicely with the unexpected ways that Benjamin Bear solves his problems. The drawings are full color and engaging. An excellent introduction to the world of graphic novels for primary students.
October 6, 2011
There is a giant, bulging slob of a penguin in the refrigerator on the front cover of this book. A giant bulging penguin who has apparently eaten everything in the refrigerator. A bear and a bunny confront the penguin. They are deadpan, silent - are they coming face to face with the consequences of a previous bad decision? Is the penguin a nightmarish symbol of some kind, a living, breathing reminder of our greedy id?
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
April 19, 2012
gr1-3
Each page is a new story. I wish some of the story-lines went on for 2 or 3 pages, instead of one page each. Benjamin bear is quite funny, though I don't think his thinking is really fuzzy, though it is a fun title! Would be a great book to show examples of for studying comics and getting ready to draw our own. www.toon-books.com says it has free online cartoon makers and lesson plans. Drying the dishes with the rabbit who asks if he can help is hilarious! That is my favorite one.
Each page is a new story. I wish some of the story-lines went on for 2 or 3 pages, instead of one page each. Benjamin bear is quite funny, though I don't think his thinking is really fuzzy, though it is a fun title! Would be a great book to show examples of for studying comics and getting ready to draw our own. www.toon-books.com says it has free online cartoon makers and lesson plans. Drying the dishes with the rabbit who asks if he can help is hilarious! That is my favorite one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews