Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas!

Encapsulated in each of twenty-seven one-page comic-strip dramas, Benjamin Bear's world is one of challenges both philosophical and physical. Or should that be physics-al? Plagued by fleas in "Spring Cleaning," Benjamin ties himself to a tethered rope, runs quickly to its end, and lets momentum do its job on the pests. As far as the philosophical goes, does one gaze into a mirror out of vanity, as Benjamin's rabbit friend suggests in "Reflection," or, as Benjamin replies, are we simply trying to see ourselves as others do? New readers will be served by the balance of story between speech bubbles and (needfully exact) illustrations; sometimes one provides the payoff and sometimes the other, but comprehension of both together is always required. Like Benjamin Bear in "Fuzzy Thinking" (rev. 11/11), this book rewards what six-year-olds are already good at (scrutiny), encourages a new skill (reading), and enlarges the imagination (heaven). roger sutton