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CM . . .
. Volume XXI Number 36. . . .May 22, 2015
excerpt:
And so begins a tug of war between Benny and his mother as he tests her tolerance and love with his increasingly naughty behaviour and many scenarios of “What would you do?”
Highly Recommended. Reesa Cohen is a retired Instructor of Children’s Literature and Information Literacy at the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB.
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Next Review | Table of Contents For This Issue - May 22, 2015 |
Some of the outrageous episodes include throwing the plate, using crayons on the walls, jumping on the sofa with muddy boots, and tearing pages in library books. More incidents of mischief are added, and each time his mother’s response becomes equally implausible and silly as she sends Benny off to the zoo, sells him to the circus and even shoots into him into outer space to punish him. Both mother and son are having fun creating the preposterous exaggerations as their humour and imaginations take flight, with Benny laughing “like an evil genius” and mom creatively responding to his being “monstrously naughty.” The author cleverly shows that patience and humour are crucial in dealing with troublesome, unruly kids. But even though unconditional love wins out in the end,... the plate still must be cleared!!
The message of a parent’s love and acceptance, “no matter what,” may not be so subtle, but it is effectively and simply told by a gifted writer. Fergus is well-recognized for several YA books and has numerous nominations and selections for Canadian awards, but she is equally at home writing for the younger set, as seen in her first book for children, 
Child-friendly and digitally rendered illustrations capture the refreshing story line and humorous discussion between mother and child. The energy of the lighthearted story is replicated in the busy, colourful drawings.