Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Bink and Gollie: Two for One

Bink and Gollie: Two for One

Kate DiCamillo , Alison McGhee
Illustrator:  Tony Fucile 
Fiction  Series
For ages 6 to 8
Candlewick, 2012   ISBN: 978-0763633615

Today the State Fair is open, and Bink and Gollie decide to go to the event. Bink quickly decides that she wants to try hitting a rubber duck with a ball at the Wack-a-Duck booth so that she can win the “world’s largest doughnut.” Unfortunately, Bink has very little skill when it comes to throwing baseballs at rubber ducks, and she ends up hitting the Wack-a-Duck man. In fact, she hits the poor fellow with each of her three baseball throws.

After the Wack-a-Duck fiasco, the friends move on, and Gollie sees that there is going to be an amateur talent show. Gollie would love to be in a talent show, and she is sure that she can do her talent on a stage in front of an audience. The problem is that saying you can perform, and being about to actually do it, are two very different things. Poor Gollie discovers just how paralyzing stage fright can be.

In this delightful second book featuring Bink and Gollie, the two friends go to the State Fair, and things don’t go quite as anticipated. The good news is that there is one thing the friends can count on, even when they cannot hit a rubber duck or when they get stage fright.

With amusing illustrations and three chapters, this title is full of clever touches of humor and we are reminded that there are more important things in life than winning prizes or being in the spotlight.