Jim Benton, Author . S&S $14.95 (102p) ISBN 978-0-689-86291-5
The Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist series gets off to a silly start with this copiously and cartoonishly illustrated novel, which bears at least a passing visual resemblance to Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants capers. The young heroine is clearly
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Jim Benton, Author Scholastic $7.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-439-69345-5
Fans of the licensed character, Happy Bunny, here making its book debut, will welcome the irreverent It's Happy Bunny Love Bites by Jim Benton. The long-eared fellow offers such advice as ""Show that cutey-patootey your smart and sensitive side""...
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Jim Benton. Scholastic Press, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-545-17731-3
A periwinkle-blue blob of a bear named Donut demands a story, while an offstage speaker encourages him to be on his way. "Once there was a bear named Donut. And he burped. The end," the unmotivated storyteller says in typewriter-style print on a...
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Jim Benton. NBM (www.nbmpublishing.com), $13.99 trade paper (96p) ISBN 978-1-56163-846-8
Though the title makes some very specific promises about the content, there are also lots of gags about death, particularly murder, and breasts. The former points to a pleasing dark edge that runs through Benton’s cartoons and gives them some heft,...
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Jim Benton. Scholastic/Cartwheel, $7.99 (18p) ISBN 978-0-545-64789-2
With galloping rhymes, a goofball sense of humor, and equally loopy cartooning, Benton takes readers on a hunt for dinosaurs within the pages of the book. Most are right out in the open. “Could they be living way out west/ in cowboy boots and fancy...
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Jim Benton. Scholastic Press, $12.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-545-94240-9
In this kooky neighborhood caper from Benton (the Franny K. Stein series), three friends discover the manual parents use to maintain control of their kids. Twelve-year-old Jack is tired of his parents bossing him around, and his friend Mike and...
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Jim Benton, Author, Jim Benton, Illustrator . Scholastic/Apple $4.99 (129p) ISBN 978-0-439-62904-1
Benton's Dear Dumb Diary series gets off to a shaky start with this trite tale told in diary format. In daily entries, each starting with the title salutation, Jamie Kelly vents repeatedly on several topics. A die-cut cover shows the heroine,...
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Jim Benton, Author, James K. Benton, Author, Jim Benton, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $15.99 (112p) ISBN 978-0-689-86292-2
Attack of the 50-ft. Cupid picks up where Lunch Walks Among Us left off in the Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, series by Jim Benton. In this installment, Franny gets a lab assistant courtesy of her mother. Franny also learns about giving ...
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Jim Benton. Two Lions, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5420-4347-2
A calamity-prone, wildly expressive Comet saves Christmas in this holiday romp, driven by Benton’s vibrant ink and watercolor cartoons. When the reindeer is hurt breaking up a squabble between two overtired elves, the doctor gives him some unwelcome
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Jim Benton. Graphix, $8.99 paper (128p) ISBN 978-1-338-32602-4
This playful collection of graphic-format short stories follows the adventures of two dissimilar cats—grumpy and cynical Catwad and happy-go-lucky Blurmp—who also happen to be best friends. From mistaking mosquitos for fairy unicorns to naming a...
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Jim Benton. Papercutz, $14.99 (112p) ISBN 978-1-5458-0499-5
Bill Waddler has it tough, trying to live daily life amid ultra-communicative man-made objects. Not only do they heckle him with demoralizing insults but the autonomous, frequently gendered objects continually engage during the most basic tasks:...
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