Where Is Ben?

Where Is Ben?

While Ben's mother is busy making an apple pie, Ben is busy hiding, but each time he hides she knows exactly where to find him From School Library Journal " 'Mama, come find me,' " calls Ben, and Mama, with unending patience, stops work on her apple pie and searches for her preschooler as he hides behind the coat rack, under the overturned laundry basket, or in the clothes closet. The flat, colorful gouache paintings make the shapes of the figures stand out as they bend to seek or crouch to hide. The text, with its recognizable call and responses of " 'Mama, come find me' " and "Where is Ben?," is also somewhat flat, but not unpleasant. Both characters and the dog display the same curved-mouth smiley face throughout, reflecting the mood of good-humored interaction. Nothing much happens here; Mother finishes the pie, and Ben eventually hides under the covers, ready for a nap, with the promise of apple pie when he wakes. Not a necessary purchase, but a pleasant slice of preschool life. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KYCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.