Think Pippi Longstocking meets The Big Bang Theory, and you'll have a good idea of the mood and quirky heroines of this first entry in what promises to be a wholly original chapter book series. Gollie is reed thin, geeky, and archly judgmental; Bink is petite and down to earth. Like all best friends, they know each other too well and can't live without one another, and in three short adventures, they squabble about novelty socks ("The problem with Gollie," Bink observes, "is that it's either Gollie's way or the highway. My socks and I have chosen the highway"), personal boundaries, and pets ("I must inform you that you are giving a home to a truly unremarkable fish," says Gollie). The plots serve mostly as a framework for DiCamillo and McGhee's sharp, distinctly ungirly dialogue that makes every page feel like a breath of fresh air. And true to his background as an animator for Pixar and Disney, Fucile makes his inklike digital illustrations crackle with energy and sly humor--it's not surprising that the man who helped create The Incredibles' Edna Mode has made these two prickly personalities irresistible. Ages 6-9. (Sept.)
Gr 1–3—In three humorous interconnected stories, Gollie, a self-confident girl who lives in a fashionable, contemporary house, and Bink, her rumpled but lovable, impish friend, are adventure-seeking companions, each with her own strong will. In the first tale, Bink's outrageous socks offend Gollie's sartorial eye, but the two compromise for friendship's sake. The second story sends Gollie on an imagined climb up the Andes, shutting Bink out of the house until she arrives at the door with a sandwich, which they share on top of the "mountain." In the final episode, Gollie is jealous of Bink's new pet fish until Bink reassures her that no one can take her place. All three stories, written with short sentences, abundant dialogue, and some contemporary expressions, offer delightful portrayals of two headstrong characters who, despite their differences and idiosyncratic quirks, know the importance of true friendship. The delightful digitalized cartoon illustrations—mostly black and white, with color used for the two characters and in strategic splashes throughout—reinforce the humor of the text. Filled with movement, they successfully portray the protagonists' changing moods. Elementary listeners and readers will have no trouble relating to the two friends' antics and the bond they share.—Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FL
If James Marshall's George and Martha were not hippos and were both girls, they would be much like best friends Bink and Gollie in this charming early-reader series debut. Tall, quirkily formal Gollie says "Greetings"; the shorter, more casual Bink just says hello. Gollie uses words like "compromise" and "implore"; Bink needs to learn them fast to keep up. Three winsome short stories—"Don't You Need a New Pair of Socks?," "P.S. I'll Be Back Soon" and "Give a Fish a Home"—illustrate the eminently surmountable challenges to Bink and Gollie's friendship in rapid-fire dialogue that manages to be both witty and earnest. Fucile's terrific, cartoonish artwork is expressive and hilarious—black-and-white scratchy lines and washes that effectively use spot color to highlight, say, alarmingly hideous rainbow socks or the faint underwater orange of a freshly liberated pet goldfish. One favorite wordless spread shows Bink holding up her goldfish bowl at the movie theater so her fish-friend can see Mysteries of the Deep Blue Sea... seated next to a mortified Gollie. More, please! (Early reader. 6-8)
The conversations in Bink and Gollie, written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, provide the illustrator, Tony Fucile, with the foundations of a world he fleshes out to create a place both oddly particular and warmly familiar…Bink and Gollie are welcome human newcomers in a world of easy readers largely populated by animals. They join the ranks of George and Martha, Frog and Toad, Zelda and Ivy and all the other resilient pairs that celebrate the challenges and strengths of a great friendship.
—The New York Times
Oh, happiness! Move over Pippi Longstocking!...Bink and Gollie...join the ranks of George and Martha, Frog and Toad, Zelda and Ivy, and all the other resilient pairs that celebrate the challenges and strengths of a great friendship
—The New York Times Book Review
Gollie is reed thin, geeky, and archly judgmental; Bink is petite and down to earth...The plots serve mostly as a framework for DiCamillo and McGhee's sharp, distinctly, distinctly ungirly dialogue that makes every page feel like a breath of fresh air. And true to his background as an animator for Pixar and Disney, Fucile makes his inklike digital illustrations crackle with energy and sly humor.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
All three stories, written with short sentences, abundant dialogue, and some contemporary expressions, offer delightful portrayals of two headstrong characters who, despite their differences and idiosyncratic quirks, know the importance of true friendship.
—School Library Journal
Reality is gleefully suspended here...appealingly oddball elements (roller skates, pancakes, rainbow socks)...expressive, cartoon-style drawings, including several wordless spreads, extend the sense of character, story, and madcap adventure. Children will have fun filling in all the spaces this high-spirited, quirky, and warmhearted offering leaves to the imagination. r.
—Booklist
Entirely successful in portraying the bumps in the road and bruised feelings that can come with friendship. The rewards, though, are also apparent...Fucile’s unfussy digital illustrations with lots of white space perfectly highlight this odd couple’s particularities.
—Horn Book
An especially overt love letter to friendship...One of those books that doesn’t fit neatly into any category....But wouldn’t you be proud if you spied your 6-year-old daughter rehearsing such lines as ‘Bink: I implore you, do not knock.’ Indeed you would....Who says simple words must come first to readers?....Love of language is one of the tried-and-true ways into the reading life.
—Los Angeles Times
An effervescent and endearingly quirky chapter book by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee....Both writers are known for their amusing and sometimes arch narrative style, and here, in three short chapter-stories, they give us two girls who delight and vex each other in equal parts....Tony Fucile's illustrations of the girls are comic and full of zip.
—Wall Street Journal
