The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Pla, Sally J.

Benji, the Bad Day, and Me

32 pp. | Lee | September, 2018 | Trade ISBN 978-1-62014-345-2 $17.95

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ken Min. Sammy's epic bad day is followed by loneliness when, preoccupied by autistic brother Benji's moods, his family barely notices. But Benji does notice, and he reaches out to his big brother in his own special way. The spare text and sweeping acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations capture the emotions of both an autistic child and his sometimes-overlooked sibling. A spot-on and heartwarming snapshot of sibling connection.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum