The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children to be Patient

Title: The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children to be Patient 

Author: Argyro Graphy

Publisher: BHEC Prublishing

Genre: Children's Fiction 

Synopsis:

A loud knock at the front door has Bentley startled. Who could it be? Jaxon an excited monkey with ADHD, rambles on not making any sense. Racing ahead pointing in the distance, Bentley follows this silly monkey. A large crowd has gathered making it impossible for Jaxon to see what the fuss is all about.

Sprinting to the front of the line, Jaxon is stopped and directed to the back of the line by the ticket agent. Frustrated, Jaxon looks around, waiting for the right moment. Determined, he makes a mad dash.

Inspiring Children to be Patient teaches:
• the importance of waiting your turn.
• understanding the meaning of being patient
• identifying ways to stay calm.
• respecting others around 

Bentley has his hands full with this hyperactive little monkey. The illustrations and expressions will have you giggling in this entertaining and educational story. 

My Review:

The fun cover of The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children to be Patient is what immediately drew my attention! I love that the hippo is green and wearing tennis shoes. Plus, the look on his face is priceless, and I wondered what kind of mischief he and the monkey were going to get into. The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children to be Patient is the fourth book in The Adventures of Bentley Hippo series by Argyro Graphy. The stories are inspired by real-life events.

The illustrator of The Adventures of Bentley Hippo series is Michael Reyes. Michael is an illustrator and graphic designer. He graduated from the School of Arts and Letters of Bogotá - Colombia. After completing his studies, he became a professional illustrator. In addition to developing many characters for other projects, Michael enjoys creating his own creations and projects. 

Bentley Hippo is at home when Jaxon the monkey knocks at his door. Jaxon is so excited that Bentley cannot understand what he is saying! He figures it is easier to go with Jaxon than to wait for Jaxon to explain. What follows gives children and adults a lesson in being patient and kind. When Jaxon’s friends get frustrated with his antics, they explain to him, clearly and articulately what he has done, and they encourage him to be patient. This is not easy for Jaxon, who has ADHD, but do you think he can do it?

The illustrations in The Adventures of Bentley Hippo are fantastic. From the bold colors to the animated facial expressions, children are sure to remember Bentley and friends long after the book is closed. I appreciate the diversity among the animals and the people. I also enjoyed the consistency in the characters from page to page. Even children who cannot read on their own will enjoy these lively illustrations.

I loved the positive message and tone of this book. I enjoyed the illustrations and the way they enhanced the words and meaning of the story. You can feel Jaxon’s excitement and impatience. I also appreciated the nod to children with ADHD as that is so prevalent, and children who have a hard time sitting still will relate to Jaxon. They will also know they are not alone in their struggles.

While I enjoyed the story and storyline, I found the flow to be awkward at times. For example, “It was very busy with people walking around eating ice cream, lots of different noises and big line-ups... They walked to the open field. There was a huge line-up and Bentley saw Daisy the Giraffe, Toby the Elephant, and Marty the Lion near the back of the line.” This section just seems choppy, and I am not sure most children will understand “line-ups.”

Other than a few sentences coming across (to me) as awkward, I found nothing to dislike about this book. It seems to be exceptionally well-edited. This book would best be suited for children ages 3 to 8. It would make a great book to be used in preschools as patience and kindness can and should be taught from a young age. It would also be wonderful to have this book in local libraries to advance its readership.

Original review first appeared on Reedsy Discovery.

 ★★★★/5