Bink and Gollie: The Completely Marvelous Collection: Books 1-3

Bink & Gollie #1-3

by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee, Tony Fucile (Illustrator)

Collect the complete — and completely marvelous! — Bink & Gollie series in a boxed set bonanza.

Whether exploring the wonders of the state fair, attempting to set a world record, or just relaxing with some pancakes and peanut butter, Bink and Gollie are irresistibly witty, imaginative, and adventurous — just the sort of friends young readers love. Now, in a boxed set, kids can savor all of their outrageously funny escapades, created by the brilliant pairing of authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee with illustrator Tony Fucile. Featured are paperback editions of:
• Bink & Gollie
• Bink & Gollie: Two for One
• Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

264 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2014

About the author

Kate DiCamillo, the newly named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.” Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.

Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie - her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, very happy."

Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, including two comical early-chapter-book series - Mercy Watson, which stars a "porcine wonder" with an obsession for buttered toast, and Bink & Gollie, which celebrates the tall and short of a marvelous friendship - as well as a luminous holiday picture book, Great Joy.

Her latest novel, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, won the 2014 Newbery Medal. It was released in fall 2013 to great acclaim, including five starred reviews, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Flora & Ulysses is a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format - a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black and white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. It was a 2013 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Common Sense Media as a Best Book of the Year.

Reviews

[Rosh (on a medical break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate DiCamillo is most known for “The Tale of Despereaux”. I wanted to try some of her less popular works and that’s how this series came on my radar.

This is a set of three books, each containing three stories of two little girls; named Bink and Gollie. Gollie is tall and brown-haired while Bink is tiny and blonde. Both are highly opinionated, both are adamant, and both are firm friends. Each story details one specific incident concerning the two girls. The incident is quite mundane; it is the reaction of the girls that makes the incident funny.
The books are quite interesting and will definitely be appealing to young readers. The language is quite simple so this is a great fit for independent readers from the 5+ age group. The illustrations are quite charming and suit the stories well. (In some cases, they outshine the story.)

Of the three books, I enjoyed the middle one thoroughly. The others were sweet but okayish.

My ratings for the three books in this series:
Book 1 - Bink & Gollie – 3.75 stars (Cute stories, but nothing to rock your world.)
Book 2 - Bink & Gollie: Two for One – 5 stars (All three stories in this edition are adorable!!)
Book 3 - Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever – 3.5 stars (Same as book 1.)

Overall rating: 4 stars.


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[Erik Bettini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories of friendship are cute, there are some funny scenes, and the animations are enjoyable. However, the word/language complexity exceeds the story making it unclear to me who exactly the intended reader was supposed to be. There are very few words in each of the books which would make this a quick read for an early chapter-book reader, but the vocabulary is harder than I would have expected at that level and the book has several expressions that are difficult for early readers. My 8-year old read all three books in under an hour and wasn't enamored. My 6-year old and I shared reading responsibilities. She enjoyed the books, but struggled more than with most books geared toward her age such as the Mercey Watson series.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are big Kate DiCamillo fans here and these short reads are delightful! Bunk and Golly are two unlikely friends who learn to value their differences and have fun together. My 8 year-old loves that she can sit and easily read these in a few minutes. They’re great for building her reading confidence.

I’d give the collection an extra star for the entertainment it provided my teenagers as they dramatized the stories and critiqued the characters. I really should’ve videoed the performance—too funny!

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want 100 more of these. they're so queerplatonically wholesome & good. the humor is spot-on and genuinely made me giggle. i love how they go on solo adventures (either because they're in a bit of a disagreement or because one simply isn't interested in the other's hyperfixation) but despite their differences their paths always weave back together. and without sacrificing that independence and space!! it's very frog & toad. and the way they live so close to each other but still in separate houses. me and WHOMST

[Grace Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Bink & Gollie” by Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo was a very fun and upbeat! It tells the story of two friends that have nothing in common, yet somehow, they have a wonderful friendship. Bink and Gollie also models the value of teamwork! This book shows what good friendship is all about and also helps encourage the value of working with one another. This book would be perfect for an in class read!

[Alyssa]

This is an easy read and perfect for those who are ready to read something more than a picture book. The relationship between Bink and Gollie is cute and relate-able. Sometimes Bink and Gollie disagree, and have very different personalities but they work it out and stay friends.

[Nate Hipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was super cute. The main characters were endearing and it had that usual Kate DiCamillo charm. It reads less like a chapter book or a graphic novel and more like a series of sunday cartoon strips given room to stretch their legs if that makes sense.

[Marlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of sweet stories. My daughter and I both enjoyed all three books. Sweet, funny, cute, nice pictures. Lots of fun.

[Jessica Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary and Critique:
Another tale of an unlikely friendship, this story shows how two very different girls adventure through life together as best friends. As they pass through three stories, the reader sees how opposites really do attract. This is an excellent gateway into a lesson about opposites. Have students compete to see who can come up with “the most opposite opposite”. I loved this book because DiCamillo did an excellent job showing how the two girls are complete opposites just by hearing their conversations you can tell but they're still best friends. It's one of those unexpected realizations that opposites really do attract and it makes the story fun to follow along with, especially being a girl. Reminds me of the love i have for my best friends and all our different personalty types.

Classroom Use: I would do a class discussion with a series of questions expressing things like "What do you do in a situation where you and your best friend don't agree on something? How would you go about handling that situation?" That way my students can realize the important of friendship no matter how different they are from their friends.

Genre: Comical Adventures

Format: Picture book with text

Reading Level: Grades 1st-4th

Theme/topic: Friendship, opposites attract

Gener, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status: The gender roles were within the girls that were best friends. They represented your typical "young girl friendship, none of the others like race or socioeconomic status were incorporated into this book

Citation: DiCamillo, K., & McGhee, A. (2010). Bink & Gollie. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful children's series. I read these books with my 8 year old son who has recently decided that Kate DiCamillo is his favorite author. Book 2 (Two for One) was our favorite. It was wonderful and had us laughing out loud. The ribbon that Bink wore after the Whack a Duck game was just priceless. My son didn't really connect with book 3 (Best Friends Forever). I had to explain the humor to him. It was still a cute read though. I highly recommend this series to young readers.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous fun with a pair of adventurous friends who learn to work together and accept each other's foibles. The spare text for emergent readers is illuminated wonderfully by the illustrations which flesh out the story and characters with great humor. Although some words would be a serious challenge for early readers it's still every bit deserving of the Geisel Award it received. There is a perfect balance between word and pictures, and an interesting and humorous plot.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I haven't actually read the last book in the series yet, but I am already sold! These are more chapter books by Kate DiCamillo and they are wonderful. The characters, Bink and Gollie, and the quirkiest, funniest set of best friends you'll ever want to meet. I get excited when Lucy wants to read them. :)

[Michelle L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate DiCamillo picture books! Tony Fucile's illustrations bring these two cute and opposite-looking friends together for the carefree adventures of childhood. The illustrations make you want to look at these books over and over.

[Diana Conner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great early reader

[Jane]

My boy enjoyed it, but it was a bit young or easy for him.

We've loved everything we've read by Kate DiCamillo, so am hopeful about this too.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good stories, they are silly stories, with good illustrations very good.