The Bench
The Bench
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Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover ©2021--
Publisher's Hardcover ©2021--
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Random House
Annotation: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s first children’s book, The Bench, beautifully captures th... more
 
Reviews: 1
Catalog Number: #307648
Format: Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover
Special Formats: Inventory Sale Inventory Sale
Publisher: Random House
Copyright Date: 2021
Edition Date: 2021 Release Date: 06/08/21
Illustrator: Robinson, Christian,
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: Publisher: 0-593-43451-X Perma-Bound: 0-8000-0854-5
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-593-43451-2 Perma-Bound: 978-0-8000-0854-3
Dewey: E
Dimensions: 30 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews

The titular bench, in several iterations, becomes a touchstone fixture in the lives of several father-and-son pairings.The text is related in the voice of a loving partner who is mostly off page as they address the father figure who appears in every picture along with his son. In all but the first and last pictures, which depict a White, redhaired, bearded man and his offspring, each father-son pairing is different, as is the bench and its location. Some benches are clearly in public places (a park, a bus stop), while others are in what appear to be residences or backyards; most are ambiguously situated, allowing readers to reach their own conclusions as to where each father-son pair is. What is constant is the love between them, whether the tutu-clad father and his similarly attired son, both with light brown skin, using a bench to stretch; the Black father and babe enjoying a sun-dappled nap; or the Sikh father cheering his son's soccer exploits. While Robinson's painterly illustrations are characteristically beautiful, the text from Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, is less accomplished. Written in abcb rhyming quatrains, it often struggles for rhyme and scansion, sometimes to tortuous effect: "You feel happiness, sorrow / One day be heartbroken. / You'll tell him ‘I love you' / Those words always spoken."A heartfelt if rocky read-aloud. (Picture book. 3-5)

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Kirkus Reviews
Word Count: 169
Reading Level: 2.1
Interest Level: P-2
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.1 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 517828 / grade: Lower Grades
Guided Reading Level: L
Fountas & Pinnell: L

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s first children’s book, The Bench, beautifully captures the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes. The book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion.

This is your bench
Where you’ll witness great joy.
From here you will rest
See the growth of our boy.

In The Bench, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, touchingly captures the evolving and expanding relationship between father and son and reminds us of the many ways that love can take shape and be expressed in a modern family.
 
Evoking a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion, The Bench gives readers a window into shared and enduring moments between a diverse group of fathers and sons—moments of peace and reflection, trust and belief, discovery and learning, and lasting comfort.
 
Working in watercolor for the first time, Caldecott-winning, bestselling illustrator Christian Robinson expands on his signature style to bring joy and softness to the pages, reflecting the beauty of a father’s love through a mother’s eyes.  
 
With a universal message, this thoughtful and heartwarming read-aloud is destined to be treasured by families for generations to come.


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