Binky to the Rescue

Binky to the Rescue is written and illustrated by Ashley Spires. It was published in 2010 by Kids Can Press, Ltd.

Lexile Level: GN360L     Ages: 7-10

Summary:

      Binky to the rescue is about a black and white cat named Binky. Binky thinks he lives in a shuttle in outer space so he is always chasing the aliens in his home, which are really flies. One day while chasing a alien he falls out of a window and now he thinks he is in outer space. He uses a hose for oxygen, ties himself to a garden gnome so he does not fly away, and he takes notes on all the mysterious aliens. His humans find him and bring him inside, but he realizes he left his favorite toy Ted outside. Binky makes a plan to go back to space and get Ted. After two failed attempts he decides to dig a hole. He avoided all of the aliens and got Ted back! Back inside he realizes that Ted is ruined so the humans take Ted into another room and brings Ted out as good as new.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     If there were no words in this graphic novel the illustrations could tell the story and the same message will be received at the end. Being a graphic novel there are all different size illustrations. On some pages there are nine small boxes, on another page it has three longer boxes, and on some pages the whole page is one image. I think that this gives the book character and makes it easier for a student to follow. Spires uses a muted, limited palette of colors mainly browns, blues and greens with just a tiny splash of color, for example the red hat on a garden gnome. There is also great detail in the images, Binky and the humans have distinct characteristics. The bees and flies are easy to tell apart even from a far and the house/outside garden looks realistic. 

     This is a graphic novel for any gender, but maybe leaning more towards boys because of some of the humor.  It is a very creative story and gets the reader to think outside of the box. This book has realistic and unrealistic sections. I found the beginning and the end to be realistic because cats do chase flies and they do want their favorite toy to be fixed, but the middle of the story was unrealistic because a cat cannot swing from a rope off of the ceiling fan or paint themselves to match the wallpaper. This book is a comedy for young readers and the unrealistic sections of the book make it a comedy. It is an adventure book and will be great in a classroom to introduce graphic novels and adventures.

Literary Elements:

     This book has onomatopoeia several times on every page. Just the fist page has the words sproing, pumf, vwhosh, thump, tuck, bzzzzz. The setting is in the humans house or as Binky thinks the space station. Binky also ventures outside in the garden or as he thinks outer space. The characters in this graphic novel are Binky, Ted, and the humans.

1. Onomatopoeia: Bzzzzz, Thump, Whosh

2. Setting: In the house and outside

3. Characters: Binky, Ted, and the humans

 In the Classroom:

      After reading I would discuss animal habitats, ask what pets students have at home, and have them write stories on what they think their animals think about or do while they are gone. Once they have brainstormed their ideas they can create a small comic strip that illustrates their story. These can be put on display so all the students can read about their classmates pets. 

Spires, A. (2010). Binky to the rescue. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.