Product Description

Bently Hopperton is an artistic frog, pressed into egg-sitting by his friend Kack Kack the Duck. Bently can't resist painting Kack Kack's egg, and thanks to his dazzling brushwork, his charge is soon mistaken for an Easter egg and kidnapped. How Bently gets the egg back to the nest, and what happens when Kack Kack returns, proves to be an adventure of a lifetime for a young frog."Bently is miffed when his friend Kack Kack the duck ignores him to brood in her nest. After she leaves him in charge of her single egg, Bently decides to paint it. [But] when a boy mistakes it for an Easter egg and runs off with it, Bently knows his duty. . . . A book that revels in the joys of spring and song, friendship and fatherhood, and the spirit of adventure . . . a classic tour de force." —H.

Notable Children's Books of 1993 (ALA)
Best Books of 1992 (SLJ)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1992 (NY Public Library)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #302428 in Books
• Published on: 1997-02-28
• Released on: 1997-01-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.com Review
Bently Hopperton is a young frog with an artistic temperament. So when his best friend, a duck-of-the-wood named Kack Kack, suddenly abandons him to focus on hatching her newly laid egg, Bently is a bit put out.

"'Isn't it beautiful?' asked Kack Kack."

"Bently didn't know. 'It's just an egg,' he thought."

However, Bently is nothing if not loyal, so when Kack Kack asks him to watch her egg while she goes to visit her sister, he grudgingly agrees. Lonely and bored, he decides to liven up the plain white egg by painting dazzling designs on it. The egg attracts the attention of a rowdy young boy and fortunately, its extraordinary decoration saves it from an immediate smashing. Unfortunately, the boy, believing the Easter Bunny left the egg, runs off with it. Bently Hopperton to the rescue:

"'Easter Bunny, my eye,' thought Bently. 'That's a Bently Hopperton egg!... Don't worry, egg. Armed only with my wits, I'll not fail you, egg,' he vowed bravely, and took off in pursuit."

What follows is a delightfully silly romp complete with a hot air balloon that just happens to be at hand when needed, and a toy boat moored close by for a convenient getaway. William Joyce's elegant paintings and hilariously deadpan text make this a book young readers will want to keep conveniently nearby for quick getaways anytime... but especially Easter time. Joyce has written many well-loved picture books, notably Rolie Polie Olie. (Ages 4 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
With a dash of whimsy and a dollop of eccentricity, this sprightly tale of a "young and musical frog who loved to draw" contains an endearing hero, amusing pandemonium and a pleasingly happy ending. The plot is deliciously impossible: asked to take care of his only friend's freshly hatched egg, Bently paints it, then watches helplessly as it is "eggnapped" by a boy who mistakes it for an Easter egg. During the daring rescue, Bently befriends a stuffed elephant and an earnest goldfish, sings charmingly, escapes in a hot-air balloon and in a toy boat, and learns that he has more friends than he realizes. The sophisticated text, full of puns and echoes of 19th-century language--"Oh, joy! Oh, rapture!" intones Bently on finding the lost egg--will appeal to adults as well as children. Joyce ( Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo ) fans will be enchanted with both the Steig-like story and the muted pastel drawings that brim with droll humor and surprises aplenty. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-- Bently Hopperton, a musical frog, is a wonderfully sturdy character, determined to right any wrong and to fulfill his obligation as a caregiver, all with humor and artistic flair. His duck friend, Kack Kack, and he have a long-time relationship, until Kack Kack lays an egg, which becomes the focus of her undivided attention. Bently feels he hasn't a friend in the world, but when he's asked to egg-sit, the fun begins. He decides the egg is boring, and paints it with such lovely patterns that a child steals it. Rising to the challenge, Bently rescues it in a series of rollicking adventures, punctuated by his bursts of song that add a touch of zest. There is a lovely twist as all of Bently's adventures and mishaps are revealed to Kack Kack. The illustrations for this delightful tale are charming in compostition and perspective, but the color saturation is so faint that their impact will be diminished on group sharing. The power of the story, however, and the sheer fun of the points of view explored in the pictures, will make this a one-on-one favorite. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

My favorite children's book! (My daughter's too!)
This children's book is exquisitely told and drawn. My almost-six year old daughter and almost-four year old son also love it. Every time I read it, I wonder why they don't make children's movies like this book. I would so much rather take my children to see this book in film version than to another Disney film. This is the kind of story children and parents can get lost in together. And I can't say enough about the illustrations--I laugh every time I see Bentley smiling down at the screaming lady from atop her easter bonnet! I give this book my highest recommendation.

delicate and charming
the book is very well illustrated. it tells a lovely tale of the right to make mistakes, and the way to mend them - all in good humor and fine understanding of a child's worry confronting mistakes! loved it! got it!

Make This a Movie!
I agree with the reader from Virginia--reading this I pictured it as a movie. Totally delightful and imaginative.