Benny Doesn't Like to Be Hugged
Illustrator
Purple Wong
Publisher
Rosetta Press
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9781548184896
Pages
42 pages
Genre
realism
Format
picture book
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
A little girl uses rhyming verse to describe the unique traits of her autistic friend. Benny likes trains and cupcakes without sprinkles, but he can also be fussy sometimes. The narrator doesn’t mind, however, because “true friends accept each other just the way they are.” A gentle story encouraging children to appreciate and accept our differences.
Grade Level
K-3
Diversity Topics
Culture/Ethnicity; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Disability and Health; Multicultural; Gender Nonconformity; Developmental Disability; Physical Disability; multicultural community; boys who dress as girls; autism; child with a developmental disability; wheelchair user; child with a physical disability
Main Character
male child
Race/Ethnicities
Black (African American)
Awards
Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Fiction Picture Book
Keywords
best friends; friendship; social interaction in children
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Elliott, Zetta, "Benny Doesn't Like to Be Hugged" (2017). Diverse Families. 2106.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/2106