Benji's Daddy Was a Golfer

Jean Free is a past judge of the Vicky Metcalf and Ruth Schwartz awards
for children’s

literature.

Benji’s daddy always had golf on his mind, so when Benji was two, his father gave him a golf club and lots of instructions. Benji tried to listen carefully, but he could never hit the ball. At last, he put the club in his toy box. Then one day, when he was alone, he took out the club, “made a tremendous swing with no thoughts about: how” and “the ball sailed out of the yard and into the neighbour’s flower bed five houses down.” Of course, Benji was delighted and he swung again and again. “And the birds sang and it was good.”

Frustrated golfers can identify with both Benji’s experience and that of his father in W.J. Illerbrun’s brief, gentle book. There’s a message here for teachers and parents, as Benji learns when he is ready. The delicate one-color line drawings by Al Sens are appealing as well as humorous interpretations of the text.

 Parents and children alike will appreciate the book’s representation of the frustrations and joys of golfing.