Review Detail

Bennett's Roof

Kids Indie 303

The Air is Fresh and Sweet

October 15, 2025 (Updated: June 30, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Bennett's roof is a favorite haunt of car, who says it is his favorite roof. Mouse also likes the roof, but neither wants to share! Fox and Squirrel also claim that the roof is theirs, and even Owl joins the fray. While they are arguing, Moth protests that it is HIS roof, as does the entire hedgehog family. With everyone crowding on the small surface, there's not even room for a flea left... but of course, a flea hops aboard as well! Sitting in his cozy living room, Bennett the bear starts to realize that something is amiss when he heads a big crash and crack! Suddenly, all of the animals tumble down into his living room. The bear is just relieved that no one was hurt, and the animals feel awful that their fighting ruined Bennett's home. They all pitch in to fix the roof, and soon it is as good as new. They must have made the roof much stronger, because when they are done, Bennett invites them all up to sit on his new roof and have a cup of hot chocolate.

Good Points

The illustrations have a soft, chalk pastel feel to them, and the colors are very imaginative. The owl is a bit purple, the flea is red, and the houses and trees in the background are various shades of pink and teal. The animals are very stylized and all look very grumpy. The hedgehogs are particularly endearing. Bennett is awfully nice to the individuals who have brought his roof down on his and smashed his cups, but is drawn in such a cuddly way that you know he is just a big teddy bear!

This is a bit of a goofy story; I'm not sure that there is really a moral to it, but it is good to see that the animals feel bad that their fight over the roof has caused destruction, and that they can then work together to repair it. If I were Bennett, I probably would have invited them all INSIDE for hot chocolate and perhaps asked nicely if they would confine their escapades to the trees!

There are no shortages of silly books with animal characters, and this will be a delightful book to read alongside Shea and Jarvis' Oh, Are You Awake, Empson's Chimpanzees for Tea, Rosen and Oxenbury's Oh, Dear, Look What I Got, perhaps while sipping on hot chocolate.