Ben & Zip: Two Short Friends

A tribute to friendship, boardwalks, and summer, this storybook tells of Ben and Zip, two best friends who will keep readers laughing, cheering, and guessing until the very end when they are reunited after a rainstorm.

Ben is short, but his best friend Zip is even shorter. One day while strolling along the boardwalk a summer shower blows in. There's a clap of thunder, and Zip runs off in fear. Ben pushes through the crowd to find Zip, but being so short, all Ben sees are knees. He climbs onto a bench, but now all he sees are bellies. He clambers onto a picnic table, and all he sees is hair. Ben is sure he'll glimpse Zip when he climbs to the highest point on the beach, the lifeguard stand, but Zip is nowhere to be found. Ben finally does find Zip-his best friend and dachshund-hiding out beneath the boardwalk, and the pair snuggle and munch on popcorn while the puddles dry and the beach-goers emerge from under the awnings. A unique lost-and-found tale with a surprise ending, brimming with lively illustrations, and filled with rhyming refrains that roll off the tongue, this storybook is a great read-aloud for kids of all sizes.

Joanne Linden is the author of two nonfiction books for children, Shih Tzus and Yorkshire Terriers, and she has published stories and articles in several magazines. She lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Tom Goldsmith is an illustrator who has worked in advertising for more than 20 years. He is a regular contributor to Just Labs Magazine. He lives in Coldwater, Ontario.