Summary:
Arnie the Doughnut is the story of a doughnut who doesn't know that doughnuts are food. He watches other doughnuts being chosen by customers at Downtown Bakery and is excited at the prospect of going home with someone. Arnie is chosen by a man named Mr. Bing, and he eagerly anticipates seeing his new home. He appreciates the plate that Mr. Bing selects for him, and at first relaxes as Mr. Bing lifts him off of that plate. However, when he sees that he is about to be eaten, he protests loudly, giving Mr. Bing quite a scare (I know I'd freak out if my food suddenly started talking!)
Arnie talks Mr. Bing into letting him use the phone and calls the bakery where he was made and sold. He calls to warn "Mr. Baker Man" that the man who bought him tried to eat him. The baker kindly informs Arnie that that is why he makes doughnuts; the other doughnuts express excitement about the prospect of being eaten, knowing that they are delicious. Upon hearing this, Arnie dejectedly offers himself up as Mr. Bing's breakfast.
Mr. Bing, who is a very nice man, declines to eat Arnie. He and Arnie write down ideas to help them decide what role Arnie should take in Mr. Bing's home, since Mr. Bing won't be eating him. However, neither is eager to try the others' ideas, so Arnie leaves. Neither of them is happy with this outcome.
As Arnie walks away, Mr. Bing watches sadly from the window. However, when he sees Arnie next to the "No Dogs Allowed" sign, he has another idea and rushes after Arnie to ask him. Arnie is delighted with the idea of simply being Mr. Bing's companion (Mr. Bing can't have a real dog, but his apartment complex didn't think to ban DOUGHNUT dogs). The two of them are very happy with this arrangement.
Developmental Information:
This book is entertaining for a wide range of ages; I would recommend it for ages 2.5-3 through elementary school. The illustrations are colorful and creative with a lot of activity happening on each page, even in the margins. I wouldn't recommend it for young toddlers, mostly because it is very wordy and they may not be developmentally ready to follow a longer story (it depends on your individual child's attention span and interests, but I predict that the majority of young toddlers would lose interest quickly).
While not very educational on the surface, I believe the vocabulary and tone of the book are very stimulating and subversively instructive. Most of the dialogue is immensely polite and fairly high-brow (excepting the scene where Arnie yells at Mr. Bing for attempting to eat him, though one could argue that standing up for one's self is an important lesson to learn).
Conflict resolution and problem-solving are two big lessons that stand out to me while reading Arnie the Doughnut, and there is an undertone of instruction in manners, diversity and self-esteem as well.
IMHO:
Overall I find this book to be hilariously well-written. It has been my daughter's favorite book for several months now and she shows no signs that she is getting tired of it. Definitely check it out!
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