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Rick Bivins is now retired after serving in the United States Air Force for 20 years and working another 25 years in the computer software field. He went back to college in his 50’s to receive a BA in Computer Science. While still working he took a correspondence course with the Institute of Children’s Literature where he found his skills at writing for children. Rick, his wife and children performed in many plays in Community Theater. One of his favorites was “The Stingiest Man in Town,” which is another version of Scrooge. His passion now is to write children’s books to inspire creativity and imagination.
Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite
What’s an Adventure without Milk and Cookies by Rick Bivins is a story within a story. Two little girls, Sami and Em, are enjoying milk and cookies while talking about how to spend a Saturday afternoon. After their snack, they decide to use their stuffed animals as characters in a tale. Em begins the story with Eddy Spaghetti, a brown squirrel. Soon he is joined by Delia Cecelia, a black seal. Sami and Em can barely control their giggles when these two animals meet Mr. Funny Bunny, a friendly brown and white rabbit. Sami then continues the tale and adds Cocoa, a mommy kangaroo, and her two baby kangaroos, Boo-Boo and Band-Aid. The adventure continues and Pinky Winky, the pink hippopotamus, becomes the hero of the tale.
This book teaches important lessons for young children. It fosters imaginative play – using stuffed animals as main characters in a tale is certainly a creative way to play with these favorite toys. There is a sense of cooperation as each girl builds on the ideas of the other. Likewise, the animals also show cooperation, helpfulness and caring towards each other. The unlikeliness of a squirrel, a seal, a rabbit, a kangaroo and a hippopotamus may cultivate a sense of acceptance of people from different cultures and backgrounds. A lovely feature of Rick Bivins’ What’s an Adventure without Milk and Cookies is the delightful illustrations. It is easy to imagine young children looking at these detailed drawings over and over again. A sweet children’s book!
