{"product_id":"the-buddy-bench-9780884486978","title":"The Buddy Bench","description":"\u003cp\u003eA school playground can be a solitary place for a kid without playmates; in one survey, 80 percent of 8- to 10-year-old respondents described being lonely at some point during a school day. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePatty Brozo's cast of kids brings a playground to raucous life, and Mike Deas's illustrations invest their games with imaginary planes to fly, dragons to tame, and elephants to ride. And these kids match their imaginations with empathy, identifying and swooping up the lonely among them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuddy benches are appearing in schoolyards around the country. Introduced from Germany in 2014, the concept is simple: When a child sits on the bench, it's a signal to other kids to ask him or her to play.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrozo, Patty:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - PATTY BROZO (Green Valley, AZ and Traverse City, MI) has been writing stories for and about children since taking creative writing classes in college. She is the author of \u003cem\u003eMiss Pinkeltink's Purse\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Buddy Bench.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeas, Mike:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Mike Deas (Salt Spring Island, British Columbia) worked as a concept artist, texture artist, and art lead in the video game industry in England and California before returning to his native Canada. He is the illustrator of \u003cem\u003eThe Buddy Bench, Gloria's Big Problem, \u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCalvin Gets the Last Word\u003c\/em\u003e.","brand":"Tilbury House Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50611457556754,"sku":"9780884486978","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9f4b6cd1-e285-4814-82e1-35a1a73cd1b4.jpg?v=1732362073","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-buddy-bench-9780884486978","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}