#RWYK Great Read #Review – Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach by Elizabeth Gerlach
Hey everyone,
It’s Friday and it’s that time of the week when we introduce you to books which are special and so close to our hearts that we decide to place them on the Reading with your kids Certified Great Read wall of fame.
This week we have an extra special book that is a sweet and educational book not only for kids but for people of all ages. Please put your hands together for our newest RWYK certified Great Read Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach by Elizabeth Gerlach!
Let’s have a look at the Book Blurb
Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach by Elizabeth Gerlach
Ben can’t walk and he can’t talk, but he can use his imagination to have amazing adventures! Today he is at the beach flying with a kite, counting crabs and building a sandcastle. Benjamin shows us that despite physical or medical differences, all kids can play and dream! This book is based on a real-life adventurer named, Benjamin Robert Gerlach. Ben loved being outside with the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. He was a triplet, brother, son, friend, student, and churchgoer.
He was also a young boy living with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. But this didn’t define him! He loved toys, noises, movement, his preschool class, his brother and sister, and his mommy and daddy. He had many challenges in his short life but lived each day with a smile on his face. After a two-year fight with multiple respiratory illnesses, Ben lost his battle. This book is dedicated to Ben with great hope that it shows that everyone deserves to have an adventure. And despite physical or medical differences, all kids can play and dream!
Click the Amazon link below to grab a copy of this fun adventure. A portion of book sales will support Elizabeth’s foundation @ben.smiles, dedicated to giving #switchadapted #toys and other devices to kids with motor or other diagnoses. Order it today and be a part of this wonderful cause!
About Elizabeth Gerlach
Elizabeth Gerlach is a triplet mom, fundraiser, marketer, and most recently children’s book author with her first book “Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach”. Gerlach has a 15-year career in various marketing and advertising roles before making the decision to become a stay at home mom to her infant triplets.
Ben’s Adventures was inspired by the author’s son Benjamin who had cerebral palsy. In writing it, Gerlach wanted to show that all kids are capable and able to do great (or even simple) things. She understands that some may be nervous around disability, but that’s OKAY. She just hopes this book can begin to break the barriers and show that kids are just kids.
Gerlach and her husband also established the Ben Smiles Memorial Foundation, a fund dedicated to making adapted toys and other important devices more accessible for special needs families. (www.BenSmiles.org).
Originally from Virginia, Gerlach is a southerner at heart but currently lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and Ben’s triplet brother and sister.
Where online can people find more about Elizabeth and her book
Website: https://www.bens-adventures.com/
Social Media Links
Our Review
A charming, positive story with absolutely AMAZING illustrations!
What a powerful resource for parents and caregivers to talk to kids about physical disabilities, to explain that having a disability isn’t the end of the world and that all kids can play, dream and enjoy their life!! Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach is one of the most beautiful and touching stories we’ve ever read. We enjoyed reading it all the way from the beginning until the end.
The author was inspired to develop the Ben’s Adventures series as a tribute to her son Benjamin who was living with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. She wrote this book to allow him to live on and share that even though his short life was a struggle, he was a little boy first … with friends, dreams, and a love for his family and his life.
Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach is a fun rhyming picture book that follows a young boy named Ben, who has special needs. Ben is a triplet, a child in a wheelchair suffering from Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. He can’t walk or talk but Ben doesn’t let his illness define him. He is full of life and loves to dream big and enjoys spending time with his family. He loves being outside with the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. In this beautifully illustrated book, Ben imagines himself and his family have an amazing and adventurous day at the beach. His imaginations include running around the beach, feeling the sand on his toes, flying a kite with his Dad, counting crabs, building a sandcastle with his friend and collecting seashells with his siblings Colin and Ava. In the end, he is seen drifting off to sleep with a smile on his face to dream about the next day’s adventure.
We are giving Ben’s Adventures five stars because it has an adorable little main character Ben, who lives his life to the fullest with a huge smile on his face despite the challenges he has to face on the everyday basis. His character is realistic and relatable for kids who have siblings with Cerebral Palsy or any other disabilities. Elizabeth’s book educates young children on common aspects of physical disability and encourages kindness and acceptance. The author and illustrator have a clear understanding of what it’s like for these kids. The illustrations are vivid and almost look like photographs.
We love the fact that the book shows the ways Ben is just like any other child, the ways in which he is unique, and the fact that things may not always be easy for him, but Ben is truly a blessing to have in his family. This book shows that everyone can have an adventure. And despite medical and physical differences, all kids can play and dream. It aims to reinforce the important message that disabled children are children first, and should not be singled out because of their differences.
Final Verdict
Picture books on physical disability with a powerful and engaging story is rare to find and Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach is a winner all the way! The illustrations are also absolutely stunning! Great story to read to help children understand how very special someone with special needs can be.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Gerlach for winning the RWYK Certified Great Read Status


If you haven’t already done so, listen to Elizabeth Gerlach’s appearance on the podcast & feel free to share it by using the social media buttons at the bottom of this page. We would LOVE if you could leave us a review on iTunes.
Join us & Elizabeth Gerlach on a fun journey into Ben’s Adventures!
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