Argyro Graphy

Argyro Graphy was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kindness, respect, love, gratitude, appreciation, and family were the values she was taught growing up. Bullying was a part of her life that she never spoke of, never shared, and hoped many times, would just go away and be forgotten. Those memories remain within her. As the years passed, she observed children feeling a sense of entitlement and feeling superior to others. Bullying soon replaced the very values she was taught. Knowing firsthand the scars and effects this had on her, she was determined to find a way to teach children that, although some find bullying funny, the long-term effects could be quite damaging if not addressed early on. She found that way when she created Bentley the Hippo. At the start of her journey, she experienced a life-changing trauma that robbed her of full sight in one eye overnight, but even with her new daily struggles she never quit. Through writing, she has found a way to pass on her message to children. Bentley is Argyro’s inner voice and her goal is to build him to become recognized as the one who made a difference in all of us and in the world.

Bentley’s mission is to inspire children to do better, be kinder, accept and respect each other and to lend a hand to those in need. ABC Empower Me features illustrations colored by 2 special children (autistic and hearing impaired) that she proudly displays and shares with teachers, parents, and caregivers.

In fact all her characters have some challenge they face such as Autism, Diabetes & Kidney Disease, Vision Impairment, ADHD and Alopecia

To help children on the right path, she launched Appreciation Journals to help children start and end each day with gratitude. Every day features an affirmation to help build self-esteem, boost self-confidence and be kind not only to others but to themselves (available in 7 languages)

When asked what plans she has for Bentley, she replied “I don’t have plans for Bentley, he has plans for me, but all will include kindness to each other, to animals and to our environment.”

Argyro uses her adept marketing skills to promote not only her own books but works from other authors as well.

Find out more about her and Bentley at https://bentleythehippo.com

Think Ahead Kids Book Reviews

Book Review for The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Teaching Children to be Kind

Teaching children to be kind is a great book to read to your child. As the reader jumps into the pages of this story, they will find themselves on a bus with Bentley and his friends. On the bus ride, children begin to make fun of Bentley’s close friend, Toby. Bentley and his friends support their friend Toby the elephant by telling the children on the bus that it is not kind to say rude things to others. The author provides many examples for children to be kind and how to handle a bully. They will learn how to stand by their friends and support them.

A great book to read with your children if they are feeling bullied at school. This book will surely get children talking.

-School Psychologist

Your book is really awesome and I think kids would know really more about how people feel when they are getting bullied. It had a great story line. His friend supported him, and Marty didn’t call Toby names. They others kids help Toby and Marty because Marty gets circled by other kids and then they save him. Also, when Toby gets bullied, they also come to his rescue. I love your book and I can’t wait to see what happens when the driver takes a wrong turn! 😉-Child Age 10

Book Review for The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Teaching Children to be Patient

This story provides excellent descriptions of how children feel when feeling excited and cannot wait their turn! Jaxon the monkey races to his friend Bentley’s house to let him know about a ride on a rocket ship in an open field. Bentley and Jaxon meet up with their friends and begin to wait in line for their ride. Jaxon then feels very impatient and acts without care, kindness, and patience. He begins to cut in line and crash into his friends, causing them to drop their ice cream cones. Bentley recognizes that Jaxon does not know how to control himself when he is feeling impatient. He provides Jaxon with a few good ideas on how to wait in line with patience. Jaxon listens to Bentley’s ideas and then finds himself at the head of the line and next to get on the ride. The twist at the end is adorable and will be enjoyed by all.

The illustrations are delightful and will entice the eyes of many who read this story.

I highly recommend this book to parents and educators.

-School Psychologist

I really enjoyed your story about patient. The monkey is so impatient and causes people to be mad. I loved the part where Bentley and his friends helped Jaxon be calm and wait. I really liked how it gave examples of how to be patient and wait in a long line. It also was a surprising twist where the ‘Blue rocket’ is not really a rocket, it is really a hot air balloon! I love that part and where they get to go on a ride. I love your book so much! 😊 -Child age 10

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