**This post originally appeared on the discussion board for my Children's Literature class**
Title: Bob
Authors: Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Genre: juvenile fiction, fantasy
Bob takes place in rural, drought-ridden Australia
(exact location never mentioned). Livy and her family are visiting Livy’s
grandmother after their last visit 5 years ago. Poor Livy can’t remember any
details from her last visit, when she was five, so everything is a surprise to
her. The biggest surprise is when she finds Bob living in a closet. At first
Bob thinks he is a zombie, and then a chicken, but as for what Bob IS, Bob
can’t remember where he came from (what is it with the memory stuff around
here?). As you can see from the sepia-toned illustration below, Bob is
definitely NOT a chicken (if he were, he would be a huge chicken!).
As Livy spends more time with Bob, memories of
her last visit return in sudden snatches:
“One chicken was not the other chickens…” (p.3).
“Did I ever bump down those stairs?” (p.6)
“But what I remember about the second floor is
not a big bed with a canopy. I still don’t know what it is, but it is not that”
(p.8).
Little memories like this eventually aid Livy
and Bob in figuring out his identity. Eventually Livy and Bob figure out that
Bob has a special ability: “If Livy’s mom doesn’t see me at all, and a kid like
Danny, who doesn’t know me Livy knows me, sees a chicken, then maybe age is
another clue to my magic” (Mass, 2018, p.100). Bob can also make people forget
about him unless he gives them a “memory aid.” In Livy’s case, her memory aid
is a black chess piece. Every time Livy was physically removed from Bob, she
forgot about him, but once she touched the chess piece she remembered him again
and their quest to find his home.
As an adult reading this, I thought at first
that Bob was an invisible friend or a metaphor for Livy’s soon transition to
teenagerhood (Livy is almost eleven during the events of the book). The drought
is also mentioned several times throughout the book, so I thought that Livy’s
memory was somehow magically tied to the drought. In the end, it’s Bob and his
origins that are connected to the drought. I would classify this book as an
animal fantasy with a touch of mystery. Even though Bob is not an animal in the
traditional sense of the word, he is a creature (from somewhere) and he “experiences
emotions, talks, and has the ability to reason” (Short et al., 2014, p.129). There
are a lot of little clues sprinkled throughout the story that Bob, Livy, and
the reader must use to restore Livy’s memory and assist Bob with his mission of
finding his home.
Since Bob is not a scary creature, the
mysterious elements are not scary, there are no violent events, and there is a
happy ending, I think this would be a great book to introduce older elementary
children to the fantasy and mystery genres. Since it is not scary, the book
“can be read to very young children who enjoy the exciting but reassuring
adventures in books” (Short et a;, 214, p.129).
My
read-alike suggestions are The Magic Tree
House series by Mary Pope Osborne and Raining
Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis. In TMH series, siblings Jack and Annie
travel to other lands and times to fulfill magical missions for Merlin and
Morgan le Fay (reimagined here as the librarian of Camelot). Magical elements
are used sparingly, and only for good, while the evildoer is
always stopped in the nick of time. In Raining
Sardines, the setting is in rural, pre-Castro
Cuba and a bit of magical realism is entwined into the story (hence the title).
Enriquito and Ernestina are best friends with two secrets: they have befriended
the island's wild Paso Fino population and have discovered buried golden
treasure! When the town land baron destroys the mountain, the locals have used
for centuries for crops and hunting, the ponies' way of life is threatened as
well. Enriquito and Ernestina hatch a plan to keep their beloved ponies safe
and use the treasure to help their downtrodden neighbors.
Citations:
Flores-Galbris, E. (2007). Raining Sardines. New York: Roaring Books Press.
Mass, W., Stead R., Gannon, N. (2018). Bob. New York: Feiwel and Friends.
Osborne, M.P. 1992-2018. Magic
tree house, book series. New York: Penguin RandomHouse.
Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8th
ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Crenshaw is told
from the point of view of Jackson, a fifth grader, who unfortunately knows what
sudden illness, financial hardship, and homelessness can do to a family.
Crenshaw first appears to Jackson when Jackson was in the first grade.
Jackson’s family had just lost their home and had to live in their minivan for
fourteen weeks before they could find affordable housing. Crenshaw brought
comfort to Jackson who was mentally burdened by his family’s situation: “In any
case, Crenshaw had excellent timing, He came into my life just when I needed
him to. It was a good time to have a friend, even if he was imaginary”
(Applegate, 2015, p.142). Crenshaw disappeared just as suddenly a few months later
the same day that Jackson met his best friend Marisol.
Jackson has keen observation skills due to his desire to be
an animal scientist when he grows up. Jackson uses these observation skills to
eavesdrop on his parents who refuse to tell Jackson the truth of the situation.
After a few years of hungry bellies and too-small clothes, Jackson recognizes
the signs of more changes and instability: his parents fight more often and his
parents use various coping mechanisms to hide the seriousness of the situation
from Jackson and his sister, Robin. The last straw, in Jackson’s eyes is when
the family sells off most of their possessions in a yard sale in a last-ditch
effort to catch up on their overdue rent. At this point, Crenshaw pops into
Jackson’s life again; he’s big, he’s back, and he’s got catitude! When Jackson
argues with Crenshaw about the reality or unreality of Crenshaw’s appearance,
Crenshaw assigns Jackson a mission:
“Meantime, you get to work.”
“…on what, exactly?”
“The facts. You need to tell the truth, my friend,”
“Which facts? Tell the truth to who?”
“To the person who matters most of all” (Applegate, 2015,
79).
I would classify this book as a mixture of realistic fiction
and animal fantasy. Unfortunately, many children will be able to relate to
Jackson’s perilous situation regarding food and shelter. Short et al., defines
the animal fantasy as a genre where “the author will interpret the animal for
the reader in human terms without destroying the animal’s integrity or removing
it from membership in the animal world” (2014, p. 129). The fantasy aspect
comes into play when Crenshaw shows up on the first page in a flashback scene.
Although Crenshaw can walk, talk, take bubble baths, and do handstands, he
still retains feline characteristics and sensibilities (chasing frogs and
moths, referring to the family dog as an odorous beast, purring during times of
contentment, etc).
This book contains themes of adversity (the family’s
experience with homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of money), honesty
(Jackson’s guilt for shoplifting food and his desire for his parents to be
honest with him and Robin), and friendship (Jackson’s friendship with Crenshaw
and Marisol). Crenshaw’s catitude and mild snark adds just enough humor and
amusement to keep the story from being too depressing for young readers. The
story is also more character driven so it would make a great bedtime, readaloud
book or a book that a newly fluent reader could read on their own.
My readalike recommendations are Babe, The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Both books contain talking animals
contained in a realistic, human setting. I have only seen the movie version of Babe, but I remember it to be a cute and
wholesome movie, perfect for young children. Charlotte’s Web contains similar themes of adversity (Wilbur needs
to be saved from the chopping block) and friendship (between Charlotte, Wilbur,
and the other farm animals).
Citations:
King-Smith, D. (1983). Babe,
the gallant pig. London, UK: Gollanz.
Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8th
ed.). Boston: Pearson.
White, E.B. (1952). Charlotte’s
web. New York: Harper & Bros.
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