Review (Book) - I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal

"When Willy woke up, there was TROUBLE. Where was Bobo? Willy loves Bobo. Willy NEEDS Bobo. But Earl loves Bobo too." (inside jacket cover)


BEWARE, this review will have spoilers -


So, Willy is a young boy who has a monkey stuffed animal named Bobo for a "security blanket". Since Bobo is such a multi-functional animal, helping Willy with everything from being brave to identifying bugs...well, you can see why Willy NEEDS Bobo. The problem is that Willy's cat Earl also loves to cuddle with Bobo.


I originally picked this book up to read because of the title. My soon-to-be (in just two days!) sister-in-law calls outrageously stupid situations "bobo", so I just had to see who MUST HAVE something so stupid. But alas, the book was not stupid at all. I thought it was delightfully cute. (I may even have to buy this book for her for Christmas).


The illustrations are very simple. They remind me of a cross between Harold and the Purple Crayon (but with more colors) and Mo Willems's "Pigeon" books. The story is adorable - I love how Willy speaks to and through Bobo, and I love how Earl is always stealing Bobo away to cuddle with him. I even love how in the end, in true stuck-up cat fashion, Earl wins.


I would love to read this book to a school group of 4-5-year-olds and see if they can find Bobo, and if they answer the questions that Willy asks Bobo and Earl. Do you have any experiences reading this book to kids?


I couldn't find an age range on Amazon, but the publishing company (according to the inside jacket cover) appears to recommend the book for ages 3-6.


My rating: