I'll Save You Bobo!

Starred review from March 12, 2012
The war wages on! In this charming sequel to I Must Have Bobo! (2010), Willy and his pet cat, Earl, are still having trouble coexisting at home, and stuffed monkey Bobo is caught in the middle. All three characters fully inhabit their identities. Willy is emphatic and mercurial, excited about the jungle adventure he’s drawing (“And we have a tent!” he shouts gleefully) and irritated at Earl’s intrusions. Earl does as cats do, sometimes insisting on being in the middle of the action, at other times drifting into the background or tentatively exploring what Willy is up to. Bobo,
inanimate, is just along for the ride. A joyful tribute to imagination and everyday domestic dramas. Ages 3–6. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.

February 15, 2012
Earl the cat is back--hurray! Willy, the young narrator of I Must Have Bobo! (2011) here puts down the book he's reading in order to create a more exciting story himself, while his sock monkey Bobo serves as audience for his crayon drawings and narrative about a jungle adventure. Earl, the cat who also loves Bobo, provides the action in this drama. The (mostly) unruffled feline antagonist does not deliberately interrupt the crayon story but manages to do so just the same in his determination to carry out his own mission: acquiring Bobo. And without Earl, there would be little tension in this simple story. He creeps over the back of the armchair, only to be casually rebuffed by the hero; he reacts, all his fur on end, to the part in the imaginary narrative where a large snake eats the cat; he climbs atop the "tent" Willy assembles with a couple of chairs and a sheet. The cartoon illustrations create a kind of spotlight for the story: boy, drawing table and crayons, armchair, Bobo and cat. Earl, with his small gray body and round eyes remains both steadfastly catlike and slyly, charmingly funny: a constant companion for Willy, even as Bobo is a more favored and predictable one. Both help to circumscribe a childhood in which adventure is appealingly tolerable and safe. Endearing and inviting. (Picture book. 2-6)

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Starred review from April 1, 2012

K-Gr 3-Poor Willy just wants to read a dinosaur book with his beloved toy monkey. But, as in I MUST Have Bobo (Atheneum, 2011), Earl the cat just won't leave them alone. When the book proves disappointingly sedate, Willy takes matters into his own hands and decides to write his own jungle adventure-with lots of danger to save Bobo from. As he narrates their imaginary exploits, Earl pesters and tries to steal the toy. With clever problem-solving, Willy uses his story to express his anger and desire for retaliation against Earl. Imagining the feline being devoured by snakes provides catharsis for Willy, and though their relationship remains the same he feels empowered enough to accept Earl as he is. There is no pat ending. Kids will relate to having someone in their life who just plain bugs them-whether pet, sibling, cousin, or friend. The charming humor in the Sunday-funnies-style illustrations perfectly enhances the story, and the art (not to mention Willy's feisty personality) is reminiscent of Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" (Andrews McMeel). A first purchase.-Anna Haase Krueger, Antigo Public Library, WI

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