Welcome to Bobville

July 1, 2020
In a town where everyone looks the same, individuality finally shines. In Bobville, everyone is named "Bob" (according to their nametags), and everyone looks exactly the same. Striped shirts stretch over rotund bodies, noses flop, and skin and clothes are drab in grayscale shades. Every Bob does the same thing as the next Bob--they eat the same food, think the same thoughts, indulge in the same hobby (playing accordion, of course), and dream the same dreams at night (watching paint dry). They have heard of suspicious others who are not named Bob but see those only on the news. One day, one intrepid Bob wakes up and decides instead to be called "Bruce." Bruce gets a new, very colorful wardrobe and steps outside. The town is appalled. They immediately ostracize the "Person Formerly Known as Bob," quickly building a wall to keep Bruce out forever (and any other errant "not-Bobs," too). Luckily, Bruce just might find a new, more accepting community, after all. Aptly named Staake fills the art with sly asides: a sign that states "Curb Your Bob," a supermarket shelf filled with Bob-related cereals, and a "Bobhound" bus, to name a few. Background colors in Bobville are muted to pastel shades; the other side of the wall is splashy, diverse, and bold. A clever look at tolerance and understanding. (Picture book. 4-8)

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July 6, 2020
The citizens of Bobville are the epitome of conformity: all named Bob, they also look and act the same. Staake (The Book of Gold), leaning into his stylized aesthetic, draws the Bobs as black-and-white figures with rotund, striped bodies; mostly bald pates; and bulbous noses. “Life could get a little dull,” writes Winter (Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children), but the Bobs cherish their way of life—which also includes hating any outliers. When a renegade community member renames himself Bruce and starts wearing red striped pants and a variously patterned bright shirt, the reaction in Bobville is swift and draconian. “The Person Formerly Known as Bob” is banished, and the Bobs build a tall brick wall around the town “for keeping out other not-Bobs”; Bruce, looking not at all displeased, finds happiness in “the big, exciting world outside,” which is populated by people (plus one robot, two Martians, and a unicorn) of every color, wardrobe, and lifestyle. The creators devote so many pages to the Bobville orthodoxy that Bruce’s new life feels shortchanged, but the laudatory, relevant premise offers a clear way forward for non-Bobs everywhere. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from August 1, 2020
Preschool-G *Starred Review* The circular black-and-white-striped residents in the village of Bobville, prisoners of conformity, all go by the name of Bob. Detailed drawings show that they eat the same food, have the same hobbies, think the same thoughts, and endorse the same music, movies, and books. Most of all they did not like anyone not named Bob. But one day a bored Bob gels his hair, orders colorful clothes, and presents himself in a joyful vertical spread as a yellow-attired guy named Bruce! So the council decides to kick the Person Formerly Known as Bob out of town. They even build a wall to keep out anyone else who might be thinking like that. Meanwhile, Bruce goes out to discover a big exciting world and?you guessed it?lives happily ever after. Illustrator (Bob!) Staake accesses his own inner Bob to digitally produce the goofy cartoon drawings in pen, ink, and paint. While the Bobs remain uniformly boring in all their activities, the renegade Bruce joyfully explores a world of vibrant colors, faces, and personalities. It's a fun lesson with a not-so-subtle message that promotes pushing boundaries and embracing differences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

August 21, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Ahhh, Bobville, the place where happiness is dependent on consistency. Here everyone looks the same, behaves the same, and even dreams the same dreams. And they like it that way. Then one of the Bobs of Bobville wakes up a little later than the other Bobs, changes his name and his manner of thought and dress and gets kicked out of town. No worries, Bruce (formerly Bob) has found his own people outside of Bobville, and lives happily ever after. Not so for the Bobs. They have built a wall to keep themselves safe from not-Bobs, though the appearance of safety doesn't guarantee happiness. There are lots of books lately about celebrating differences and condemning intolerance. This title is a carefree addition to the canon that is simply a celebration of how silly it would be for us all to be the same. Even Staake's gray- and black-striped Bobs have an individuality that makes their sameness plausible, and his characteristic digitized, airbrushed geometrics are as fresh as ever. VERDICT As in the land of Sneetches, Bobville is not so much a lesson in inclusion as it is a reminder to laugh at our foibles.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter Sch., Providence

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