From School Library Journal
PreS–Bobo, the chimp who searched for his very own embrace in the tender
Hug (Candlewick, 2000), is back with a new quest in mind. He makes his way through the jungle, feeling rather small until he climbs on a rock and is convinced that he is now tall. Unfortunately, many creatures still tower over him, even as he is lifted onto the head of a baby lion, a baby elephant, and even a giraffe before taking a dramatic tumble and being saved by his mother's nick-of-time catch. By the end, a slightly wiser Bobo is satisfied being small, while held tight in Mom's protective arms. In spite of the spare text (there are five words in all), Bobo embodies an impressive range of identifiable emotions. Alborough's adept pen-and-gouache illustrations make each feeling and point of view crystal clear through everything from slumped shoulders to delighted outstretched arms. Even the chimp's brief moments of woe are less self-pitying than simply glum. A must-have title for any children who have ever felt less than enchanted with their diminutive status.
–Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 1. Just right for sharing with little ones who wish they were taller, this story about Bobo the chimp reassures as well as entertains. Using very few words and expressive illustrations, Alborough depicts Bobo's attempts to be tall. Feeling "small," Bobo climbs on a rock ("Tall"). He feels small again after a friendly lizard, who looks pretty small himself, stands up straight. The lizard allows Bobo to get on its shoulders ("Tall"). A lion cub walks by ("Small"), and Bobo gets on its back ("Tall"). Then Bobo proceeds to climb aboard a succession of progressively larger animals, opening the way for children to guess the animal he will scale next. One humorous spread shows Bobo atop an elephant, a kangaroo's legs showing in the background; the rest of the kangaroo is too tall for the page. When Bobo falls from the kangaroo's head, he cries "Fall!" but Mommy comes running to catch him. Bobo's wishing-to-grow pains will ring true with small children, and the repetition of a few simple words, set off in speech balloons, will encourage group participation.
Diane FooteCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
