Customer Reviews

Yes

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I purchased this book back in January and it quickly became the favorite of one of my students. It is a good one for demonstrating the daily tussles between parent and child, esp. when the child is tired and doesn't want to do what the parent knows the child needs to do (go to sleep).

Books with no or little text are excellent avenues for exploring whatever is pertinent to the caregiver-child relationship. You can use whatever words the child needs to hear/learn. The use of simple words with reduplicated syllables (Bobo, the little chimp's name and Mama) allows even children with limited verbal abilities to participate orally.

Jez Alborough's illustrations are vibrant, full of energy and humor.

This is the second book by Jez Alborough that I bought in a near by bookstore in Brookline MA. The first time I read this book to my 1.8 years old, I thought "oh oh" because, like an earlier reviewer mentioned, Bobo monkey obviously said 'no' several times. Fast forward several weeks after having read this book to my child almost every night, it offers my child an option to say 'no' at times and allow us to enter into a productive (allow you to detect an objection before the child starts crying or being passive aggressive) negotiation. Being a toddler with limited means of communication is not easy. Knowing how to use 'no' as this book demonstrates will give a child a way to express objection. This book teaches a child to express and detect emotions (when friends are being playful or Bobo's mom is angry) that is important in a relationship.

Yikes! I don't want to make too big a deal out of it but some of the negative reviews on this title really have me shaking my head.

First of all: Bobo's mommy does not leave him alone! She very clearly goes and hides behind a bush and watches him to be sure he's safe.

Second: the notion that this book will teach a toddler to be negative is preposterous. Toddlers are going to experiment with boundaries as a natural part of their development and that includes negativity. It's comical (but also sad) to imagine parents who probably say "no" to their toddlers a dozen times a day worrying that this book will somehow exacerbate the situation.

Our daughter loved this book from around 14 months through 20 months or so. The art is beautiful (as always with Jez Alborough) and the characters' faces are very expressive which afforded us plenty of opportunities to talk about what they were feeling. In our household we don't try to suppress negative emotions, rather we work on understanding them, communicating them respectfully, and channeling them into positive outlets. There is nothing whatsoever in Yes that's incompatible with these goals.

All of the Bobo books are worth having. The art is beautiful and the stories are stripped down to their fundamental emotional elements which makes them ideal for toddlers. Hug and Tall are arguably better but Yes is still great. Highly recommended.

At 18-21 months my son was at the point where he wasn't able to figure out how to communicate his needs with other people using his words. He'd get frustrated and shove or bite because he couldn't find two very helpful words -- Yes and No.

He was enthralled with the idea of understanding that Bobo the baby monkey could express himself using just those two words, and the storyline feeds off of a toddler's wish for some independence and freedom of choice. (I don't think the mother abandons Bobo, as written in a prior review. I think the illustrations clearly show her watching from behind some brush on the beach as Bobo plays with her friends. I think Mom was giving her child time to sort out her fit.)

Anyway by 23 months, all the shoving and biting had ended. He now clearly knows yes and no. And when we read this book before bedtime, he knows it's time for bed. But he stills smirks when Bobo says "No!" to his mother. He identifies with that emotion. And I don't think expressing that kind of frustration is wrong or disrespectful.

I bought this becuase my 20-month son absolutely loves HUG, by the same author. There is a scene where the mother leaves Bobo in the bath, saying Bye-Bye, because he says No. My boy sobbed really loudly when he saw this, he was very upset, and it was my first time to see anything like this kind of response to a book.

I don't feel the story hangs together as coherently as HUG. Although the illustrations are great.

As a first grade teacher and a parent of two young children, I think this book and Jez Alborough's other Bobo books, Hug and Tall are great for building confidence in beginning readers. I recommend them not just as read-alouds, but as first easy-to-read texts, similar to Spot. I checked out Yes, Hug, and Tall from the library and read them first to my own children. They loved them. My 4-year-old quickly figured out the simple text and read all 3 books on her own many times. She was so excited--reading to every member of the family and giving everyone kisses! I then took them to school and shared them with my first graders, many of whom are struggling readers. The class loved the books, too. My previous non-readers, including a couple of English language learners, borrowed the books whenever they had free time and would enthusiasticly read them over and over again. Not only did they get good practice with several sight words, they more importantly found confidence as readers for the first time. Getting struggling readers to feel confident and excited about reading is truly half the battle. I was so excited about my class's and my daughter's reactions to these books that I immediately ordered all three from Amazon.com. The other first grade teachers in my building borrowed the books from me and had a similar experience.

I understand some reviewers' opinions about this is not too good story. I don't have a strong opinion of if it's educational or not. I just love to see my kids to get worry about Bobo keeps saying "no" to his mom. I thought it's funny that they actually do THAT kind of thing to us also. It is true that we don't know if Bobo learned something from his experience or not, but we still like that there are kind friends for Bobo and showing that Bobo's mom still loves him. It is a happy ending story!!

Since toddlers like to say "No" more than "Yes", I bought this book expecting to find a sweet tale in which the main character learns that "Yes" can be good too. I was sorely disappointed when the book arrived.

There's very little plot; Bobo says yes to what he likes, no to what he doesn't like, and gets rewarded for throwing a tantrum by his mom going off and letting him play with his friends more until he falls asleep on his own. What kind of message is that giving kids? Protest enough and mom will give in? And forget any notion that Bobo might have learned the value of saying "Yes"; there is no indication that he learned anything but that throwing a fit gets him what he wants.

My son will not be receiving this book; I'm returning it right away.

"Yes" is as captivating and engaging as "Hug". With only half a dozen or so words, Alborough gives us another day in the life of Bobo, the chimpanzee ( or monkey - not quite sure but you get the idea! ) In "Yes" Bobo has so much fun in his bath that he absolutely refuses to leave the lake after his bath and go to bed. His good friends play with him until he tires, then they carry him home to Mum. The illustrations by the author are amazing. The look on Bobo's face when he defies his mother with crossed arms and closed eyes is one I have seen on my daughter and her cousins when the chips were down and they took on "the grown up"! This is a captivating book and my 20 month old granddaughters already know it by heart and love each piece of the story of Bobo's defiance. I wish Mr. Alborough would write some more tales of Bobo for us!

I would have preferred to buy this in a board book, like 'Hug' or 'Tall' but it was only available in hard cover paper. This means it cannot go into the girls stash of books to read on their own if it is going to stay in one piece. Bummer.

We got this book because my 17 month old daughter really enjoys "Hug" (and will bring me the book exclaiming "Bobo"). The story and characters in "Hug" are sweet and fun. However, I was extremely disappointed to read "Yes" for the first time. The plot permits Bobo to willfully disobey his mother without any consequences. It suggests that if children will push the limits and throw tantrums, their parents will relent and give in with no punishment for the child's bad behavior. Even though my daughter is too young to fully understand this yet, I feel that I have to take an aside every time we read this book to tell why Bobo (and his Mom's) actions are wrong.